Bill Summary
This legislation, called the "Recruiting in Underserved Rural Areas and Localities for Veterans Act" or the "RURAL Veterans Act", aims to improve the recruitment of health care professionals for rural and highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical centers within the Department of Veterans Affairs. It directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an office called the "Office of Rural Recruitment" to oversee this effort. The office will be led by a director who will work with the directors of each community-based clinic and medical center to assess the hiring needs and determine the efficacy of hiring incentives. The office will also develop a national plan to recruit health care professionals for these rural areas and provide resources to support the recruitment efforts. The legislation also requires the directors of each Veterans Integrated Service Network to develop and maintain a strategy for recruiting health care professionals in their rural community-based clinics. The Secretary is also required to 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 at a rural clinic. Additionally, the Secretary is directed to establish a fellowship program for health care professionals to conduct research on improving the quality of rural health care, access to healthcare in rural areas, and recruitment and retention of health care professionals in rural areas.
Possible Impacts
1. The legislation could lead to better recruitment and retention of health care professionals in rural areas, improving access to healthcare for veterans in those regions.
2. The establishment of a scholarship program and fellowship program could incentivize and support more health care professionals to work in rural areas, potentially improving the quality of healthcare in those areas.
3. The study on the feasibility of a scholarship program could also lead to recommendations for improved funding and operations, potentially affecting the budget and resources allocated towards rural healthcare.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5032 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5032
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 12, 2019
Mr. Huffman (for himself, Mr. Case, and Mr. Grothman) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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, 2023, 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, 2022, 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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