The DOCTORS Act addresses how states manage unused waivers that allow foreign doctors on J-visas to skip a requirement to work in their home countries before practicing in the United States. Currently, if a state doesn't use all its waivers in a given year, those unused slots disappear. This bill creates a system to recycle unused waivers: starting in 2026, states must report their unused waivers to the State Department each September, and the department will redistribute about one-third of all unused waivers equally among states that used at least 30 waivers in the previous year. The bill requires that 10 percent of these redistributed waivers go to support doctor positions in medically underserved communities. The policy takes effect September 30, 2026, and the State Department must notify eligible states of their available waivers each January. The bill aims to increase the number of foreign-trained doctors available to work in underserved areas by preventing waivers from going unused.
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