Veterinary loan repayment bill introduced in House of RepresentativesMay 16, 2019Rural veterinarians are one step closer to seeing the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Enhancement Act become law. The act, a companion bill to S.1163, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and would remove a withholding tax to maximize funding for the veterinary medicine loan repayment program. The VMLRP offers loan repayment assistance to relocate veterinarians to areas deemed by the U.S. department of agriculture to have shortages. In a statement, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) president, John de Jong, DVM, said, "Too many rural communities today don't have access to adequate veterinary care, leaving livestock at risk for dangerous diseases, which could impact agricultural communities and threaten public health. Unfortunately, the reality is that food-animal veterinary careers typically pay less than small-animal careers, and high levels of student debt can make it financially difficult for veterinarians to follow these career paths. "The VMLRP is extremely effective in addressing this challenge because it provides veterinarians with loan repayment assistance so they don't have to choose between paying off their loans and pursuing food-animal or public health careers. These efforts are critical to our farming and ranching communities, and we're grateful to the members of Congress …
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AVMA seeks help with livestock, public health vet shortageFebruary 5, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is asking Congress to help with funding to reduce the number of regions across the nation that currently suffer from a shortage of livestock and public health veterinarians. The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture has said that 187 regions are in need of staffing, and the AVMA points to threats to animal health and the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers as major reasons to fill the need. The solution is passage of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act, according to the organization. High debt loads—which reached $143,758 on average for 2016 graduates of veterinary colleges—can make it cost-prohibitive for young veterinarians to practice in rural areas, as rural salaries are often lower than those in urban areas. The federally funded loan repayment program mitigates the educational burden new vets feel by offering loan forgiveness to those who commit to serving at least three years in underserved areas. However, the program does not receive enough funding to meet the demand, in part because each award is subject to an expensive income withholding tax that sends the program's funding back to the government. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program …
