Title: VHA REHIRE Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VHA REcruitment, HIring, and REtention Act of 2017 or VHA REHIRE Act of 2017
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a VA Student Loan Repayment Program to assist the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) meet staffing needs for health professional occupations for which recruitment or retention of qualified personnel is difficult.
A program participant must agree to serve as a full-time VHA employee for one year for every $10,000 of received benefits, with a minimum three-year commitment.
Program assistance may be in addition to assistance available under the VA Educational Assistance Program.
A participant in the VA Education Debt Reduction Program must agree to serve as a full-time VHA employee for at least three years.
A physician, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, optometrist, registered nurse, physician assistant, or dental auxiliary must agree to serve at least two years as a full-time VA employee in order to receive certain bonuses or allowances.
The VA shall offer employment to a qualified VHA applicant within 75 days after the last day applications are accepted for a position.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3754 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3754

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the recruitment, 
 hiring, and retention of health professionals by the Veterans Health 
                Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2017

Mrs. Hartzler introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the recruitment, 
 hiring, and retention of health professionals by the Veterans Health 
                Administration, 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 ``VHA REcruitment, HIring, and 
REtention Act of 2017'' or ``VHA REHIRE Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ENHANCING THE RECRUITING, HIRING, AND RETENTION OF HEALTH 
              PROFESSIONALS BY THE VHA.

    (a) Establishing the Department of Veterans Affairs Student Loan 
Repayment Program.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 76 of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended by inserting after subchapter VII the 
        following new subchapter:

           ``SUBCHAPTER VIII--STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM

``Sec. 7691. Establishment
    ``As part of the Educational Assistance Program, the Secretary may 
carry out a student loan repayment program under section 5379 of title 
5. The program shall be known as the Department of Veterans Affairs 
Student Loan Repayment Program (in this chapter referred to as the 
`Student Loan Repayment Program').
``Sec. 7692. Purpose
    ``The purpose of the Student Loan Repayment 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 health 
professional occupations for which recruitment or retention of 
qualified personnel is difficult.
``Sec. 7693. Eligibility
    ``Individuals eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program shall 
include any health professional hired under section 7401 of this title 
who is in an occupation described in section 7692 of this title.
``Sec. 7694. Term of obligated service
    ``In addition to any requirements under section 5379(c) of title 5, 
a participant in the Student Loan Repayment Program must agree, in 
writing and before the Secretary may make any payment to or for the 
participant, to serve as a full-time employee of the Veterans Health 
Administration for one calendar year for every $10,000 in such benefits 
that the employee receives, but in no case for less than three calendar 
years.
``Sec. 7695. Relationship to Educational Assistance Program
    ``Assistance under the Student Loan Repayment Program may be in 
addition to other assistance available to individuals under the 
Educational Assistance Program.''.
            (2) Conforming and technical amendments.--
                    (A) Conforming amendments.--
                            (i) Section 7601(a) of title 38, United 
                        States Code, is amended--
                                    (I) in paragraph (4) by striking 
                                ``and'';
                                    (II) in paragraph (5) by striking 
                                the period and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following new paragraph:
            ``(6) the student loan repayment program provided for in 
        subchapter VIII of this chapter.''.
                            (ii) Section 7603(a)(1) of title 38, United 
                        States Code, is amended by striking ``or VI'' 
                        and inserting ``VI, or VIII''.
                            (iii) Section 7604 of title 38, United 
                        States Code, is amended by striking ``or VI'' 
                        each place it appears and inserting ``VI, or 
                        VIII''.
                    (B) Table of sections.--The table of sections at 
                the beginning of chapter 76 of such title is amended by 
                inserting after the items relating to subchapter VII 
                the following:

            ``subchapter viii--student loan repayment program

``Sec.
``7691. Establishment.
``7692. Purpose.
``7693. Eligibility.
``7694. Term of obligated service.
``7695. Relationship to Educational Assistance Program.''.
    (b) Periods of Obligated Service for Certain Employees of the 
Veterans Health Administration.--
            (1) Employees of the veterans health administration who 
        participate in certain educational assistance programs.--
                    (A) Employee incentive scholarship program.--
                Section 7672(e)(1)(B) of title 38, United States Code, 
                is amended by striking ``for not less than 3 years'' 
                and inserting ``in no case for less than the longer of 
                three calendar years or one calendar year for every 
                $10,000 in such benefits that the employee receives 
                under this subchapter''.
                    (B) Education debt reduction program.--Section 7683 
                of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
                at the end the following new subsections:
    ``(e) Agreement.--Before the Secretary may make any education debt 
reduction payment to or for a participant in the Education Debt 
Reduction Program, the participant must agree in writing to serve as a 
full-time employee of the Veterans Health Administration for a period 
of obligated service, but in no case for less than three calendar 
years.
    ``(f) Penalty.--A participant in the Education Debt Reduction 
Program who does not complete a period of obligated service under 
subsection (f) shall owe the Federal Government a penalty calculated 
using the formula in section 7675(c) of this title.''.
            (2) Employees of the veterans health administration who 
        receive certain bonuses or allowances.--Section 7410 of title 
        38, United States Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``The'' and 
                inserting ``Subject to subsection (c), the''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(c) Period of Obligated Service.--(1) Before the Secretary may 
pay any bonus or allowance under this section to an employee, the 
employee must agree in writing to serve as a full-time employee of the 
Veterans Health Administration for a period of obligated service 
determined under paragraph (2), but in no case for less than two 
calendar years.
    ``(2) A period of obligated service determined under this paragraph 
shall equal one calendar year for every 10 percent of the base pay of 
the employee (or a proportionate ratio thereof) that the bonus or 
allowance equals.
    ``(3)(A) An employee who does not complete a period of obligated 
service under this subsection shall owe the Federal Government an 
amount determined in accordance with the following formula: 
A=2B(T-(S<divide>T)).
    ``(B) In such formula:
            ``(i) `A' is the amount the employee owes the Federal 
        Government.
            ``(ii) `B' is the sum of all bonuses or allowances paid to 
        the employee under this section.
            ``(iii) `T' is the number of months in the period of 
        obligated service of the employee.
            ``(iv) `S' is the number of whole months of such period of 
        obligated service served by the employee.''.
    (c) Hiring Timelines.--
            (1) 75 days to hire.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall offer employment to a qualified applicant for a vacant 
        position in the Veterans Health Administration in a health 
        professional occupation no later than 75 days after the last 
        day the Secretary accepts applications for such position.
            (2) Early application.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall accept an application for a vacant position in the 
        Veterans Health Administration in a health professional 
        occupation from an applicant who, at the time of application, 
        has not yet completed the education or training that qualifies 
        an individual for such position if the applicant expects to 
        complete such education or training no later than 75 days after 
        the last day the Secretary accepts applications for such 
        position.
            (3) Flexibility for vha facility directors.--The Secretary 
        shall ensure that the director of each facility of the Veterans 
        Health Administration has the maximum discretion possible in 
        meeting staffing needs for health professional occupations in 
        each such facility for which recruitment or retention of 
        qualified personnel is difficult.
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