---
kind: "section"
citation: "25 U.S.C. § 1616b"
title: "25"
title_heading: "Indians"
number: "1616b"
heading: "Recruitment activities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/25/1616b"
units:
  - "Chapter 18 — Indian Health Care"
  - "Subchapter I — Indian Health Professional Personnel"
---

# §1616b. Recruitment activities

- (a) The [Secretary](/usc/25/1603.md?p=17) may reimburse health professionals seeking positions in the [Service](/usc/25/1603.md?p=18), including individuals considering entering into a contract under [section 1616a of this title](/usc/25/1616a.md), and their spouses, for actual and reasonable expenses incurred in traveling to and from their places of residence to an area in which they may be assigned for the purpose of evaluating such area with respect to such assignment.
- (b) The [Secretary](/usc/25/1603.md?p=17), acting through the [Service](/usc/25/1603.md?p=18), shall assign one individual in each [area office](/usc/25/1603.md?p=1) to be responsible on a full-time basis for recruitment activities.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 94–437, title I, § 109, as added Pub. L. 100–713, title I, § 108, Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4794; amended Pub. L. 102–573, title I, § 107, Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4538.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1992—Pub. L. 102–573, § 107(1), substituted “Recruitment activities” for “Travel expenses for recruitment” in section catchline.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–573, § 107(2), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: “There are authorized to be appropriated $100,000 for each of the fiscal years 1990, 1991, and 1992, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section.”