CFR

17.607—Obligated service.

(a) General. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, each participant is obligated to provide service as a Department of Veterans Affairs employee in full-time clinical practice in the participant's discipline in an assignment or location determined by the Secretary.

(b) Beginning of service. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a participant's obligated service shall begin on the date the Secretary appoints the participant as a full-time VA employee in the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration in a position for which the degree program prepared the participant. The Secretary shall appoint the participant to such position within 60 days after the participant's degree completion date, or the date the participant becomes licensed in a State to practice in the discipline for which the degree program prepared the participant, whichever is later. At least 60 days prior to the appointment date, the Secretary shall notify the participant of the work assignment, its location, and the date work must begin.

(2) Obligated service shall begin on the degree completion date for a participant who, on that date, is a full-time VA employee working in a capacity for which the degree program prepared the participant.

(c) Duration of service. The period of obligated service for a participant who attended school as a full-time student shall be 1 year for each school year or part thereof for which the participant received a scholarship award under these regulations. The period of obligated service for a participant who attended school as a part-time student shall be reduced from that which a full-time student must serve in accordance with the proportion that the number of credit hours carried by the part-time student in any school year bears to the number of credit hours required to be carried by a full-time student, whichever is the greater, but shall be a minimum of 1 year of full-time employment.

(d) Location for service. The Secretary reserves the right to make final decisions on location for service obligation. A participant who received a scholarship as a full-time student must be willing to move to another geographic location for service obligation. A participant who received a scholarship as a part-time student may be allowed to serve the period of obligated service at the health care facility where the individual was assigned when the scholarship was authorized.

(e) Creditability of advanced clinical training. No period of advanced clinical training will be credited toward satisfying the period of obligated service incurred under the Scholarship Program.

Code of Federal Regulations

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 7616(b)(3)(A)(ii)

Code of Federal Regulations

[47 FR 10810, Mar. 12, 1982, as amended at 48 FR 37400, Aug. 18, 1983; 54 FR 28675, July 7, 1989]

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