MEDIC Careers Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the “Medic Education and Deployment Into Civilian Careers Act of 2026” or the “MEDIC Careers Act of 2026”.

(a) Recommendations required.— The Secretary concerned, in consultation with each of the States (through the Defense-State Liaison Office of the Department of Defense), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Labor, shall develop recommendations to improve the transition of medics under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned into the civilian workforce in health care occupations, including as certified nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, or medical assistants.

(b) Considerations.— In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall—

(1) identify any barriers—

(A) to improving the ability of the Secretary concerned to determine and communicate how the military credentials and experience of a medic separating from the Armed Forces translate to credentialed civilian employment in health care occupations;

(B) that exist to the standardization among the Armed Forces of military medic credentials and experience and the alignment of such credentials and experience to credentialed civilian employment in health care occupations;

(C) that exist to ensuring members of the Armed Forces with military medic credentials and experience have earned the equivalent civilian credential prior to separation from the Armed Forces in addition to receiving their military credentials;

(D) to the increased establishment and uptake of accelerated or bridge programs to assist separating members of the Armed Forces in translating military credentials and experience into civilian health care credentials and employment;

(E) to increasing the availability and accessibility of preparatory activities under the SkillBridge program established under section 1143(e) of title 10, United States Code, in the health care sector for members of the Armed Forces preparing for separation, to include—

(i) the approval timeline for separating members to participate in SkillBridge programs in the health care sector; and

(ii) requirements to return to their duty station for out-processing; and

(F) to providing information on civilian health care credentials and employment under the Transition Assistance Program to medics separating from the Armed Forces, including information on State-by-State licensing and credentialing; and

(2) consider the potential impact of—

(A) clarification by States through legislation, actions of State licensing boards, or actions of State credentialing boards of the civilian equivalents of certain military credentials and experience in health care;

(B) implementation, including through State-provided incentives, of accelerated programs to bridge military medic credentials and experience with civilian health care credentials and licenses;

(C) financial support or incentives by States to increase the availability and accessibility of such programs;

(D) requiring the military departments to align military health care credentials with civilian equivalents; and

(E) requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor to track and report the number of separated members of the Armed Forces with health care-related military credentials and experience who continue in the civilian health care sector, including the type of employment they pursue.

(c) Report.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report containing—

(1) the recommendations developed under subsection (a); and

(2) a plan to implement those recommendations.

(d) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Medic.— The term medic means a member of the Armed Forces acting in a clinical health care-related occupation while serving in the Armed Forces.

(2) Relevant committees of Congress.— The term relevant committees of Congress means—

(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Education and Workforce, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(3) Secretary concerned.— The term Secretary concerned means—

(A) the Secretary of Defense, with respect to matters concerning the Department of Defense; and

(B) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.

(4) State.— The term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that have a Defense-State Liaison Office.

(5) Transition Assistance Program.— The term Transition Assistance Program means the program of the Department of Defense for pre-separation counseling, employment assistance, and other transitional services provided under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.

(a) In general.— Section 1153 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

“1153. Health Care Workforce Preparedness and Response Pilot Program.—

(a) Grants.— The Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot program to award grants to eligible providers to support the hiring, training, and retention by such providers of members of the Armed Forces separating from the Armed Forces to improve access to, and enhance the quality of, civilian health care occupations by such members.

(b) Duration.— The duration of a grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of three years, with an option to renew for subsequent one-year periods until the earlier of—

(1) two renewal periods; or

(2) the date on which funds are no longer available for grants under this section.

(c) Eligible providers.— To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity shall—

(1) own or operate, or act as a consortium that includes—

(A) a rural health clinic, as defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa));

(B) a nursing home, as defined in section 232(b) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715w(b));

(C) a medical facility, as defined in subsection (a) of section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a)), located in a health professional shortage area designated under such section;

(D) a Federally qualified health center, as defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)); or

(E) a health care facility, as defined in section 801 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296);

(2) be a public or private nonprofit organization, as defined in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and

(3) be located in a medically underserved area, as designated pursuant to section 330(b)(3)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 245b(b)(3)(a)).

(d) Use of funds.— An eligible provider receiving a grant under this section shall use amounts received through the grant to implement a new program or enhance an existing program—

(1) to assist in the hiring or retaining by an eligible provider of members of the Armed Forces separating or recently separated from service in the Armed Forces;

(2) to assist such members who are transitioning to employment with an eligible provider, including—

(A) activities relating to the period of time the member is pursuing licensing, credentialing, or certification as required by the State, field of service of the eligible provider, or occupation of the member; and

(B) providing specific training to meet Federal or State licensing or certification requirements; and

(3) to coordinate or improve coordination with transition assistance programs operated by the Department of Defense to ensure appropriate transition by such members to civilian employment.

(e) Application.— An eligible provider seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including—

(1) a description of the project that the eligible provider will carry out using the amounts provided through the grant;

(2) an explanation of the reasons why Federal Government assistance is required to carry out the project;

(3) a plan for sustaining the project for which the grant was awarded after Federal Government assistance for the project has ended;

(4) a description of how the population in the area or areas to be served through the grant will experience increased access to quality health care services across the continuum of care as a result of the activities carried out by the eligible provider; and

(5) a description of such other priorities as the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate.

(f) Allocation of grants to rural providers.— The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that eligible providers located in rural areas are adequately represented in the total number of grants awarded under this section.

(g) Maximum grant amount.— The amount of a grant made under this section to a single grant recipient shall not exceed—

(1) with respect to the initial three-year period, $600,000; and

(2) with respect to any additional year, $200,000.

(h) Reports.—

(1) Report to Secretary.— An eligible provider awarded a grant under this section shall periodically submit to the Secretary of Defense a report evaluating the activities supported by the grant.

(2) Report to public.— Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of the MEDIC Careers Act of 2026, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress and make publicly available a report on the findings of the Secretary with respect to the success of the pilot program under this section in improving access by separating members of the Armed Forces to civilian health care occupations and enhancing the quality of those occupations.

(i) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

(A) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Education and Workforce, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(2) The term eligible provider means a health care provider, as defined in section 3000 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj).

(j) Authorization of appropriations.—

(1) In general.— There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Defense $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this section.

(2) Administrative costs.— The Secretary of Defense may use not more than 10 percent of the amount appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year for the administrative expenses of carrying out this section.”.

(b) Clerical amendment.— The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 58 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 1153 and inserting the following new item: