BOSTON — Financial relief from college debt is coming for hundreds of mental health workers under a state loan repayment program aimed at easing workforce shortages.
A taxpayer-funded program, which launched in 2022, pays off up to $300,000 in college loans for eligible health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including dental, medical, mental health and substance abuse.
The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which oversees the MA Repay program, announced a new round of disbursements earlier this week totaling $10 million. The latest round of loan repayments will specifically target more than 200 eligible mental health workers, the agency said.
Gov. Maura Healey said the move will “offer life changing loan repayment to our dedicated state employees who continue to provide care daily to community members with serious mental illness.”
“Massachusetts relies on our incredible behavioral health workforce to provide essential care to our residents, but far too many workers are being held back by crushing levels of student debt,” Healey said in a statement.
The MA Repay program was approved as part of a $4 billion pandemic relief bill signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2021. It is aimed at recruiting and retaining new workers in a sector of the state’s health care system that is traditionally among the lowest paid.
Under the program, psychiatrists are eligible for up to $300,000 if they are employed full time, and $150,000 if they work part time. Psychologists can receive up to $150,000 in loans repaid if they are full-time workers, $75,000 if they work part time.
Nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and social workers with master’s degrees who are employed in mental health settings can receive $25,000 to $50,000. Workers in those professions with bachelor’s degrees can get between $15,000 and $30,000.
Those who qualify must commit to working for at least four years in the state under a “service commitment” to receive the financial relief. That employment can be with up to two employers, according to the state agency.
In August, the state announced the first round of disbursements for nearly 3,000 health care workers totaling $140.9 million. In October, the state opened a second round of disbursements for $25 million. In January, an additional $16.5 million was made available to early education, child care, home health and other home workers.
The move comes as President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal this week that seeks to reduce or cancel federal student loans for 30 million Americans.
Biden’s latest forgiveness plan calls for offering loan relief to borrowers who have large amounts of interest on their loans, have been paying for decades or who face financial hardship.
A group of Republican states filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Biden’s SAVE Plan, arguing the move bypasses Congress and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the president’s previous loan forgiveness program, which called for eliminating $400 billion in outstanding college debt.
To date, $136.6 billion in federal college loans have been forgiven for more than 3.7 million Americans, according to the Biden administration.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected].
By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter
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