The STAR Plus Scholarship Act establishes a federal scholarship program to help address shortages of mental health and substance use disorder treatment professionals. The program provides scholarships covering tuition and educational expenses to students pursuing degrees in these fields, with recipients required to work full-time for a set period in mental health professional shortage areas or counties with high drug overdose rates. The bill prioritizes applicants from underrepresented groups in the mental health workforce and those likely to continue serving in underserved areas after their service obligation ends. The legislation authorizes $75 million in funding annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 and creates a replacement fund using recovered damages from scholarship recipients who breach their service contracts to help recruit additional health professionals to fill lost positions.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.