Commentary: Reducing access to federal student loans will not reduce the need for mental health and substance use treatment.
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America has a behavioral health crisis. Driving the crisis, only half of all Americans live in areas with enough access to behavioral health professionals.
When care is scarce, families may wait months for appointments. Schools struggle to hire counselors, rural communities often go without any providers at all, and emergency rooms become default behavioral health clinics.
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As broad as our nation’s behavioral health crisis is, the Department of Education is considering a policy change that would make it harder for students to become behavioral health professionals.
Under the proposed change, graduate programs in social work, school counseling, nursing and other behavioral health fields would no longer qualify as “professional degrees” for federal student loan purposes. Instead, they would be treated as standard graduate degrees.
Students in designated “professional degree” programs can borrow up to $50,000 yearly in federal loans, with a $200,000 lifetime cap. Other “graduate” students are limited to $20,500 annually and $100,000 total. For many behavioral health students, the lower caps would not come close to covering the full cost of tuition, fees and required clinical training.
The Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies represents more than 170 nonprofits, including those on the front lines of behavioral health. Our member agencies provide services including mental health care, substance use treatment, and programs for children and families. Many operate in areas designated as shortage communities.
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We see the workforce challenges firsthand. Positions remain open for months, caseloads increase, and demand continues to grow, particularly for trauma-informed care and substance use treatment. Our agencies are working to recruit and support the next generation of professionals.
To be clear, behavioral health providers are licensure-based professionals. An aspiring professional must complete an accredited graduate program, fulfill supervised clinical hours and meet state licensing standards, just to become eligible to practice.
Their education is not optional. It is mandatory.
Reducing access to federal student loans will not reduce the need for mental health and substance use treatment. It will reduce the number of people who can afford to train for these careers.
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Behavioral health professionals typically begin their careers earning modest salaries, often in nonprofit agencies, community clinics, schools and public systems. Unlike physicians or attorneys, they do not enter fields that offer high early career compensation. Large amounts of private borrowing are not a realistic option for many students pursuing careers in behavioral health.
Federal loan programs exist to ensure that essential professions remain accessible to qualified individuals regardless of background and that community care needs are met.
If borrowing limits are cut in half, students from modest backgrounds will be forced to reconsider their plans. First-generation college students, career changers and those already balancing family responsibilities will face especially difficult choices.
Over time, the effect will be felt in the workforce, which is already too small. Fewer graduates. Longer waitlists. Greater strain on the providers who remain.
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Federal leaders in major U.S. political parties have acknowledged the behavioral health crisis and the need to expand the workforce. Congress has considered bipartisan legislation to incentivize behavioral health professionals to serve in shortage areas. States are investing in recruitment and retention efforts. Health systems and community organizations are seeking ways to expand the pipeline.
Reclassifying behavioral health graduate degrees in a way that limits access to federal loans moves in the opposite direction.
Educational barriers make our agencies’ work harder and will ultimately hurt patients needing care.
To expand access to mental health and substance use care, we must protect the pathways into these professions. The Department of Education should revise its proposed rule to ensure that behavioral health graduate programs are recognized as professional degrees, protecting the federal loans that help staff these important roles.
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Communities nationwide are already struggling to access care. We should not make it harder for the next generation of providers to answer that need.
Reuben D. Rotman is president and CEO of the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.