H.R. 8629 — Developing the Community Health Workforce Act of 2026

This section modifies the priority for assignment of members of the National Health Service Corps to give precedence to applications for health professional shortage areas that are Federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. This section also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to Federally qualified health centers to make loan repayments on behalf of health care professionals serving at such centers; grant applications must describe the center’s capacity to address regional workforce shortages, include a loan repayment plan, and describe the center’s use of an interdisciplinary care model.

This section establishes the Community Health Center Workforce Pipeline Program by amending section 330 of the Public Health Service Act to (1) authorize grants to health centers for recruiting and hiring staff with skills to serve rural and underserved patient populations and for supporting career advancement and workforce development; (2) direct the Secretary of Labor, within 180 days of enactment, to revise apprenticeship regulations under 29 CFR part 29 so that federally qualified health centers (as defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act) may register as apprenticeship programs; (3) authorize grants to institutions of higher education, including community colleges and minority-serving institutions, to partner with health centers for training students in health professions, with funds usable for clinician salaries, formal training, mentorships, and clinical, information technology, operations, finance, or other training; and (4) authorize grants to health centers to establish, operate, or expand training programs for behavioral health specialists, including stipends, apprenticeship programs, and other recruitment and retention activities.

This section expands eligibility under the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program to include teaching health centers that have in effect a covered agreement with a sponsoring institution, effective for expenses incurred on or after October 1, 2025. A covered agreement is defined as a written contract, memorandum of understanding, or other written agreement lasting at least 2 years for the purpose of conducting an approved graduate medical residency training program. This section also increases the otherwise applicable Medicare resident limit by 3 full-time equivalent residency positions for hospitals with an approved medical residency training program where a significant portion occurs at a Federally qualified health center, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2025. (As background, Medicare GME payments support hospital-based physician training and are subject to statutory caps on the number of residents for which hospitals may receive reimbursement.)

This section expands the scope of services that may be furnished by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) under Medicare and Medicaid. It adds coverage, effective October 1, 2025, for behavioral health consultant, peer support specialist, and other behavioral health professional services, as well as case management services furnished by a case manager (as defined by the Secretary), and makes conforming amendments to the Medicaid statute. This section also requires the Secretary to conduct an annual study, beginning October 1, 2025, on differences among State Medicaid plans in adjusting FQHC payment rates and to issue guidance on best practices for such adjustments.