42 U.S.C. § 294c — Education and training relating to geriatrics

(a) Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program: (1) In general: The Secretary must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to certain health professions schools or programs to establish or operate Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs meeting the requirements of paragraph (2). (2) Requirements: (A) In general: A funded program must support training health professionals in geriatrics, including through traineeships or fellowships, emphasizing patient and family engagement, integrating geriatrics with primary care and other specialties, and collaborating with community partners on gaps in care for older adults. (B) Activities may include: (i) clinical training on integrated geriatrics and primary care delivery; (ii) interprofessional training across disciplines and specialties, including on caring for older adults; (iii) establishing or maintaining community-based programs for older adults and caregivers; and (iv) providing education on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias to families, caregivers, direct care workers, and health professions students, faculty, and providers. (3) Duration: Each award lasts no more than 5 years. (4) Applications: An entity applies to the Secretary in the form, manner, and timeframe the Secretary requires. (5) Program requirements: (A) In awarding grants, the Secretary (i) must give priority to programs coordinated with another federal, state, public, or private program; (ii) must give priority to applicants whose programs are expected to substantially benefit rural or medically underserved older adults, or older adults in Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and (iii) may give priority to programs that (I) integrate geriatrics into primary care practice; (II) train other specialists, administrators, faculty, and students to integrate geriatric care; (III) integrate geriatric care into existing care settings, including primary care clinics, medical homes, federally qualified health centers, ambulatory clinics, critical access hospitals, emergency care, assisted living and nursing facilities, and home- and community-based services, including adult day care; (IV) support training and retraining of faculty, providers, and other professionals on geriatrics; (V) emphasize educating family caregivers on disease management; or (VI) propose outreach to communities with a shortage of geriatric workforce professionals. (B) The Secretary must give special consideration to entities serving areas with a shortage of geriatric workforce professionals. (6) Priority: The Secretary may give awardees additional support for activities in areas of demonstrated need, including education and training for home health workers, family caregivers, and direct care workers. (7) Reporting: (A) Each grantee must submit an annual report to the Secretary on activities under the award, which may include the number of trainees, professions and disciplines involved, health care delivery partnerships, and participating faculty and professionals. (B) Not later than 4 years after March 27, 2020, and every 5 years after, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress summarizing activities and outcomes under this section, including (i) the number of trainees, faculty, and professionals who participated; (ii) the program's impact on older adults' health status, including in shortage areas; and (iii) outreach and education provided to families and caregivers of older adults. (C) The Secretary must make these reports publicly available on the HHS website. (b) Geriatric academic career awards: (1) Establishment of program: The Secretary must, as appropriate, establish or maintain a program giving geriatric academic career awards to eligible entities applying on behalf of eligible individuals, to promote those individuals' careers as academic geriatricians or other academic geriatrics health professionals. (2) Eligibility: (A) "Eligible entity" means an entity described in certain paragraphs of section 295p or section 296(2), or another accredited health professions school or graduate program approved by the Secretary. (B) "Eligible individual" means someone who (i) either (I) is board certified or board eligible in internal medicine, family practice, psychiatry, or licensed dentistry, or has completed required training in a discipline and works at an accredited, Secretary-approved health professions school or graduate program, or (II) has completed an approved geriatrics fellowship, or completed the specialty and additional geriatrics training the discipline and Secretary require; and (ii) holds a junior, nontenured faculty appointment at an accredited health professions school or graduate program in geriatrics or a geriatrics health profession. (C) If an eligible individual is promoted during the award period and no longer meets (B)(ii), they continue to be treated as eligible through the rest of the award term. (3) Application requirements: To receive an award, an eligible entity, on behalf of an eligible individual, must (A) submit an application as the Secretary requires; (B) assure that the individual will meet the service requirement in paragraph (6); and (C) assure that the individual has a full-time faculty appointment and a documented commitment to spend 75 percent of award-supported time teaching and developing interdisciplinary geriatrics education skills. (4) Equitable distribution: The Secretary must try to ensure awards are spread geographically, including to rural and medically underserved areas. (5) Amount and duration: (A) Amount: An award is at least $75,000 for fiscal year 2021, adjusted for later years by the consumer price index. The Secretary determines the amount for non-physician recipients. (B) Duration: Awards last no more than 5 years. (6) Service requirement: A recipient must provide training in clinical geriatrics, including training interprofessional teams of health care professionals, and this training must make up at least 75 percent of the recipient's obligations under the award. (c) Nonapplicability of provision: Despite any other provision of this subchapter, section 295j(a) of this title does not apply to awards under this section. (d) Authorization of appropriations: Congress authorized $40,737,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section.