SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grow Our Own Direc-
tive: Physician Assistant Employment and Education Act 
of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AS-
SISTANCE TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS TO BE 
EMPLOYED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall carry out a pilot program to be known 
as the ‘‘Grow Our Own Directive’’ or ‘‘G.O.O.D.’’ 
pilot program (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘pilot program’’) to provide educational assistance 
to certain former members of the Armed Forces for 
education and training as physician assistants of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(2) INFORMATION
ON
PILOT
PROGRAM.—The 
Secretary shall provide information on the pilot pro-
gram to eligible individuals under subsection (b), in-
cluding information on application requirements and 
a list of entities with which the Secretary has 
partnered under subsection (g). 
(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—An individual is eligi-
ble to participate in the pilot program if the individual— 
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(1) has medical or military health experience 
gained while serving as a member of the Armed 
Forces; 
(2) has received a certificate, associate degree, 
baccalaureate 
degree, 
master’s 
degree, 
or 
postbaccalaureate training in a science relating to 
health care; 
(3) has participated in the delivery of health 
care services or related medical services, including 
participation in military training relating to the 
identification, evaluation, treatment, and prevention 
of diseases and disorders; and 
(4) does not have a degree of doctor of medi-
cine, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of dentistry. 
(c) DURATION.—The pilot program shall be carried 
out during the five-year period beginning on the date that 
is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) SELECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall select 
not less than 250 eligible individuals under sub-
section (b) to participate in the pilot program. 
(2) PRIORITY FOR SELECTION.—In selecting in-
dividuals to participate in the pilot program under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to 
the following individuals: 
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(A) Individuals who participated in the In-
termediate Care Technician Pilot Program of 
the Department that was carried out by the 
Secretary between January 2011 and February 
2015. 
(B) Individuals who agree to be employed 
as a physician assistant for the Veterans Health 
Administration at a medical facility of the De-
partment located in a community that— 
(i) is designated as a medically under-
served 
population 
under 
section 
330(b)(3)(A) of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)(A)); and 
(ii) is in a State with a per capita 
population of veterans of more than 9 per-
cent according to the National Center for 
Veterans Analysis and Statistics and the 
United States Census Bureau. 
(e) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out the pilot 
program, the Secretary shall provide educational as-
sistance to individuals participating in the pilot pro-
gram, including through the use of scholarships, to 
cover the costs to such individuals of obtaining a 
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master’s degree in physician assistant studies or a 
similar master’s degree. 
(2) USE
OF
EXISTING
PROGRAMS.—In pro-
viding educational assistance under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall use the Department of Veterans 
Affairs Health Professionals Educational Assistance 
Program under chapter 76 of title 38, United States 
Code, and such other educational assistance pro-
grams of the Department as the Secretary considers 
appropriate. 
(3) USE
OF
SCHOLARSHIPS.—The Secretary 
shall provide not less than 35 scholarships under the 
pilot program to individuals participating in the pilot 
program during each year in which the pilot pro-
gram is carried out. 
(f) PERIOD OF OBLIGATED SERVICE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 
into an agreement with each individual participating 
in the pilot program in which such individual agrees 
to be employed as a physician assistant for the Vet-
erans Health Administration for a period of obli-
gated service specified in paragraph (2). 
(2) PERIOD SPECIFIED.—With respect to each 
individual participating in the pilot program, the pe-
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riod of obligated service specified in this paragraph 
for the individual is— 
(A) if the individual is participating in the 
pilot program through a program described in 
subsection (e)(2) that specifies a period of obli-
gated service, the period specified with respect 
to such program; or 
(B) if the individual is participating in the 
pilot program other than through a program 
described in such subsection, or if such program 
does not specify a period of obligated service, a 
period of three years or such other period as 
the Secretary considers appropriate for pur-
poses of the pilot program. 
(g) BREACH.— 
(1) LIABILITY.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), an individual who participates in the pilot 
program and fails to satisfy the period of obligated 
service under subsection (f) 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 serv-
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ice bears to the total number of days in the period 
of obligated service of such individual. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—If an individual is partici-
pating in the pilot program through a program de-
scribed in subsection (e)(2) that specifies a period of 
obligated service, the liability of the individual for 
failing to satisfy the period of obligated service 
under subsection (f) shall be determined as specified 
with respect to such program. 
(h) MENTORS.—The Secretary shall ensure that a 
physician assistant mentor or mentors are available for in-
dividuals participating in the pilot program at each facility 
of the Veterans Health Administration at which a partici-
pant in the pilot program is employed. 
(i) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out the pilot pro-
gram, the Secretary shall seek to partner with the fol-
lowing: 
(1) Not less than 15 institutions of higher edu-
cation that— 
(A) offer a master’s degree program in 
physician assistant studies or a similar area of 
study that is accredited by the Accreditation 
Review Commission on Education for the Phy-
sician Assistant; and 
(B) agree— 
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(i) to guarantee seats in such master’s 
degree program for individuals partici-
pating in the pilot program who meet the 
entrance requirements for such master’s 
degree program; and 
(ii) to provide individuals partici-
pating in the pilot program with informa-
tion on admissions criteria and the admis-
sions process. 
(2) Other institutions of higher education that 
offer programs in physician assistant studies or 
other similar areas of studies that are accredited by 
the Accreditation Review Commission on Education 
for the Physician Assistant. 
(3) The Transition Assistance Program of the 
Department of Defense. 
(4) The Veterans’ Employment and Training 
Service of the Department of Labor. 
(5) Programs carried out under chapter 41 of 
title 38, United States Code, for the purpose of mar-
keting and advertising the pilot program to veterans 
and members of the Armed Forces who may be in-
terested in the pilot program. 
(j) ADMINISTRATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—For pur-
poses of carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary 
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shall appoint or select within the Office of Physician As-
sistant Services of the Veterans Health Administration the 
following: 
(1) A Deputy Director for Education and Ca-
reer Development of Physician Assistants who— 
(A) is a physician assistant, a veteran, and 
employed by the Department as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act; 
(B) is responsible for— 
(i) overseeing the pilot program; 
(ii) recruiting candidates to partici-
pate in the pilot program; 
(iii) coordinating with individuals par-
ticipating in the pilot program and assist-
ing those individuals in applying and being 
admitted to a master’s degree program 
under the pilot program; and 
(iv) providing information to eligible 
individuals under subsection (b) with re-
spect to the pilot program; and 
(C) may be employed in the field at a med-
ical center of the Department. 
(2) A Deputy Director of Recruitment and Re-
tention who— 
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(A) is a physician assistant, a veteran, and 
employed by the Department as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act; 
(B) is responsible for— 
(i) identifying and coordinating the 
needs of the pilot program and assist the 
Secretary in providing mentors under sub-
section (h) to participants in the pilot pro-
gram; and 
(ii) coordinating the staff of facilities 
of the Veterans Health Administration 
with respect to identifying employment po-
sitions and mentors under subsection (h) 
for participants in the pilot program; and 
(C) may be employed in the field at a med-
ical center of the Department. 
(3) A recruiter who— 
(A) reports directly to the Deputy Director 
of Recruitment and Retention; and 
(B) works with the Workforce Manage-
ment and Consulting Office and the Healthcare 
Talent Management Office of the Veterans 
Health Administration to develop and imple-
ment national recruiting strategic plans for the 
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recruitment and retention of physician assist-
ants within the Department. 
(4) An administrative assistant, compensated at 
a rate not less than level GS–6 of the General 
Schedule, or equivalent, who assists with administra-
tive duties relating to the pilot program in the Office 
of Physician Assistant Services and such other du-
ties as determined by the Secretary to ensure that 
the Office runs effectively and efficiently. 
(k) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the 
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Defense, and 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall 
submit to Congress a report on the pilot program. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: 
(A) The extent to which the pilot program 
is effective in improving the ability of eligible 
individuals under subsection (b) to become phy-
sician assistants. 
(B) An examination of whether the pilot 
program is achieving the goals of— 
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(i) enabling individuals to build on 
medical skills gained as members of the 
Armed Forces by entering into the physi-
cian assistant workforce of the Depart-
ment; and 
(ii) helping to meet the shortage of 
physician assistants employed by the De-
partment. 
(C) An identification of such modifications 
to the pilot program as the Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs, the Secretary of Labor, the Sec-
retary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services consider necessary to meet 
the goals described in subparagraph (B). 
(D) An assessment of whether the pilot 
program could serve as a model for other pro-
grams of the Department to assist individuals 
in obtaining certification and employment in 
other health care fields. 
(l) SOURCE OF AMOUNTS.—Not less than $8,000,000 
of the amount necessary to carry out the pilot program 
shall be derived from amounts appropriated to the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs before the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS FOR THE DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR USING 
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO 
EDUCATE AND HIRE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall establish standards described in subsection (b) to im-
prove the use by the Department of Veterans Affairs of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Professionals 
Educational Assistance Program under chapter 76 of title 
38, United States Code, and other educational assistance 
programs of the Department, including the pilot program 
under section 2, to educate and hire physician assistants 
of the Department. 
(b) STANDARDS.—The standards described in this 
subsection are the following: 
(1) Holding directors of medical centers of the 
Department accountable for failure to use the edu-
cational assistance programs described in subsection 
(a) and other incentives— 
(A) to advance employees of the Depart-
ment in their education as physician assistants; 
and 
(B) to improve recruitment and retention 
of physician assistants. 
(2) Ensuring that the Department of Veterans 
Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program under 
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subchapter VII of chapter 76 of such title is avail-
able for participants in the pilot program under sec-
tion 2 to fill vacant physician assistant positions at 
the Department, including by— 
(A) including in all vacancy announce-
ments for physician assistant positions the 
availability of the Education Debt Reduction 
Program; and 
(B) informing applicants to physician as-
sistant positions of their eligibility for the Edu-
cation Debt Reduction Program. 
(3) Monitoring compliance with the application 
process for educational assistance programs de-
scribed in subsection (a) to ensure that such pro-
grams are being fully utilized to carry out this sec-
tion. 
(4) Creating programs, including through the 
use of the Department of Veterans Affairs Employee 
Incentive Scholarship Program under subchapter VI 
of chapter 76 of such title, to encourage employees 
of the Department to apply to accredited physician 
assistant programs. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 
such regulations as the Secretary considers appropriate to 
carry out this section. 
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SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PAY GRADES FOR PHYSICIAN 
ASSISTANTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS AND REQUIREMENT TO PRO-
VIDE COMPETITIVE PAY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
PAY
GRADES.—Section 
7404(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SCHEDULE 
‘‘Physician Assistant IV. 
‘‘Physician Assistant III. 
‘‘Physician Assistant II. 
‘‘Physician Assistant I.’’. 
(b) COMPETITIVE PAY.—Section 7451(a)(2) of such 
title is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub-
paragraph (C); 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph (B): 
‘‘(B) Physician assistant.’’; and 
(3) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated by 
paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and registered nurse’’ 
and inserting ‘‘registered nurse, and physician as-
sistant’’. 
(c) NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall implement a national strategic plan for 
the retention and recruitment of physician assistants 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs that includes 
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the establishment and adoption of standards for the 
provision of competitive pay to physician assistants 
of the Department in comparison to the pay of phy-
sician assistants in the private sector. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives a report on the 
implementation of the national strategic plan under 
paragraph (1). 
Æ 
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