Warner, Kaine press Education Dept. on health care student loan proposal

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are asking the U.S. Department of Education to reconsider a proposed rule that could limit student loan borrowing for several health care professions.

In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the senators raised concerns about a proposal that would redefine the term “professional degree” in federal student aid regulations to include only doctorate-level degrees.

“We write to raise concern over the Department of Education’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the student financial aid provisions included in Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the senators wrote. “While we have broad concerns regarding the elimination of the Federal Direct Grad PLUS loan program and the implementation of new annual and lifetime student loan limits in Public Law 119-21, we write today with concern specifically regarding the proposal to exclude certain critical post-baccalaureate health care degrees from the regulatory definition of ‘professional degree.’ This decision caps student loan borrowing limits for these professionals at a lower threshold than those included in the proposed definition at a time when Virginia and our country face a health care workforce crisis that worsens by the day.”

The proposal relates to provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21), which established different federal loan limits depending on whether a student is pursuing a graduate or professional degree.

Under the law, students earning “professional degrees” may borrow up to $50,000 annually and $200,000 in total, while those earning “graduate degrees” are limited to $20,500 annually and $100,000 total in federal loans.

According to the senators, the Department of Education’s proposed interpretation would place professions such as advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists and social workers under the lower borrowing limits.

Warner and Kaine said the proposal comes as Virginia and the nation face significant shortages in the health care workforce.

“Virginia, consistent with trends nationwide, is facing historic ongoing health care workforce shortages,” the senators wrote. “As of July 2024, all 133 localities in Virgina are federally designated as behavioral health shortage areas and 96 localities are designated as primary care shortage areas, with 44% of neighborhoods lacking acceptable access to primary care services.”

The letter also cited research from the Center for Health Workforce at George Mason University estimating that Virginia needs more than 17,000 additional registered nurses, 3,700 physical therapists and 2,400 mental health and substance use disorder social workers to meet health care needs.

The senators also noted regional workforce needs. Many counties in Southwest Virginia are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, while other regions of the state—including Hampton Roads and Central Virginia—face demand for additional nurses and therapists.

“Cutting off access to adequate federal loan amounts will needlessly exacerbate the rapidly worsening workforce crisis impacting Virginians and Americans across the country,” the senators wrote. “Now is the time to bolster support for individuals training to enter our health care workforce, not make it harder for them to afford to pursue degrees in nursing, physical and occupational therapy, and other key health care professions desperately needed in our communities.”

The senators urged the Department of Education to broaden the definition of “professional degree” to include more post-baccalaureate health care programs.

Several organizations endorsed the letter, including the American Physical Therapy Association Virginia chapter, the Virginia Nurses Association and the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association.

During a recent roundtable at Virginia Health Catalyst in Glen Allen, Warner also heard from health care providers and community leaders about workforce shortages and concerns about the proposed loan policy.

The senators said expanding federal loan eligibility for students in health care programs could help address workforce shortages in Virginia and nationwide.