Title 38 — Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-73

§7674 Obligated service

Title 38 › Part PART V— - BOARDS, ADMINISTRATIONS, AND SERVICES › Chapter CHAPTER 76— - HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - EMPLOYEE INCENTIVE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM › § 7674

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Participants must work full-time for the Department for the length of service they agreed to. They must work in clinical practice of their profession or another health-care job the VA Secretary chooses. The VA must tell each participant their service start date at least 60 days before it begins. As soon as possible after that date, the VA will make the person a full-time Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employee if they are not one, or move them into a job that fits their training if they already work for the VHA. The start date depends on the job. For people finishing medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, it is the date they get a State license. For nurses, it is the later of finishing their course or getting a State RN license. For others, it is the later of finishing their course or meeting needed licensure or certification. The VA will set similar rules for part-time students. A participant’s obligated service normally begins when, after finishing their course, they are appointed or assigned to the proper VHA job. If they were already a full-time VHA employee in that proper role when they finished their course, their service starts on their course completion date. “Course completion date” means the day they finish their education or training under the Program.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §7674

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Each participant in the Program shall provide service as a full-time employee of the Department for the period of obligated service provided in the agreement of the participant entered into under section 7603 of this title. Such service shall be provided in the full-time clinical practice of such participant’s profession or in another health-care position in an assignment or location determined by the Secretary.

(b)(1)Not later than 60 days before a participant’s service commencement date, the Secretary shall notify the participant of that service commencement date. That date is the date for the beginning of the participant’s period of obligated service.

(2)As soon as possible after a participant’s service commencement date, the Secretary shall—

(A)in the case of a participant who is not a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration, appoint the participant as such an employee; and

(B)in the case of a participant who is an employee in the Veterans Health Administration but is not serving in a position for which the participant’s course of education or training prepared the participant, assign the participant to such a position.

(3)(A)In the case of a participant receiving a degree from a school of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, the participant’s service commencement date is the date upon which the participant becomes licensed to practice medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry, as the case may be, in a State.

(B)In the case of a participant receiving a degree from a school of nursing, the participant’s service commencement date is the later of—

(i)the participant’s course completion date; or

(ii)the date upon which the participant becomes licensed as a registered nurse in a State.

(C)In the case of a participant not covered by subparagraph (A) or (B), the participant’s service commencement date is the later of—

(i)the participant’s course completion date; or

(ii)the date the participant meets any applicable licensure or certification requirements.

(4)The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe the service commencement date for participants who were part-time students. Such regulations shall prescribe terms as similar as practicable to the terms set forth in paragraph (3).

(c)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a participant in the Program shall be considered to have begun serving the participant’s period of obligated service—

(A)on the date, after the participant’s course completion date, on which the participant (in accordance with subsection (b)) is appointed as a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration; or

(B)if the participant is a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration on such course completion date, on the date thereafter on which the participant is assigned to a position for which the participant’s course of training prepared the participant.

(2)A participant in the Program who on the participant’s course completion date is a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration serving in a capacity for which the participant’s course of training prepared the participant shall be considered to have begun serving the participant’s period of obligated service on such course completion date.

(d)In this section, the term “course completion date” means the date on which a participant in the Program completes the participant’s course of education or training under the Program.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 7674

Title 38 — Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73