Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

 

The program responds to the current shortage of large animal veterinarians in rural areas by encouraging veterinarians, through loan repayment, to provide veterinary service in designated shortage areas. To carry out a program of entering into agreements with veterinarians under which the Secretary shall pay specified amounts of the principal and interest of qualifying educational loans of the veterinarians.

Active 10.313 National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Department of Agriculture C - Direct Payments For Specified Use Fiscal Year 2016 For FY 2016: The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) received approximately 193 applications. Of these, 187 have been forwarded for review. It is anticipated that in 2016, 40 to 50 veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totaling approximately $4.5 million in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) received 193 applications. Of these, 187 were forwarded for review. Although 51 offers of awards were made, only 47 were accepted and executed. These veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totaling approximately $4,421,823 in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years.
Fiscal Year 2017 FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2017: The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) received and reviewed 167 completed applications. Although 59 offers of awards were made, only 56 were accepted and executed. Per the Budget Office, veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totaling approximately $5,850,000 in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years.
Fiscal Year 2018 For Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) received and reviewed 154 completed applications. Although 75 offers of awards were made, only 74 were accepted and executed. These veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totally approximately $7,200,000 in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years.
Fiscal Year 2019 For Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) received 131 applications for review. It is anticipated that in 2019, 65-70 veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totaling approximately $7,200,000 in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years.
Fiscal Year 2020 For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, NIFA anticipates receiving and reviewing approximately 140 applications and that of these, 55 to 60 veterinarians will receive loan repayment awards totaling approximately $4,400,000 in exchange for their commitment to provide professional food supply or public health-related veterinary services in designated US food supply veterinary shortage situations for three (3) years.
Fiscal Year 2023 Pertinent details will be provided by Program at a future date. National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NAREPTA), Section 1415A [7 U.S.C. 3151a]., Public Law 95-113, 7 U.S.C. 3151a The Secretary may enter into agreements with veterinarians under which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of time as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage situations. The Secretary may enter into agreements with veterinarians under which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of time as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage situations. Applicants must furnish the information required in the request for applications (RFAs), which include: (1) a Loan Information Form for each loan to be considered for repayment; (2) an Intent of Employment form providing assurance that the applicant will be engaged in employment at a NIFA-designated veterinary shortage area for not less than three years from the anticipated effective date of the VMLRP contract between the individual and NIFA; and (3) a signed VMLRP Contract by which the applicant agrees to serve the obligated minimum period of three years providing veterinary service in a designated veterinary shortage area. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applications should be submitted as outlined in the RFA. Applications must follow the instructions provided per the VMLRP website at www.nifa.usda.gov/vmlrp. Qualified individuals interested in participating in the VMLRP should visit the VMLRP website for all application forms and requirements. The application will be evaluated by a peer review panel, convened for this purpose by the NIFA. In selecting applicants for participation in the VMLRP, the panel will consider eligibility status, quality of the applicant, and the applicant's career plan focus. All selections are subject to final approval by the VMLRP manager. The NIFA will notify the State Animal Health Official and the applicant of the outcome of the review. Several Federal statutes and regulations apply to VMLRP applications considered for review and to service agreements awarded under this program. Please refer to Section # 140 for specific details. Once the applicant is selected to participate in the VMLRP, the applicant and the NIFA Director (or Secretary of Agriculture) will sign a written binding contract stating the terms and conditions for participating in the VMLRP. The effective date of the contract will be the date it is signed by the NIFA Director, or the date employment/service begins at an NIFA-designated veterinary shortage area, whichever is later. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Dates for specific deadlines are announced in the RFAs or guidelines for each fiscal year. Not applicable. A VMLRP participant completing the initial 3-year period of qualified veterinary service has an option to extend the obligatory period of service on an annual basis. In carrying out its review, the peer review panel will take into account the quality of match between an applicant's professional training and experience and the circumstances and needs of the designated shortage situation the applicant proposes to fill. The following evaluation criteria will be considered in the context of the factors and circumstances necessary for 1) most effective mitigation of the specific veterinary shortage situation, 2) prioritizing the relatively more severe shortages and, 3) achieving the highest likelihood that awardees will realize employment satisfaction and professional success during and beyond the term of the VMLRP agreement. Additional guidelines are described in the RFAs. (1) SERVICE IN SHORTAGE SITUATIONS. The Secretary shall carry out a program of entering into agreements with veterinarians under which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of time as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage situations. For each year of such service under an agreement under this paragraph, the Secretary shall pay an amount, as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agreement, of the principal and interest of qualifying educational loans of the veterinarians. (2) SERVICE TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. (A) IN GENERAL. The Secretary may enter into agreements of 1 year duration with veterinarians who have agreements pursuant to paragraph (1) for such veterinarians to provide services to the Federal Government in emergency situations, as determined by the Secretary, under terms and conditions specified in the agreement. Pursuant to an agreement under this paragraph, the Secretary shall pay an amount, in addition to the amount paid pursuant to the agreement in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agreement, of the principal and interest of qualifying educational loans of the veterinarians. (B) REQUIREMENTS. Agreements entered into under this paragraph shall include the following: (i) A veterinarian shall not be required to serve more than 60 working days per year of the agreement. (ii) A veterinarian who provides service pursuant to the agreement shall receive a salary commensurate with the duties and shall be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses as appropriate for the duration of the service. None of the funds appropriated to the Secretary under subsection (f) may be used to carry out section 5379 of title 5, United States Code. Performance Reports: 2) Termination Report: At the end of the term of the agreement, the recipient and his/her supervisor will each prepare and submit to NIFA a Termination Report that addresses the following, as well as any other information the participants wish to share with NIFA’s VMLRP leadership: a. A summary of the services provided toward mitigation of the original veterinary shortage situation, as well as other veterinary services provided to the local community, institution, or other employing entity, b. An assessment of the current state of veterinary services in the recipient’s service area and adjacent service areas, or specialty area, with emphasis on identification of ongoing shortage situations. c. An assessment of future veterinary service needs and trends in the recipient’s service (or specialty area) and, to the extent such information may be known, adjacent service areas, with emphasis on identification of ongoing shortage situations, either geographic or disciplinary. d. An appraisal of the overall effectiveness of the VMLRP in addressing the specific veterinary shortage situation served by the awardee, including the role of the mentor (where applicable). The Termination Report must be submitted by email attachment to vmlrp@usda.gov, preferably as an MS Word or WordPerfect document. The subject line and the first line of the body of the email should include, in the following order: “Termination Report: , , ”. SPECIAL NOTES: See above for specific details regarding submission of the Quarterly Reports. Please refer to 7 CFR Part 3431 and annual RFA for further details.

Auditing

Please refer to 7 CFR Part 3431 for guidance.

Records

Please refer to 7 CFR Part 3431 for guidance.

Other Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

The VMLRP will pay equal quarterly payments to the lenders. Each payment will be made shortly after the end of each full quarter of satisfactory service. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Quarterly.

Who do I contact about this opportunity?

Regional or Local Office

National Institute of Food and Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture P.O. Box 419205, Mail Stop 10000, Kansas City, MO 64141-6205 Courier/Package Delivery Address: 2312 East Bannister Road, Mail Stop 10000, Kansas City, MO 64141-3061

Headquarters Office

USDA, NIFA, National Program Leader,
Institute of Food Production and Sustainability, Division of Animal Systems, National Institute of Food and Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 419205, Mail Stop 10000, Kansas City, MO 64141-6205
Courier/Package Delivery Address:
2312 East Bannister Road, Mail Stop 10000, Kansas City, MO 64141-3061
Kansas City, MO 64141 US
VMLRP@usda.gov
Phone: (202) 401-6134

Website Address

http://nifa.usda.gov/program/veterinary-medicine-loan-repayment-program

Financial Information

Account Identification

12-1500-0-1-352

Obligations

(Direct Payments for Specified Use) FY 22$7,650,000.00; FY 23 est $10,000,000.00; FY 24 FY 21$7,650,000.00; FY 20$7,200,000.00; FY 19$7,200,000.00; FY 18$7,200,000.00; FY 17$5,850,000.00; FY 16$4,421,823.00; - The difference between the appropriation and obligation numbers reflects legislatively authorized set-asides deducted as appropriate, and in some cases the availability of obligational authority from prior years. NOTE: This program represents no year funds. In terms of availability of appropriations (time), there are no time limits as to when "no-year" funds may be obligated and expended and the funds remain available for their original purposes until expended.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Minimum and maximum amounts of funding per grant are established by the annual program announcement.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

As an administrator of U.S. government support, NIFA works in partnership with grantees to ensure responsible stewardship of federal funds. Our grantees and partners are required to comply with all relevant rules and regulations. The following resources are provided to NIFA's partners and award recipients to support their adherence to federal regulations governing program performance: NIFA's primary (main) website: https://nifa.usda.gov/regulations-and-guidelines The following represent specific documents and direct links: POLICY GUIDE NIFA's Federal Assistance Policy Guide describes agency policies and procedures. https://nifa.usda.gov/policy-guide CERTIFICATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS Certifications and representations provided through the NIFA application process. https://nifa.usda.gov/certifications-and-representations ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF USDA SUPPORT BY NIFA When acknowledging USDA support in accordance with 2 CFR Part 415, grantees must use the following acknowledgement for all projects or initiatives supported by NIFA. https://nifa.usda.gov/acknowledgment-usda-support-nifa FEDERAL REGULATIONS The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) lists all regulations published in the Federal Register. https://nifa.usda.gov/federal-regulations FOIA The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to request access to federal documents and information such as research data. https://nifa.usda.gov/foia NEPA POLICY AND GUIDANCE The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Policy and Guidance set the standard for identifying potential environmental impacts. https://nifa.usda.gov/nepa-policy-and-guidance OGFM ISSUED CORRESPONDENCE The Office of Grants and Financial Management occasionally issues correspondence to applicants, grantees, and/or the general public for informational or clarification purposes. https://nifa.usda.gov/ogfm-issued-correspondence RESEARCH MISCONDUCT NIFA requires that all its awardees adhere to the USDA Scientific Integrity Policy and the Federal Policy on Research Misconduct. https://nifa.usda.gov/research-misconduct NIFA'S GENERAL AWARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS Award terms and conditions are determined by statutory, regulatory, and agency requirements, as well as each grant's circumstances. Terms and conditions dictate important items related to your grant, including method of payment, reporting frequency and content, and prior approval requirements. References to the terms and conditions of awards are located on the NIFA 2009 Award Fact Sheet. NIFA's general award terms and conditions (see link below) is applicable to this program, for awards with an award date on December 26, 2014 and thereafter. https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/nifa-general-terms-and-conditions-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-october-2016.

Examples of Funded Projects

Not applicable.