PRINTER'S NO. 1151
No. 1036 Session of 1995
INTRODUCED BY PETRONE, WALKO, GAMBLE, VAN HORNE, GIGLIOTTI,
TRELLO, ITKIN, READSHAW, LEVDANSKY AND MICHLOVIC,
MARCH 6, 1995
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
MARCH 6, 1995
AN ACT
1 Providing for Commonwealth support for a Mental Health and
2 Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program for
3 Commonwealth residents who graduate from institutions of
4 higher education and who apply their degrees to careers as
5 mental health and mental retardation staff members in this
6 Commonwealth.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Short title.
10 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Mental Health
11 and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program
12 Act.
13 Section 2. Findings and declaration of purpose.
14 The General Assembly finds and declares that:
15 (1) The number of college students planning to enter the
16 mental health and mental retardation profession appears to be
17 inadequate to meet the need for staff members in this
18 Commonwealth.
19 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
1 existing and potential staff members away from the
2 profession.
3 (3) The pool of qualified staff members has diminished.
4 (4) Payment of a portion of student loans for mental
5 health and mental retardation staff members serves the
6 important public purpose of encouraging new staff members to
7 continue their careers in this Commonwealth.
8 Section 3. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
13 Agency.
14 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
15 following criteria:
16 (1) The person has been hired as a full-time staff
17 member by a county mental health or mental retardation
18 service agency through a merit or civil service system
19 approved by the Secretary of Public Welfare or by a private
20 provider that is under contract with a county to provide
21 mental health or mental retardation services, and earns no
22 more than $35,000 per annum.
23 (2) The person has successfully completed both county
24 and civil service probationary periods or, in the case of a
25 contracted private provider, has successfully completed the
26 provider's established probationary period.
27 (3) The person is performing staff duties at a county
28 mental health or mental retardation service agency or at a
29 private provider that is under contract with a county to
30 provide mental health or mental retardation services.
19950H1036B1151 - 2 -
1 (4) The person has borrowed through an agency-
2 administered loan program.
3 "Secretary." The Secretary of Public Welfare of the
4 Commonwealth.
5 "Staff member." A caseworker, direct caregiver, therapist,
6 program coordinator or director.
7 Section 4. Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member
8 Loan Forgiveness Program.
9 A qualified applicant who is selected for the Mental Health
10 and Mental Retardation Staff Member Loan Forgiveness Program in
11 accordance with this act shall be eligible for payment by the
12 agency of a portion of the debt incurred by the applicant
13 through an agency-administered loan program for the education
14 necessary to be certified as a mental health or mental
15 retardation staff member in this Commonwealth. For each year
16 that the applicant is a full-time mental health or mental
17 retardation staff member in an approved county mental health or
18 mental retardation department or a private provider under
19 contract to a county, the agency may forgive a proportional part
20 of the applicant's loan so that the loan may be entirely
21 forgiven over four years of full-time staff work. No more than
22 $2,500 shall be forgiven in any year, and no more than $10,000
23 shall be forgiven for any applicant. Payments shall be made in
24 accordance with the procedures established by the agency.
25 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
26 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
27 mental health and mental retardation staff members who are
28 certified by the secretary and who have received a satisfactory
29 rating by the county office of mental health or mental
30 retardation service or a private provider under contract to a
19950H1036B1151 - 3 -
1 county. Each mental health or mental retardation staff member
2 shall be required to submit such documentation of continued
3 eligibility as the agency may require.
4 Section 6. Funding.
5 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
6 are appropriated by the General Assembly.
7 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
8 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
9 the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Worker Loan
10 Forgiveness Program established by this act and to adopt such
11 regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and
12 not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
13 Section 8. Retroactivity.
14 Loan forgiveness under this act may be based on mental health
15 and mental retardation staff work performed prior to the
16 effective date of this act.
17 Section 9. Effective date.
18 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
A25L24JLW/19950H1036B1151 - 4 -