Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

Establishes the Social Work Professional Loan Repayment Program (Program) for credentialed social workers employed with the Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Requires the Washington Student Achievement Council's Office of Student Financial Assistance to administer the Program under the umbrella of the Washington Health Corps.
Establishes the Social Work Professional Loan Repayment Program Account.

Background:

Social Workers in Washington State.

A person may only use the designation of social worker if the person is licensed by the Department of Health as a social worker, or has graduated with at least a bachelor's degree from a social work educational program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Licensure is dependent on education and experience. State agencies also employ social service specialists to provide a range of tasks related to social work, including assessments, interviews, and investigations into abandonment, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Washington Health Corps.

In 2019 the Legislature established the Washington Health Corps, an umbrella program consisting of the existing Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) and the new Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program (BHLRP).

The HPLRP provides licensed health care professionals with student loan repayment if the professional agrees to serve in a rural or underserved urban area with a designated shortage. The BHLRP provides licensed health care professionals with student loan repayment if the professional agrees to serve in underserved behavioral health areas. Both programs provide up to $75,000 in loan repayment for a minimum three-year service obligation. The participant must work a minimum of a 24-hour work week, and if the participant defaults on his or her service obligation, the penalty is either an amount equal to the unsatisfied portion of the service obligation or the total amount paid by the program, whichever is less.

The 2019 eligible health care professionals included Doctors of Medicine, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, Naturopathic Doctors, Doctors of Dental Surgery, Doctors of Medicine in Dentistry, Registered Dental Hygienists, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nurse Midwifes, Licensed Midwifes, Pharmacists, Licensed Clinical Psychologists, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

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Summary of Substitute Bill:

The Social Work Professional Loan Repayment Program (Program) is established to provide loan repayment to credentialed social work professionals who provide social work services on behalf of the Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration (DSHS) or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). To qualify, a social worker must have been employed by the DSHS or the DCYF for two years and either:

be licensed as a social worker;
have a bachelor's degree from a social work educational program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; or
be employed as a social service specialist.

The Program is placed under the umbrella of the Washington Health Corps, with the Washington Student Achievement Council's (WSAC) Office of Student Financial Assistance (Office) as program administrator. The Office, in consultation with the DSHS and the DCYF, must establish criteria to select participants. The Office may consider criteria that permits a social worker to apply for loan repayment while pursuing a Master of Social Work and employed with the DSHS or the DCYF. Student loans eligible for repayment under the Program include those used to receive a bachelor's degree from an accredited social work educational program, or a bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, criminal justice, or an allied field.

Participants must allow the Office access to loan records and to necessary information from lenders to verify eligibility and to determine payments. A participant may receive loan repayments quarterly, or more frequently, until either the loan is repaid, the participant discontinues service as a social worker for the DSHS or the DCYF, or the award limit is reached. If a participant discontinues service, the loan repayments will cease to be effective on the date of the discontinued service.

The Social Work Professional Loan Repayment Program Fund is created in the custody of the State Treasurer.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill placed the Program under the umbrella of the Washington Health Corps, using the existing administrative structure. The requirement for the WSAC to collaborate with the DSHS and the DCYF on selection criteria was added. In addition, the definition of social worker was expanded to include social service specialists, and the types of student loans that are eligible for repayment under the Program were expanded to those used to receive a bachelor degree in social services, human services, behavioral services, criminal justice, or an allied field.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) Social work is an important and intense field, and one in which it is hard to recruit staff. It can be dangerous, the pay is insufficient, and often social workers have to respond 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The return rate of placing children back with their families is being impacted by social worker turnover. The cost to retrain new social workers is high. Social workers stay for two years and then leave the profession to earn more money. However, it takes two years to become proficient. Social workers want to work with vulnerable families, but they cannot afford to stay in the profession. If the state can hold on to these social workers for five years, then supervising opportunities open up. One way to incentivize social workers to stay in the field is by helping them repay their student loans, which can generate a monthly payment of hundreds of dollars. This bill is good for retaining workers in state agencies, and it matters for child welfare. It makes sense to use an existing structure.

This should be amended to reflect the current job class, which is social service specialist, not social worker. Also, two years is often the breaking point, so maybe a social worker should qualify for the loan repayment sooner.

(Opposed) None.