Members of the Committee shall be Special Government Employees and knowledgeable in the fields of delivery, financing, research, development, and administration of health care and human services in rural areas. Members shall include representatives from rural community-based organizations, rural health care and human service providers and administrators, and other rural interest groups. Committee members should reflect a broad array of expertise, including Titles XVIII, IX, and XXI of the Social Security Act, and have knowledge of the range of rural-focused health programs under the purview of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Members should also be knowledgeable in the fields of rural human and social services, including issues related to Native Americans, transportation, children and family services, social work, services for the elderly, and rural economic development. Approximately two thirds of the members should be rural health experts and approximately one third should be rural human services experts. Membership balance is not static, and the points of view needed may change depending on the emerging priorities for rural communities.
The Committee’s membership aims to represent the diversity of the United States by drawing on the wide range of expertise and experience available in the rural population.