Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act adds section 330K-1 to the Public Health Service Act. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the USDA Rural Health Liaison, must award grants to public or nonprofit private telemental health provider networks. Eligible networks must provide mental health and substance use services through professionals trained in those fields. Covered populations include rural health professional shortage areas and people engaged in farming, fishing, or forestry occupations. Grants support expanding and enhancing access to home-based telemental health services, where patients receive care in their own homes or other comfortable locations. The provision defines covered populations, eligible entities, rural, telemental health, and professional trained in mental health.
Who Benefits and How
Rural patients benefit from expanded access to mental health and substance use services without traveling long distances. Farmers, fishers, forestry workers, and their families benefit because the bill names their occupational communities as covered populations. Public and nonprofit telemental health provider networks benefit from new grant opportunities. HRSA and USDA rural health officials benefit from a targeted tool for underserved rural behavioral health needs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
HHS and HRSA staff must administer grants, coordinate with USDA, and monitor eligible networks. Telemental health networks must meet grant requirements and serve covered populations. Rural providers may need technology, staffing, privacy, and referral systems to deliver home-based care. Federal taxpayers fund the grant program.
Key Provisions
- Establishes grants for public and nonprofit private telemental health provider networks.
- Targets rural health professional shortage areas and farming, fishing, or forestry populations.
- Expands home-based mental health and substance use services delivered by trained professionals.
- Requires HHS consultation with the USDA Rural Health Liaison.
- Defines covered populations, eligible entities, home-based telemental care, rural areas, and telemental health.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates HRSA grants for public or nonprofit telemental health provider networks to expand home-based mental health and substance use services for rural health professional shortage areas and farming, fishing, or forestry populations, with USDA consultation and outcome reporting.
Key Policy Areas
Healthcare, Rural Policy, Mental Health, Technology
Primary Purpose
Creates HRSA grants for public or nonprofit telemental health provider networks to expand home-based mental health and substance use services for rural health professional shortage areas and farming, fishing, or forestry populations, with USDA consultation and outcome reporting.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Rural patients
- Farmers
- Fishers
- Forestry workers
- Telemental health provider networks
- Rural families
Identified Costs
- HHS grant staff
- HRSA rural health staff
- USDA rural health liaison staff
- Telemental health networks
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Salinas (for herself and Mrs. Harshbarger) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
HHS grant staff, HRSA rural health staff, USDA rural health liaison staff
Positive-direction: HHS grant staff, USDA rural health liaison staff
Negative-direction: HRSA rural health staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology