Restoring the Doctors of Our Country through Scholarships Veterans Affairs Act of 2014 or the RDOCS-VA Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program, to carry out a scholarship program to provide for the increased availability of physicians who provide primary health care services at VA medical facilities, which shall be known as the Restoring the Doctors of Our Country through Scholarships-Veterans Affairs (RDOCS-VA) program.
Directs the Secretary, under such program, to award not less than 400 scholarships covering all tuition and costs for an undergraduate medical education for a period of study not exceeding 48 consecutive months, and a cost-of-living stipend, to selected individuals who agree to:
Directs the Secretary to give preference to applicants who: (1) are enrolled in an accelerated track family-medicine program, or (2) elect to complete the five-year period of employment at a VA facility that the Secretary designates as having an urgent need for primary care physicians.
Sets forth provisions regarding such scholar's liability for breach of agreement.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5224 Introduced in House (IH)]
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 scholarship
program to increase the availability of physicians who provide primary
health care services at medical facilities of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
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 ``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:
(1) Medical facilities of the Department of Veterans
Affairs are in dire need of more physicians, with a particular
need for doctors trained in primary care specialties.
(2) The Health Professionals Educational Assistance Program
established by chapter 76 of title 38, United States Code,
provides educational assistance 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 Veterans Affairs.
(3) The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) model of
education and training is a respected 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 services.
(4) Congress can build off of the Health Professionals
Educational Assistance Program and the ROTC model to solve the
primary care shortage by providing full-tuition scholarships to
students committed to serving the United States as primary care
doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 following new subchapter:
``SUBCHAPTER VIII--RESTORING THE DOCTORS OF OUR COUNTRY THROUGH
SCHOLARSHIPS--VETERANS AFFAIRS
``Sec. 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 availability of physicians who provide
primary health care services 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').
``Sec. 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 subsection (b). Under such scholarships, the Secretary
shall pay--
``(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 determined 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
``(6) complete a five-year post-graduate period of
employment by the Department of Veterans Affairs performing
primary care services.
``(c) Priority in Awarding Scholarships.--In selecting 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 Department that the
Secretary designates as having an urgent need for primary care
physicians.
``(d) Ineligibility for Other Educational Assistance.--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.
``Sec. 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 undergraduate 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 liquidated 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 agreement entered into under section 7692(b) of this
title if any of the following occurs:
``(A) The scholar fails to maintain an acceptable level of
academic standing described in paragraph (2) of such section
7692(b).
``(B) The scholar is dismissed from the participating
undergraduate medical program for disciplinary reasons.
``(C) The scholar voluntarily terminates the course of
training in such program before the completion 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.
``(c) Recovery.--(1) If an RDOCS-VA officer breaches the agreement
by failing (for any reason) to complete 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 described
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 beginning on the date of the breach of the
agreement.
``Sec. 7694. Reports
``The Secretary shall annually submit to the Committees 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 report;
``(2) data on the physician shortage of the Department, if
any, disaggregated by the medical facility of the Department;
and
``(3) a gap analysis of the primary care practitioners
needed in each medical facility of the Department, and a five-
and ten-year estimates of the funding needed to close the gap
through the RDOCS-VA program.
``Sec. 7695. Definitions
``In this subchapter:
``(1) The term `accelerated track family-medicine program'
means an appropriately accredited, integrated course of study
in which a candidate can complete undergraduate medical
education and graduate medical education in six years.
``(2) The term `associated region' means--
``(A) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho;
``(B) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, and Vermont;
``(C) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Delaware and Pennsylvania; or
``(D) the area encompassing the boundaries of
Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.
``(3) The term `board certification' means a certification
to practice medicine in a specialty, by an appropriate medical
specialty board.
``(4) The term `participating undergraduate medical
program' means an allopathic or osteopathic undergraduate
medical program operated by a State.
``(5) The term `primary care specialty' means geriatrics,
gerontology, family medicine, or general internal medicine.
``(6) The term `RDOCS-VA officer' means an RDOCS-VA program
participant who has completed undergraduate medical training,
but has not yet fulfilled the remaining requirements of the
scholarship agreement entered into under section 7692(b) of
this title.
``(7) The term `RDOCS-VA scholar' means an individual
participating in an RDOCS-VA program pursuant to a scholarship
agreement entered into under section 7692(b) of this title, but
has not yet completed undergraduate medical education.
``(8) State.--The term `State' means each of the several
States and the District of Columbia.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section
7684 the following new items:
``subchapter viii--restoring the doctors of our country through
scholarships--veterans affairs
``7691. Authority for program.
``7692. Scholarship program.
``7693. Breach of agreement: liability.
``7694. Reports.
``7695. Definitions.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1251)
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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