,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ejcb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #ab1       
#bjai,mr4 ,huffman 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,case1 and ,mr4 ,grothman7 introduced   
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend chapter #gc of   
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to    
direct the ,secretary of ,veterans      
,affairs to establish a rural           
recruitment office within the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs to    
recruit health care professionals1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,recruiting in ,underserved ,rural      
,areas and ,localities for ,veterans    
,act or the ,,rural ,veterans ,act4  #b4
 ,establishment of the ,office of ,rural
 ,recruitment  7a7 ,in general ,chapter 
#gc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by inserting after section  
#gcjh the following new section3        
#gcjh;,a4 ,office of ,rural ,recruitment

  7a7 ,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 7in this section    
referred to as the ,office74 ,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 ,affairs4  7b7 ,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 7in this 
section referred to as the ,director74  
7c7 ,duties  7#a7 ,annually1 the        
,director1 in collaboration with the    
directors of each community-based       
outpatient clinic and medical center of 
the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1  
shall1 to determine the hiring needs of 
such clinics and centers1 do the        
following3  7,a7 ,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         
,affairs4  7,b7 ,assess resources and   
funding necessary for rural and highly  
rural community-based outpatient clinics
 and medical centers of the ,department 
of ,veterans ,affairs1 which may include
 data from the most current             
determination published in the ,federal 
,register pursuant to section #gdab7;a7 
of this title4  7,c7 ,identify hiring   
incentive programs offered for retaining
 health care professionals 7including   
the ,education ,debt ,reduction         
,program1 the ,employee ,incentive      
,scholarship ,program1 and other        
programs under chapter #gf of this      
title7 that provide scholarships1       
tuition reimbursement1 and education    
debt reduction for health care          
professionals4  7,d7 ,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 year4  7,e7 ,determine  
the number of health care professionals 
that left positions described in        
subparagraph 7,d7 during the previous   
fiscal year4  7#b7 ,the ,director1 in   
collaboration with the directors of each
 community-based outpatient clinic and  
medical center of the ,department of    
,veterans ,affairs1 shall develop and   
implement a national plan using         
information gathered under paragraph    
7#a7 and the strategies under subsection
 7d7 to--  7,a7 recruit health care     
professionals for rural and highly rural
 community-based outpatient clinics and 
medical centers of the ,department of   
,veterans ,affairs2  7,b7 determine     
which such clinics or centers are       
high-need2  7,c7 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 ,affairs2  7,d7 not less   
than twice each fiscal year1 train rural
 recruitment employees in the best      
practices and techniques developed under
 subparagraph 7,c72 and  7,e7 provide   
recruitment resources to the ,veterans  
,integrated ,service ,networks1 rural   
and highly rural community-based        
outpatient clinics1 and rural and highly
 rural medical centers of the           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 such 
as pamphlets and marketing material4    
7#c7 ,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 centers4  7d7 ,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 professionals4  
,such strategy shall include the        
designation of at least one rural       
recruitment employee from the human     
resources department of such ,veterans  
,integrated ,service ,network1 or if no 
such department exists1 any department  
within such ,veterans ,integrated       
,service ,network4  7e7 ,reports  7#a7  
,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 clinic4  7#b7 
,the director of each ,veterans         
,integrated ,service ,network described 
in subsection 7d7 shall submit to the   
,director an annual report containing-- 
7,a7 the strategy under such subsection2

 and  7,b7 a summary of hiring needs    
with respect to recruiting health care  
professionals in rural and highly rural 
community-based outpatient clinics4     
7#c7 ,the ,secretary1 acting through the
 ,director1 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 7c77#a7 and the national plan
 under paragraph 7#b7 of such           
subsection4  7f7 ,definitions ,in this  
section3 7#a7 ,the term rural           
recruitment employee means an employee  
of a ,veterans ,integrated ,service     
,network designated under subsection 7d7
 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 ,affairs4  7#b7
 ,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        
,services4  4  7b7 ,designation of rural
 recruitment employee ,not later than   
,september #cj1 #bjbc1 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        
#gcjh;,a7d7 of title #ch1 ,united       
,states ,code1 as added by subsection   
7a74  7c7 ,reporting timeline ,the first
 reports under paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71   
and 7#c7 of section #gcjh;,a7e7 of title
 #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by
 subsection 7a71 shall be submitted not 
later than #ab months1 #ah months1 and  
#bd months1 respectively1 after the date
 of the enactment of this ,act4  7d7    
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of such       
chapter is amended by inserting after   
the item relating to section #gcjh the  

following new item3  #gcjh;,a4 ,office  
of ,rural ,recruitment4  4  #c4 ,study  
on a scholarship program and            
establishment of a fellowship program   
for health care professionals  7a7      
,study on the feasibility of a rural    
recruitment scholarship program  7#a7   
,feasibility study ,the ,director of the
 ,office of ,rural ,recruitment         
established under section #gcjh;,a7a7 of
 title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as   
added by section #a7;a71 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 ,director4  7#b7      
,report and recommendation ,not later   
than ,september #cj1 #bjbb1 the         
,secretary1 acting through the          

,director1 shall submit to ,congress a  
report--  7,a7 on the study conducted   
pursuant to paragraph 7#a72 and  7,b7   
containing a recommendation with respect
 to the operation of and funding for the
 program described under paragraph 7#a74
  7b7 ,establishment of the ,rural      
,health ,quality and ,access ,fellowship
 program ,in carrying out section #gcjb 
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 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--   
7#a7 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 ,affairs2 and  7#b7 conduct  
research on-- 7,a7 improving the quality
 of rural health care1 including best   
practices for remote health care2  7,b7 
access to health care in rural areas2   
and  7,c7 recruitment and retention of  

health care professionals in rural      
areas4  7c7 ,health care professional   
defined ,in this ,act1 the term health  
care professional means an individual   
who qualifies as an appointee under     
section #gdjb of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code4