I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4132 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 
the Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 25, 2017 
Mr. RUTHERFORD (for himself, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. COFFMAN, and Mr. 
DUNN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 
improvements in the Health Professionals Educational 
Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Veterans Affairs Phy-
sician Recruitment Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. DESIGNATED SCHOLARSHIPS FOR PHYSICIANS AND 
DENTISTS UNDER DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS 
AFFAIRS 
HEALTH 
PROFESSIONAL 
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) SCHOLARSHIPS
FOR PHYSICIANS
AND DEN-
TISTS.—Section 7612(b) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(6)(A) Of the scholarships awarded under this sub-
chapter, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 50 
scholarships are awarded each year to individuals who are 
accepted for enrollment or enrolled (as described in section 
7602 of this title) in a program of education or training 
leading to employment as a physician or dentist until such 
date as the Secretary determines that the staffing short-
age of physicians and dentists in the Department is less 
than 500. 
‘‘(B) After such date, the Secretary shall ensure that 
of the scholarships awarded under this subchapter, a num-
ber of scholarships is awarded each year to individuals re-
ferred to in subparagraph (A) in an amount equal to not 
less than ten percent of the staffing shortage of physicians 
and dentists in the Department, as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(C) Notwithstanding subsection (c)(1), the agree-
ment between the Secretary and a participant in the 
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Scholarship Program who receives a scholarship pursuant 
to this paragraph shall provide the following: 
‘‘(i) The Secretary’s agreement to provide the 
participant with a scholarship under this subchapter 
for a specified number (from two to four) of school 
years during which the participant is pursuing a 
course of education or training leading to employ-
ment as a physician or dentist. 
‘‘(ii) The participant’s agreement to serve as a 
full-time employee in the Veterans Health Adminis-
tration for a period of time (hereinafter in this sub-
chapter referred to as the ‘period of obligated serv-
ice’) of 18 months for each school year or part 
thereof for which the participant was provided a 
scholarship under the Scholarship Program. 
‘‘(D) In providing scholarships pursuant to this para-
graph, the Secretary may provide a preference for appli-
cants who are veterans. 
‘‘(E) On an annual basis, the Secretary shall provide 
to appropriate educational institutions informational ma-
terial about the availability of scholarships under this 
paragraph.’’. 
(b) BREACH OF AGREEMENT.—Section 7617 of such 
title is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 
paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing new paragraph (4): 
‘‘(4) In the case of a participant who is enrolled 
in a program or education or training leading to em-
ployment as a physician, the participant fails to suc-
cessfully complete post-graduate training leading to 
eligibility for board certification in a specialty.’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 7619 of such 
title is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2019’’ and in-
serting ‘‘December 31, 2033’’. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS SPECIALTY EDUCATION LOAN RE-
PAYMENT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 76 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after subchapter VII 
the following new subchapter: 
‘‘SUBCHAPTER VIII—SPECIALTY EDUCATION 
LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM 
‘‘§ 7691. Establishment 
‘‘As part of the Educational Assistance Program, the 
Secretary may carry out a student loan repayment pro-
gram under section 5379 of title 5. The program shall be 
known as the Department of Veterans Affairs Specialty 
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Education Loan Repayment Program (in this chapter re-
ferred to as the ‘Specialty Education Loan Repayment 
Program’). 
‘‘§ 7692. Purpose 
‘‘The purpose of the Specialty Education Loan Re-
payment Program is to assist, through the establishment 
of an incentive program for certain individuals employed 
in the Veterans Health Administration, in meeting the 
staffing needs of the Veterans Health Administration for 
physicians in medical specialties for which the Secretary 
determines recruitment or retention of qualified personnel 
is difficult. 
‘‘§ 7693. Eligibility; preference; covered costs 
‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual is eligible to par-
ticipate in the Specialty Education Loan Repayment Pro-
gram if the individual— 
‘‘(1) is hired under section 7401 of this title to 
work in an occupation described in section 7692 of 
this title; 
‘‘(2) owes any amount of principal or interest 
under a loan, the proceeds of which were used by or 
on behalf of that individual to pay costs relating to 
a course of education or training which led to a de-
gree that qualified the individual for the position re-
ferred to in paragraph (1); and 
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‘‘(3) is— 
‘‘(A) recently graduated from an accredited 
medical or osteopathic school and matched to 
an accredited residency program in a medical 
specialty described in section 7692 of this title; 
or 
‘‘(B) a physician in training in a medical 
specialty described in section 7692 of this title 
with more than two years remaining in such 
training. 
‘‘(b) PREFERENCE FOR VETERANS.—In selecting in-
dividuals for participation in the Specialty Education 
Loan Repayment Program under this subchapter, the Sec-
retary may give preference to veterans. 
‘‘(c) COVERED COSTS.—For purposes of subsection 
(a)(2), costs relating to a course of education or training 
include— 
‘‘(1) tuition expenses; 
‘‘(2) all other reasonable educational expenses, 
including expenses for fees, books, equipment, and 
laboratory expenses; and 
‘‘(3) reasonable living expenses. 
‘‘§ 7694. Specialty education loan repayment 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Payments under the Specialty 
Education Loan Repayment Program shall consist of pay-
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ments for the principal and interest on loans described in 
section 7682(a)(2) of this title for individuals selected to 
participate in the Program to the holders of such loans. 
‘‘(b) FREQUENCY
OF
PAYMENT.—The Secretary 
shall make payments for any given participant in the Spe-
cialty Education Loan Repayment Program on a schedule 
determined appropriate by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) MAXIMUM AMOUNT; WAIVER.—(1) The amount 
of payments made for a participant under the Specialty 
Education Loan Repayment Program may not exceed 
$160,000 over a total of four years of participation in the 
Program, of which not more than $40,000 of such pay-
ments may be made in each year of participation in the 
Program. 
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary may waive the limitations 
under paragraph (1) in the case of a participant described 
in subparagraph (B). In the case of such a waiver, the 
total amount of payments payable to or for that partici-
pant is the total amount of the principal and the interest 
on the participant’s loans referred to in subsection (a). 
‘‘(B) A participant described in this subparagraph is 
a participant in the Program who the Secretary deter-
mines serves in a position for which there is a shortage 
of qualified employees by reason of either the location or 
the requirements of the position. 
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