As you may have heard, there are concerns about recent recommendation from the
Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. The committee, convened by the Department of Education, did not designate dozens of health care professional degrees – including advanced practice nursing, occupational therapy and the doctor of physical therapy degree – as a professional degree. Graduate programs will have a $20,500 annual limit with a $100,000 total cap, while programs defined as professional programs will have a $50,000 annual limit and $200,000 total cap. This means that many students would be subject to significantly lower loan limits. At a time when our country desperately needs more nurses and other health care workers, this is a missed opportunity as AHCA/NCAL
recently noted.
The RISE recommendations were provided around changes made to student loans laid out in the budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4th of this year. This is not a final determination but a recommendation that is subject to additional steps. The Department of Education will now review these recommendations from the RISE Negotiated Rulemaking Committee and issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the future, which will be open for public comment. After the comment period, the Department of Education will issue its final rule for implementation. The changes are then set to take effect on July 1, 2026, and will apply to new borrowers. Existing borrowers will not be impacted.
AHCA/NCAL’s
Caregivers for Tomorrow initiative specifically calls for incentive programs to build the next generation of caregivers, including loan forgiveness programs. AHCA/NCAL will continue to work with policymakers on advancing these workforce development efforts and will keep its membership updated on any developments on the loan forgiveness matter.