Urge Congress to Support Workforce Development & Telehealth Reform Before Year-End

SHRM encourages you to contact your members of Congress and urge them to act on two key workplace priorities before the end of the year: the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and pass the Telehealth Expansion Act. These actions are crucial for ensuring that employers have access to a skilled and healthy workforce, ready to thrive in today’s competitive global economy.

Reauthorization of WIOA:

WIOA is the foundation of workforce development investments at the federal level. It emphasizes collaboration among multiple stakeholders, including federal, state and local governments as well as community colleges, workforce boards and private employers, to improve the effectiveness of workforce development efforts and promote economic growth.  

Reauthorizing WIOA will strengthen employer engagement and ensure workers remain competitive in the evolving job market by fostering partnerships between workforce development agencies and businesses. WIOA reauthorization is a crucial step to addressing workforce shortages and will help both HR professionals and workers facilitate skills-based hiring and support employer-led upskilling efforts. 
 
Telehealth Expansion Act:

This legislation would permanently extend pre-deductible coverage of telehealth services for workers with high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts (HDHP-HSAs), which are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2024.  

This legislation would ensure employers retain a valuable benefit offering that helps to bridge the gap in access to care and protects employees from losing pre-deductible flexible coverage. Given the rapid growth in demand for telehealth, this legislation’s permanent extension of pre-deductible coverage for high-deductible health plans will give employers flexibility and help ensure that their employees have access to critical health care, including mental health services.  

Action on both of these workplace issues before the end of the year is vital for equipping employers with a capable and resilient workforce. Contact your members of Congress today to advocate for the reauthorization of WIOA and the prompt passage of the Telehealth Expansion Act.