RURAL Veterans Act
Bill: H.R.7414 | Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared (D-CA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Recruiting in Underserved Rural Areas and Localities for Veterans Act or the RURAL Veterans Act
This bill addresses the recruitment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care professionals in rural areas. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to establish the Office of Rural Recruitment to improve the recruitment of health care professionals for rural and highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical centers of the VA.
The bill also requires the director of each Veterans Integrated Service Network that contains at least one rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic to annually develop and maintain a strategy to recruit health care professionals.
The Office of Rural Recruitment shall conduct a study on the feasibility of a scholarship program for health care professionals to attend the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in exchange for service as full-time employees at a rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic or medical center of the VA for a specified period of time.
The VA shall establish the Rural Health Quality and Access Fellowship program to provide fellowships to health care professionals at the graduate or post-graduate level who serve on a short-term basis as full-time employees at a rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic or medical center of the VA and conduct research on (1) improving the quality of rural health care, (2) access to health care in rural areas, and (3) recruitment and retention of health care professionals in rural areas.

To amend chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, to direct the 
 Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a rural recruitment office 
   within the Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit health care 
                 professionals, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recruiting in Underserved Rural 
Areas and Localities for Veterans Act'' or the ``RURAL Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF RURAL RECRUITMENT.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 7308 the following new section:
``Sec. 7308A. Office of Rural Recruitment
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an office 
within the Office of the Under Secretary for Health to be known as the 
`Office of Rural Recruitment' (in this section referred to as the 
`Office'). The purpose of the Office is to improve the recruitment of 
health care professionals for rural and highly rural community-based 
outpatient clinics and medical centers of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.
    ``(b) Director.--The Under Secretary of Health shall appoint the 
head of the Office who shall be called the Director of the Office of 
Rural Recruitment (in this section referred to as the `Director').
    ``(c) Duties.--(1) Annually, the Director, in collaboration with 
the directors of each community-based outpatient clinic and medical 
center of the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall, to determine the 
hiring needs of such clinics and centers, do the following:
            ``(A) Assess the efficacy of hiring incentives to recruit 
        health care professionals to practice in rural and highly rural 
        community-based outpatient clinics and medical centers of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
            ``(B) Assess resources and funding necessary for rural and 
        highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical 
        centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which may 
        include data from the most current determination published in 
        the Federal Register pursuant to section 7412(a) of this title.
            ``(C) Identify hiring incentive programs offered for 
        retaining health care professionals (including the Education 
        Debt Reduction Program, the Employee Incentive Scholarship 
        Program, and other programs under chapter 76 of this title) 
        that provide scholarships, tuition reimbursement, and education 
        debt reduction for health care professionals.
            ``(D) Determine the number of health care professionals who 
        accepted positions in rural and highly rural community-based 
        outpatient clinics and medical centers of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs during the previous fiscal year.
            ``(E) Determine the number of health care professionals 
        that left positions described in subparagraph (D) during the 
        previous fiscal year.
    ``(2) The Director, in collaboration with the directors of each 
community-based outpatient clinic and medical center of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, shall develop and implement a national plan using 
information gathered under paragraph (1) and the strategies under 
subsection (d) to--
            ``(A) recruit health care professionals for rural and 
        highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical 
        centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs;
            ``(B) determine which such clinics or centers are high-
        need;
            ``(C) develop best practices and techniques for recruiting 
        health care professionals in rural and highly rural community-
        based outpatient clinics and medical centers of the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs;
            ``(D) not less than twice each fiscal year, train rural 
        recruitment employees in the best practices and techniques 
        developed under subparagraph (C); and
            ``(E) provide recruitment resources to the Veterans 
        Integrated Service Networks, rural and highly rural community-
        based outpatient clinics, and rural and highly rural medical 
        centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, such as 
        pamphlets and marketing material.
    ``(3) The Director shall coordinate an annual meeting for rural and 
highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical centers of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs to communicate rural recruitment 
needs among such clinics and centers.
    ``(d) Veterans Integrated Service Networks.--The director of each 
Veterans Integrated Service Network that includes at least one rural or 
highly rural community-based outpatient clinic shall annually develop 
and maintain a strategy to recruit health care professionals. Such 
strategy shall include the designation of at least one rural 
recruitment employee from the human resources department of such 
Veterans Integrated Service Network, or if no such department exists, 
any department within such Veterans Integrated Service Network.
    ``(e) Reports.--(1) The director of each rural and highly rural 
community-based outpatient clinic and medical center of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the director of the respective 
Veterans Integrated Service Network of such clinic an annual report on 
hiring needs with respect to recruiting health care professionals 
within such clinic.
    ``(2) The director of each Veterans Integrated Service Network 
described in subsection (d) shall submit to the Director an annual 
report containing--
            ``(A) the strategy under such subsection; and
            ``(B) a summary of hiring needs with respect to recruiting 
        health care professionals in rural and highly rural community-
        based outpatient clinics.
    ``(3) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall submit to 
the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
Senate an annual report containing the information gathered pursuant to 
subsection (c)(1) and the national plan under paragraph (2) of such 
subsection.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `rural recruitment employee' means an 
        employee of a Veterans Integrated Service Network designated 
        under subsection (d) who is responsible for recruiting health 
        care professionals for rural and highly rural community-based 
        outpatient clinics and medical centers of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            ``(2) The terms `rural' and `highly rural' have the 
        meanings given such terms under the rural-urban commuting codes 
        developed by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services.''.
    (b) Designation of Rural Recruitment Employee.--Not later than 
September 30, 2026, the director of each Veterans Integrated Service 
Network that has at least one rural or highly rural community-based 
outpatient clinic shall designate a rural recruitment employee as 
required by the strategy described under section 7308A(d) of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a).
    (c) Reporting Timeline.--The first reports under paragraphs (1), 
(2), and (3) of section 7308A(e) of title 38, United States Code, as 
added by subsection (a), shall be submitted not later than 12 months, 
18 months, and 24 months, respectively, after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
    (d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
7308 the following new item:

``7308A. Office of Rural Recruitment.''.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A 
              FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.

    (a) Study on the Feasibility of a Rural Recruitment Scholarship 
Program.--
            (1) Feasibility study.--The Director of the Office of Rural 
        Recruitment established under section 7308A(a) of title 38, 
        United States Code, as added by section 1(a), shall conduct a 
        study on the feasibility of a scholarship program for health 
        care professionals to attend the Uniformed Services University 
        of the Health Sciences in exchange for service as full-time 
        employees at a rural or highly rural community-based outpatient 
        clinic or medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        for a period determined by the Director.
            (2) Report and recommendation.--Not later than September 
        30, 2025, the Secretary, acting through the Director, shall 
        submit to Congress a report--
                    (A) on the study conducted pursuant to paragraph 
                (1); and
                    (B) containing a recommendation with respect to the 
                operation of and funding for the program described 
                under paragraph (1).
    (b) Establishment of the Rural Health Quality and Access Fellowship 
Program.--In carrying out section 7302 of title 38, United States Code, 
the Secretary shall establish the Rural Health Quality and Access 
Fellowship program to provide fellowships to health care professionals 
at the graduate or post-graduate level who--
            (1) serve on a short-term basis as full-time employees at a 
        rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic or 
        medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
            (2) conduct research on--
                    (A) improving the quality of rural health care, 
                including best practices for remote health care;
                    (B) access to health care in rural areas; and
                    (C) recruitment and retention of health care 
                professionals in rural areas.
    (c) Health Care Professional Defined.--In this Act, the term 
``health care professional'' means an individual who qualifies as an 
appointee under section 7402 of title 38, United States Code.
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