Get Veterans a Doctor Now Act

Get Veterans a Doctor Now Act

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer a contingent physician's appointment to a person who, upon completion of a post-graduate training program, completes a residency program within two years after the VA offer.

Eligibility requirements for a VA physician's appointment, including a contingency appointment, are revised to require completion of a residency program rather than an internship.

At least annually, the VA must ensure that a recruiter or other similar official of each Veterans Integrated Service Network (regional VA health care administrative areas) visits each allopathic and osteopathic teaching institution with a graduate medical education program within the network to recruit individuals for the Veterans Health Administration.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2557 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2557

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the recruitment of 
           physicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2019

 Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Ms. 
Titus, Mr. Young, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, and Mrs. Lee of Nevada) 
 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 of 
           physicians in 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 ``Get Veterans a Doctor Now Act''.

SEC. 2. RECRUITMENT OF PHYSICIANS IN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 7402(b)(1) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or to be offered a contingent 
        appointment to such position,'' after ``position,''; and
            (2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
        following new subparagraph (B):
            ``(B)(i) have completed a residency program satisfactory to 
        the Secretary; or
            ``(ii) with respect to an offer for a contingent 
        appointment upon the completion of a post-graduate training 
        program, complete such a residency program by not later than 
        two years after the date of such offer; and''.
    (b) Oversight of Graduate Medical Education Programs.--The 
Secretary shall--
            (1) ensure that a recruiter or other similar official of 
        each Veterans Integrated Service Network visits, not less than 
        annually, each allopathic and osteopathic teaching institution 
        with a graduate medical education program within the Network to 
        recruit individuals to be appointed to positions in the 
        Veterans Health Administration; and
            (2) submit to Congress an annual report on the 
        implementation of paragraph (1), including the success of such 
        recruiting efforts.
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