Sec. 232. Pilot program on tuition reimbursement and loan repayment for health care providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs at underserved facilities
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Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall commence a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing incentives to individuals to work at underserved facilities of the Veterans Health Administration by providing tuition reimbursement and loan repayment to medical students and health care providers who commit to serving in underserved facilities selected under subsection (c). The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program during the six-year period beginning on the date of the commencement of the pilot program.
The Secretary shall select not fewer than three medical centers and seven ambulatory care facilities or community based outpatient clinics of the Department to participate in the pilot program. Not fewer than two of the medical centers and five of the ambulatory care facilities or community based outpatient clinics selected under paragraph
(1)shall be in States or United States territories that are among the ten States or United States territories with— the highest percentage of land designated as highly rural pursuant to the rural-urban commuting area codes set forth by the Department of Agriculture; or the highest percentage of enrolled veterans living in rural, highly rural, or insular island areas. Facilities selected under paragraph
(1)shall be located in not fewer than eight different States. Of the amounts used to provide tuition reimbursement or loan repayment under the pilot program— one-half shall be used to provide tuition reimbursement or loan repayment for individuals practicing in a general practice position; and one-half shall be used to provide tuition reimbursement or loan repayment for individuals practicing— in a specialist position; or in an occupation, other than a position described in paragraph (1), included in the most recent staffing shortage determination of the Department under section 7412 of title 38, United States Code. Under the pilot program, the Secretary may provide to an individual attending medical school and seeking a degree as a Doctor of Medicine or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine full tuition reimbursement in exchange for a five-year commitment to serve at an underserved facility selected under subsection (c). Under the pilot program, in exchange for a three-year commitment to serve at an underserved facility selected under subsection (c), the Secretary may provide— to an individual currently serving as a health care provider at an underserved facility, an amount not to exceed $30,000 to apply to any remaining student loan debt of the individual; and to an individual other than an individual described in paragraph (1), an amount not to exceed $50,000 to apply to any remaining student loan debt of the individual. An individual who participates in the pilot program and fails to satisfy a period of obligated service under subsection
(d)or
(e)shall be liable to the United States, in lieu of such obligated service, for the amount that has been paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under the pilot program, reduced by the proportion that the number of days served for completion of the period of obligated service bears to the total number of days in the period of obligated service of such individual. The Secretary shall ensure that the hiring of individuals to serve in the Department under the pilot program is conducted in an expedited manner. An individual participating in the pilot program in an occupation included in a staffing shortage determination of the Department under section 7412 of title 38, United States Code, may continue participating in the pilot program notwithstanding that the occupation is no longer included in such determination under such section. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently than once each year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program. Each report submitted under paragraph
(1)shall include the following: The number of participants, including number receiving tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment. The number of facilities where participants are located. The number of individuals who have applied to participate in the pilot program. A list of the five most common occupations of the participants in the pilot program, other than general practice. In this section: The term enrolled veteran means a veteran who is enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code. The term underserved facility means a medical center, ambulatory care facility, or community based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs designated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs pursuant to criteria developed under section 231.