In the near future, I will reintroduce Senate Bill 162, which was unanimously passed in the Senate last session. This bill aims to expand the Medical Officer Incentive Program to include a wider range of health and specialty professionals. This updated program will be called the Medical Officer or Specialty Officer Incentive Program.

The original program, created by Act 78 of 2014, offers tuition reimbursement to those who qualify through their service in the armed forces. It was designed to address a shortage of healthcare providers within the National Guard. While the program has successfully attracted many healthcare professionals, it inadvertently excluded some key specialists—such as dentists, physician assistants, chaplains, and lawyers—from benefiting.

My proposed legislation will expand the pool of eligible professionals, ensuring that those previously left out can now participate. It will also introduce reimbursement tiers based on educational attainment, allowing participants to receive higher reimbursements to help manage their student debt.

Act 78 has proven to be a tremendous success in bringing skilled healthcare providers into the Guard to address critical needs. This new legislation will strengthen the program even further, expanding access and offering more professionals the chance to serve while easing their financial burdens.

Previous co-sponsors of this legislation were: Sens. Bartolotta, Kane, Stefano, J. Ward, Pennycuick, and Mastriano.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this much-needed legislation. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact Isaac Evans in my office at 717-787-9684 or ievans@pasen.gov. 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0324: 51-3209(a), 51-3210(b)