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Title 38, Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-102

§7623 Obligated Service

Title 38 › PART V — BOARDS, ADMINISTRATIONS, AND SERVICES › CHAPTER 76 — HEALTH PROFESSIONALS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM › SUBCHAPTER III — TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM › § 7623

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Participants must work full-time as clinical employees of the Department for the length of obligated service in their agreement under section 7603. If a participant is already a full-time Veterans Health Administration employee on their course completion date, their service starts that day. If a participant fails a course and tuition was not paid under section 7622(e), no reimbursement is made and no service obligation is created. If tuition was paid under section 7622(e) and the participant fails, the service obligation is the same as if they had finished, and the course completion date is the day the failure is established.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §7623

Veterans' Benefits, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Each participant in the Tuition Reimbursement Program shall provide service in the full-time clinical practice of such participant’s profession as a full-time employee of the Department for the period of obligated service provided in the agreement of such participant entered into under section 7603 of this title.
(b)A participant who on such participant’s course completion date is a full-time employee in the Veterans Health Administration shall be considered to have begun serving such participant’s period of obligated service on the course completion date.
(c)Except in the case of a participant whose tuition was paid pursuant to section 7622(e) of this title, if a participant in the Tuition Reimbursement Program fails to successfully complete a course, no reimbursement will be provided and no period of obligated service will be incurred.
(d)In the case of a participant whose tuition was paid pursuant to section 7622(e) of this title and who fails to complete the course involved, the period of obligation shall be of the same duration as it would have been if the participant had successfully completed the course and the course completion date shall be considered to be the date on which the participant’s failure becomes an established fact.
(e)For the purposes of this section, the term “course completion date” means the date on which a participant in the Tuition Reimbursement Program completes such participant’s course of training under the program.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–446 substituted “Veterans Health Administration” for “Department of Medicine and Surgery”. 1991—Pub. L. 102–40, § 402(b)(1), renumbered section 4323 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–83 substituted “Department” for “Veterans’ Administration”. Pub. L. 102–40, § 402(d)(1), substituted “7603” for “4303”. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 102–40, § 402(d)(1), substituted “7622(e)” for “4322(e)”. 1988—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 100–687 substituted “4322(e)” for “4322(f)”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 7623

Title 38, Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102