Lawmakers are reintroducing a bill meant to help recruit and retain veterinarians in areas of high need.
The bipartisan-supported Rural Veterinary Workforce Act is also strongly endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The association says that if passed, the legislation would help expand the reach and maximize the use of funds for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program. The Program attracts veterinarians to designated shortage areas and assists with educational debt.
This year the USDA declared 243 rural veterinary shortage areas spanning 46 different states. AVMA says that this is the highest number of shortage areas ever reported.
Since 2010, the program has provided awards to 883 veterinarians, just a small fraction of the over 2,000 applications accepted since its inception.
Bill sponsor and Congressman Adrian Smith shared the following:
“Veterinarians are vital to the work of America’s farmers and ranchers and the integrity of our food supply chain. Yet many areas of the country suffer from lack of access to their services... This bipartisan bill would make commonsense tax relief available to veterinarians who choose to live and work in the communities which need their help to care for their livestock and protect the agriculture industry from pests and disease. I thank my colleagues for joining me in reintroducing it.”
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