I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5224 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a scholarship program 
to increase the availability of physicians who provide primary health 
care services at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2014 
Mr. MCDERMOTT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a schol-
arship program to increase the availability of physicians 
who provide primary health care services at medical fa-
cilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring the Doctors 
of Our Country through Scholarships Veterans Affairs Act 
of 2014’’ or the ‘‘RDOCS–VA Act of 2014’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Medical facilities of the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs are in dire need of more physicians, 
with a particular need for doctors trained in primary 
care specialties. 
(2) The Health Professionals Educational As-
sistance Program established by chapter 76 of title 
38, United States Code, provides educational assist-
ance through scholarships and loan forgiveness for a 
range of health professionals, however, it does not 
specifically encourage a commitment to primary care 
by physicians employed by the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs. 
(3) The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps 
(ROTC) model of education and training is a re-
spected and effective way of meeting the need of the 
United States for educated and trained officers in 
the Armed Forces, and it can be applied to train 
and educate physicians to provide primary care serv-
ices. 
(4) Congress can build off of the Health Profes-
sionals Educational Assistance Program and the 
ROTC model to solve the primary care shortage by 
providing full-tuition scholarships to students com-
mitted to serving the United States as primary care 
doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
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SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF RESTORING THE DOCTORS OF 
OUR COUNTRY THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS— 
VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 76 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subchapter: 
‘‘SUBCHAPTER VIII—RESTORING THE DOCTORS 
OF OUR COUNTRY THROUGH SCHOLAR-
SHIPS—VETERANS AFFAIRS 
‘‘§ 7691. Authority for program 
‘‘As part of the Educational Assistance Program, the 
Secretary shall carry out a scholarship program under this 
subchapter in order to provide for the increased avail-
ability of physicians who provide primary health care serv-
ices at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. The program shall be known as the Restoring the 
Doctors of Our Country through Scholarships–Veterans 
Affairs program (in this subchapter referred to as the 
‘RDOCS–VA program’). 
‘‘§ 7692. Scholarship program 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the RDOCS–VA 
program, the Secretary shall award not less than 400 
RDOCS–VA scholarships to individuals who are selected 
by the Secretary and enter into an agreement under sub-
section (b). Under such scholarships, the Secretary shall 
pay— 
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‘‘(1) to the participating undergraduate medical 
program all tuition and costs for the undergraduate 
medical education of an RDOCS–VA scholar for a 
period of study not exceeding 48 consecutive 
months; and 
‘‘(2) to the RDOCS–VA scholar a cost-of-living 
stipend, in an amount determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(b) AGREEMENT.—To participate in the RDOCS– 
VA program, an RDOCS–VA scholar shall agree to— 
‘‘(1) be admitted into and maintain enrollment 
in a participating undergraduate medical program in 
the State of residence of the scholar (or if such 
State of residence operates no such program, in a 
participating undergraduate medical program in a 
State within an associated region); 
‘‘(2) when enrolled in such program, maintain 
a minimum level of academic standing (to be deter-
mined by the Secretary); 
‘‘(3) complete an accredited residency training 
program in a primary care specialty; 
‘‘(4) become licensed to practice medicine in the 
State of residence of the scholar; 
‘‘(5) receive and maintain board certification in 
a primary care specialty; and 
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‘‘(6) complete a five-year post-graduate period 
of employment by the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs performing primary care services. 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN AWARDING SCHOLARSHIPS.—In se-
lecting RDOCS–VA scholars and awarding scholarships 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference 
to applicants who— 
‘‘(1) are enrolled in an accelerated track family- 
medicine program; or 
‘‘(2) elect to complete the period of employment 
described in subsection (b)(6) at a facility of the De-
partment that the Secretary designates as having an 
urgent need for primary care physicians. 
‘‘(d) INELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER EDUCATIONAL AS-
SISTANCE.—An RDOCS–VA scholar shall not be eligible 
for other assistance under this chapter in connection with 
the education received under the RDOCS–VA program. 
‘‘§ 7693. Breach of agreement: liability 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An RDOCS–VA scholar (other 
than a scholar described in subsection (b)) who fails to 
accept payment, or instructs the participating under-
graduate medical program in which the scholar is enrolled 
not to accept payment, in whole or in part, of a scholarship 
under the agreement entered into under section 7692(b) 
of this title shall be liable to the United States for liq-
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uidated damages in the amount of $1,500. Such liability 
is in addition to any period of obligated service or other 
obligation or liability under the agreement. 
‘‘(b) LIABILITY.—(1) An RDOCS–VA scholar shall 
be liable to the United States for the amount which has 
been paid to or on behalf of the scholar under the agree-
ment entered into under section 7692(b) of this title if 
any of the following occurs: 
‘‘(A) The scholar fails to maintain an accept-
able level of academic standing described in para-
graph (2) of such section 7692(b). 
‘‘(B) The scholar is dismissed from the partici-
pating undergraduate medical program for discipli-
nary reasons. 
‘‘(C) The scholar voluntarily terminates the 
course of training in such program before the com-
pletion of such program. 
‘‘(D) The scholar fails to become licensed to 
practice medicine in the State of residence of the 
scholar during a period of time determined under 
regulations prescribed by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) Liability under this subsection is in lieu of any 
service obligation arising under the agreement of the 
RDOCS–VA scholar. 
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‘‘(c) RECOVERY.—(1) If an RDOCS–VA officer 
breaches the agreement by failing (for any reason) to com-
plete the period of obligated service of the officer, the 
United States shall be entitled to recover from the officer 
an amount determined in accordance with the formula de-
scribed in section 7617(c)(1) of this title. 
‘‘(2) Any amount of damages which the United 
States is entitled to recover under this section shall be 
paid to the United States within the one-year period be-
ginning on the date of the breach of the agreement. 
‘‘§ 7694. Reports 
‘‘The Secretary shall annually submit to the Commit-
tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate a report on the physician workforce of the 
Department. Such report shall include— 
‘‘(1) the number of scholarships awarded under 
this subchapter during the year covered by the re-
port; 
‘‘(2) data on the physician shortage of the De-
partment, if any, disaggregated by the medical facil-
ity of the Department; and 
‘‘(3) a gap analysis of the primary care practi-
tioners needed in each medical facility of the De-
partment, and a five- and ten-year estimates of the 
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