§7672 Eligibility; agreement

Summary

The program gives scholarships to Department employees who are accepted or enrolled as full- or part-time students in certain training fields that lead to a Department job. To apply, an employee must have been continuously employed by the Department for at least one year on the application date. Scholarships are only for training that leads to appointment or staying in a covered Department position. When choosing who gets awards, the Secretary may limit picks to Veterans Health Administration employees whose work record shows a strong likelihood they will finish the training and work in that field. Each scholarship comes with a written agreement. The Secretary agrees to fund between 1 and 3 school years of approved study. The participant agrees to work full time for the Veterans Health Administration for a period set by the Secretary’s rules of up to 3 calendar years for each school year or part of a school year covered by the scholarship, but not less than 3 years. The participant must work at a facility the Secretary selects. If an approved extension increases scholarship years, the scholarship may cover those extra years. Part-time students have their required work time reduced in the same ratio as their credits to full-time credits, but never below 1 year.