Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act”.

The United States economy has faced formidable obstacles since the country entered an economic recession in 2008. Homeowners face challenges with high mortgage delinquency and foreclosure, unemployment is high, particularly for the most vulnerable in society, and poverty continues to rise, as the rate stood at 15 percent in 2011, the highest rate since 1994. Joblessness and economic insecurity contribute to the incidence of mental illness, family violence, suicide, substance abuse, crime, and diminished capacity for health, family, and community functioning. Social workers form society’s social safety net. They provide assistance, guidance, and resources to individuals, families, and communities in poverty. They understand the devastating costs and consequences of poverty and unemployment and provide direct services in order to prevent and abate economic inequality.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that employment for social workers is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2018, demonstrating a substantial need for social workers.

Social work salaries are among the lowest for professionals in general and for those with master’s level education in particular. According to the National Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce Studies, 60 percent of full-time social workers earn between $35,000 and $59,999 per year. Social workers who earn lower salaries are more likely to work in challenging agency environments, serve more vulnerable clients, and leave the profession.

The Department of Education stated that 72 percent of students graduating from Master of Social Work programs incurred debt to earn their graduate degree. The average debt was approximately $35,500.

Social workers often deal with the most vulnerable clients in emotional or traumatic situations, and face possible danger as a result. The National Association of Social Workers Center for Workforce Studies found that 44 percent of survey respondents faced personal safety issues on the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that 48 percent of assaults occur in the health care and social services industry.

The Alzheimer’s Association of America states that 5,300,000 Americans, or 1 in every 8 individuals over the age of 65, have Alzheimer’s disease. Social workers in gerontology settings work with older adults, including those with dementia, to support their physiological, psychological, and social needs through mental health therapy, caregiver and family counseling, health education, program coordination, and case management.

The Children’s Defense Fund states that every 41 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or neglected and every 6 hours a child is killed from abuse or neglect. The Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services states that 423,000 children were in the United States foster care system in 2009. Most children placed in foster care are placed due to parental abuse or neglect. Research shows that professional social workers employed in child welfare agencies are more likely to find permanent homes for children who were in foster care for 2 or more years. Unfortunately, fewer than 40 percent of child welfare workers are professional social workers.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 26.2 percent of (or 1 in 4) individuals in the United States age 18 or older experiences a diagnosable mental health disorder. Additionally, 1 in 5 children and adolescents experiences a mental health disorder. At least 1 in 10, or about 6,000,000, young people have a serious emotional disturbance. Social workers provide the majority of mental health counseling services in the United States, and are often the only providers of such services in rural areas.

Social workers working with veterans and their families provide case management, crisis interventions, mental health interventions, housing and financial counseling, high-risk screening, and advocacy, among other services. The Department of Veterans Affairs, which is the largest employer of social workers (over 10,000 of whom are Master’s prepared) in the Nation, estimates that there are 22,658,000 veterans in the United States. A once-declining veteran population is now surging and is in dire need of mental health treatment to address issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicidal tendencies.

The American Cancer Society estimates that there were 1,529,560 new cases of cancer and 569,490 deaths, or 1,500 deaths a day, in 2010 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there are over 1,000,000 people living with HIV or AIDS in the United States, with approximately 56,300 new cases diagnosed each year. In 2009, 1,560,000 people received care from the Nation’s hospice providers. Health care and medical social workers practice in areas related to all of these circumstances and provide outreach for prevention and health promotion, help individuals and their families adapt to their health conditions, connect patients and family caregivers with community services and supports, provide grief counseling, and act as a liaison between individuals and their medical team, helping patients make informed decisions about their care.

The Children’s Defense Fund notes that every second a public school student is suspended and that every 11 seconds a high school student drops out. The National Center for Education Statistics states that in 2008 the national dropout rate for high school students was 8 percent. Some vulnerable communities have dropout rates of 50 percent or higher. Social workers in school settings help students avoid dropping out through early identification, prevention, intervention, counseling, and support services.

According to the Department of Justice, every year more than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from Federal and State prisons. Social workers employed in the corrections system address disproportionate minority incarceration rates, provide treatment for mental health problems and drug and alcohol addiction, and work within as well as outside of the prison to reduce recidivism and increase positive community reentry.

Clinical social worker— The term clinical social worker has the meaning given the term in section 1861(hh)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(hh)(1)).

Commission— The term “Commission” means the Social Work Reinvestment Commission established under section 101.

Community-based program— The term “community-based program” means an agency, organization, or other entity, carrying out a program that provides direct social work services, or community development services, at a neighborhood, locality, or regional level, to address human service, health care, or psychosocial needs.

High need and high demand population— The term “high need and high demand population” means a group that lacks sufficient resources and, as a result, has a greater probability of being harmed by specific social, environmental, or health problems than the population as a whole. The group at issue may be a group residing in an area defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a “health professional shortage area”, which has a shortage of primary medical care, dental, or mental health providers.

Historically black college or university— The term “historically black college or university” means a part B institution, as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).

Minority-serving institution— The term “minority-serving institution” means an educational institution that serves a large percentage of minority students (as determined by the Secretary of Education), including Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Asian-American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Native American-serving, nontribal institutions (which shall have the meanings given the terms in section 241(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1033(1))).

Related professional researcher— The term “related professional researcher” means a person who is professionally engaged in research in a social, political, economic, health, or mental health field. The research referred to in this paragraph is primarily conducted by doctoral level researchers under university, government, research institute, or community agency auspices.

Secretary— The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Social work— The term “social work” means—

Social work researcher— The term “social work researcher” means a person who studies social work at the individual, family, group, community, policy, or organizational level, focusing across the human life span on prevention of, intervention in, treatment of, aftercare of, and rehabilitation from acute and chronic social and psychosocial conditions, and includes a person examining the effect of policies on social work practice. The study referred to in this paragraph is primarily conducted by researchers with doctoral degrees who are social workers or faculty under university, government, research institute, or community agency auspices.

Social worker— The term “social worker” means a graduate of a school of social work with a baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree, who uses knowledge and skills to provide social work services for clients who may be individuals, families, groups, communities, organizations, or society in general.