Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act

S 4088, the Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act, authorizes federal grants to help internationally educated health care professionals (those who completed training abroad and are legally working in the U.S.) overcome barriers to joining or advancing in the U.S. health care workforce. Eligible entities like hospitals, nonprofits, and schools would use grant funds to create system-level supports (e.g., mentorship networks, employer education) and individual-level services (e.g., licensing assistance, exam prep, career counseling), with at least 20% of funds dedicated directly to these services. The bill requires grantees to prioritize communities facing health workforce shortages or in rural areas and mandates annual reporting on outcomes like employment rates and participant demographics. It supplements, rather than replaces, existing state or local funding for this purpose.