,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dbcd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ac1 #bjad ,mr4 ,bucshon 7for himself and ,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to carry out a pilot program to reduce the shortage of psychiatrists in the ,veterans ,health ,administration of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs by offering competitive employment incentives to certain psychiatrists1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,ensuring ,veterans' ,resiliency ,act4 #b4 ,pilot program for repayment of educational loans for certain psychiatrists of ,veterans ,health ,administration 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall carry out a pilot program to repay a loan of an individual described in subsection 7b7 that-- 7#a7 was used by the individual to finance education regarding psychiatric medicine1 including education leading to an undergraduate degree and education leading to the degree of doctor of medicine or of doctor of osteopathy2 and 7#b7 was obtained from a governmental entity1 private financial institution1 school1 or other authorized entity1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,eligible individuals ,to be eligible to obtain a loan repayment under this section1 an individual shall-- 7#a7 either-- 7,a7 be licensed or eligible for licensure to practice psychiatric medicine in the ,veterans ,health ,administration of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs2 or 7,b7 be enrolled in the final year of a residency program leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine that is approved by the ,accreditation ,council for ,graduate ,medical ,education2 and 7#b7 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary1 demonstrate a commitment to a long-term career as a psychiatrist in the ,veterans ,health ,administration1 including by requiring a set number of years of obligated service4 7c7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select not less than #aj individuals described in subsection 7b7 to participate in the pilot program for each year in which the ,secretary carries out the pilot program4 7d7 ,loan ,repayments 7#a7 ,amounts ,subject to the limits established by paragraph 7#b71 a loan repayment under this section may consist of payment of the principal1 interest1 and related expenses of a loan obtained by an individual described in subsection 7b7 for all educational expenses 7including tuition1 fees1 books1 and laboratory expenses7 relating to a degree described in subsection 7a77#a74 7#b7 ,limit ,for each year of obligated service that an individual agrees to serve in an agreement described in subsection 7b77#b71 the ,secretary may pay not more than #fj1jjj on behalf of the individual4 7e7 ,breach 7#a7 ,liability ,an individual who participates in the pilot program under subsection 7a7 who fails to satisfy the commitment described in subsection 7b77#b7 shall be liable to the ,united ,states1 in lieu of any service obligation arising from such participation1 for the amount which has been paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under the program1 reduced by the proportion that the number of days served for completion of the service obligation bears to the total number of days in the period of obligated service of the individual4 7#b7 ,repayment period ,any amount of damages which the ,united ,states is entitled to recover under this subsection shall be paid to the ,united ,states within the one-year period beginning on the date of the breach of the agreement4 7f7 ,prohibition on simultaneous eligibility ,an individual who is participating in any other program of the ,federal ,government that repays the educational loans of the individual may not participate in the pilot program under subsection 7a74 7g7 ,report ,not later than #ij days after the date on which the pilot program terminates under subsection 7g71 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a report on the pilot program4 ,the report shall include the overall effect of the pilot program on the psychiatric workforce shortage of the ,veterans ,health ,administration1 the long-term stability of such workforce1 and overall workforce strategies of the ,veterans ,health ,administration that seek to promote the physical and mental resiliency of all veterans4 7h7 ,regulations ,the ,secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section1 including standards for qualified loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions for the making of loan repayments4 7i7 ,termination ,the authority to carry out the pilot program shall expire on the date that is three years after the date on which the ,secretary commences the pilot program4 #c4 ,comptroller ,general study on pay disparities of psychiatrists of ,veterans ,health ,administration 7a7 ,study ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct a study of pay disparities among psychiatrists of the ,veterans ,health ,administration of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 ,the study shall include-- 7#a7 an examination of laws1 regulations1 practices1 and policies1 including salary flexibilities1 that contribute to such disparities2 and 7#b7 recommendations with respect to legislative or regulatory actions to improve equity in pay among such psychiatrists4 7b7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date on which the ,comptroller ,general completes the study under subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to the ,committees on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,senate a report containing the results of the study4