Congress Acts to Address Shortfall of Veterinarians in Rural Areas

August 11, 2010 — 

Two bills designed to alleviate the projected shortage of veterinarians in rural areas and underserved aspects of veterinary practice are currently moving through Congress.

Nationwide, there are 500 counties that have at least 5,000 farm animals but no veterinarians in the area to treat them. This shortage could have dire consequences on human and animal health, public safety, animal welfare, disease surveillance and economic development. The demand for veterinarians across the United States could increase 14 percent by 2016.

On July 21, U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced bipartisan legislation to put an end to the shortfall of veterinarians in underserved communities across rural America. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act (S. 3621) would bolster our nation's veterinary workforce by eliminating taxes on programs that encourage veterinarians to practice in underserved areas.

This legislation would provide a federal income tax exemption for payments received under the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) and similar state programs that encourage veterinarians to practice in smaller and rural communities. Rather than awarding full funding for this program each year, the VMLPR must immediately give back 39 percent of the money it receives to the U.S. Treasury as a federal tax. The Johnson-Crapo bill simply removes this tax burden so that more veterinarians can be selected and help rural America. This bill would allow the VMLPR to increase the number of veterinarians selected by a third.

In addition to the VMLRP, the Veterinary Services Investment Act (H.R. 3519)recently passed the House Agriculture Committee and will be taken up by the full House. The bill would authorize the secretary of agriculture to award competitive grants to address the veterinary needs of underserved areas. The legislation builds on the VMLRP to provide a variety of assistance, including:

• Veterinarian and veterinary technician recruitment.
• Expanding and establishing practices in rural high-need areas.
• Establishing mobile/portable clinics and tele-vet services.
• Accredited veterinary education programs, including continuing education, distance education, and faculty recruitment.

Additional information on both these bills is available on the AVMA'S website (Repayment Enhancement Act and VSIA).