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A4165
ASSEMBLY, No. 4165
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes tuition reimbursement program for certain
advanced practice nurses who provide home health care services.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
establishing a tuition reimbursement program for
certain advanced practice nurses who provide home health care services and
supplementing chapter 71C of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes
.�
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� As used in this act:
���� �Authority� means the Higher
Education Student Assistance Authority.
���� �Eligible tuition expenses�
means tuition expenses that were incurred by a program participant in attending
an accredited advanced practice nurse program, and which were not covered by
any grants or scholarships.
���� �Home health care services�
means nursing and other home health care services rendered at a patient�s place
of residence.
���� �Program� means the tuition
reimbursement program for advanced practice nurses established pursuant to this
act.
���� �Program participant� means an
individual who is certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing as an advanced
practice nurse, and who contracts with the authority to provide home health
care services in return for tuition reimbursement provided under the program.
���� 2.��� a.� There is established
in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority a tuition reimbursement
program for advanced practice nurses who provide home health care services.�
The program shall provide reimbursement to program participants for a portion
of the eligible tuition expenses incurred by the participant in attending an
accredited advanced practice nurse program.
���� b.��� A program participant
shall enter into a contract with the authority for a specified number of
one-year periods of service, up to four years, in which the participant agrees
to engage in the full-time practice of providing home health care services in
the State.� The agreement shall specify the program participant�s dates of
required service and the total amount of reimbursement of eligible tuition
expenses to be received by the participant in return for service.
���� c.���� The tuition
reimbursement for a participant under the program shall equal 25 percent of the
participant�s eligible tuition expenses for the one academic year of an
advanced practice nurse program in which tuition was the lowest, in return for
each full year of service satisfactorily completed by the participant under the
program.� The total tuition reimbursement amount for a program participant, for
four full years of service, shall not exceed 100 percent of the participant�s
eligible tuition expenses for the one academic year of an advanced practice
nurse program in which tuition was the lowest.
���� 3.��� To be eligible to
participate in the program, an applicant shall:
���� a.���� be a resident of New
Jersey;
���� b.��� be certified by the New
Jersey Board of Nursing as an advanced practice nurse;
���� c.���� have received
specialized education or training in providing home health care services;
���� d.��� apply for the program
within one year of obtaining certification as an advanced practice nurse; and
���� e.���� agree to engage in the
full-time practice of providing home health care services in the State for a
period of one to four years in return for the tuition reimbursement provided
under the program.
���� 4.��� The contract entered
into between a program participant and the authority pursuant to section 2 of
this act shall require a program participant to:
���� a.���� charge for professional
services at the usual and customary rate prevailing in the area in which the
patient resides, but allow a patient who is unable to pay that charge to pay at
a reduced rate or receive care at no charge;
���� b.��� not discriminate against
any patient in the provision of home health care services on the basis of that
person�s ability to pay or source of payment; and
���� c.���� agree not to impose any
charge in excess of the limiting fee for a service, as determined by the United
States Secretary of Health and Human Services, to a recipient of benefits under
the federal Medicare program established pursuant to Pub.L.89-97
(42 U.S.C. s.1395 et seq.).
���� 5.��� A program participant,
as a condition of participation, shall be required to adhere to performance
standards established by the authority.� The standards shall include, but not
be limited to, requirements that a program participant:
���� a.���� maintain residency in
the State;
���� b.��� maintain certification
to practice as an advanced practice nurse in the State;
���� c.���� remain current with
payments on any student loans;
���� d.��� maintain satisfactory
performance of services; and
���� e.���� report to the
authority, on a form and in a manner prescribed by the authority, on the
program participant�s performance of services rendered prior to reimbursement
of tuition under the program.
���� 6.��� An individual who is
participating in the Primary Care Practitioner Loan Redemption Program,
N.J.S.18A:71C-32 et seq., or in the federally administered National Health
Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, section 338B of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. s.254l-1), shall not be eligible to participate simultaneously
in the tuition reimbursement program established pursuant to this act.
���� 7.��� The authority shall
promulgate regulations pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,�
P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the provisions of
this act.
���� 8.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes a
tuition reimbursement program for certain advanced practice nurses who provide
home health care services in the State.
���� The program established under
this bill will provide reimbursement of a portion of tuition expenses incurred
from attending an accredited advanced practice nurse program to advanced
practice nurses who agree to provide home health care services in the State for
a period of one to four years.� A program participant must: be a State
resident; be certified by the New Jersey Board of Nursing as an advanced
practice nurse; have specialized education or training in providing home health
care services; and apply for the program within one year of obtaining
certification as an advanced practice nurse.
���� Program participants will
enter into a contract with the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
(HESAA) for a specified number of one-year periods of service, up to four
years, in which the participant agrees to engage in the full-time practice of
providing home health care services in the State.� In return for this
commitment, a portion of the participant�s tuition expenses in attending an
accredited advanced practice nurse program will be reimbursed.� Tuition
reimbursement will equal 25 percent of the participant�s eligible tuition
expenses for the one academic year of an advanced practice nurse program in
which tuition was the lowest, in return for each full year of service under the
program.� The maximum total tuition reimbursement for a participant for four
years of service will be 100 percent of the participant�s eligible tuition
expenses for the one academic year of an advanced practice nurse program in
which tuition was the lowest.
���� Under the bill, participants
in the program will be required to adhere to certain terms and standards,
including charging for professional services at the usual and customary rates,
allowing patients who are unable to pay that charge to pay a reduced rate or
receive care at no charge, and not discriminating against any patient on the
basis of ability to pay.� Participants will also be required to maintain their
State residency and certification to practice as an advanced practice nurse,
remain current with payments on any student loans, maintain satisfactory
performance of services, and report to HESAA on the performance of services
rendered prior to receiving tuition reimbursement.���