38 U.S.C. § 7699 — Eligibility; agreement
submitted 6 years ago by Pub. L. 116-171 to r/title-38-VETERANS-BENEFITS · 353 words · no verdicts yet
This section sets eligibility rules for a Program that provides scholarships to people studying specified mental-health fields. Participants must agree to work full-time for the Department at a Vet Center for six years after completing the study program. The Secretary must give priority to certain applicants, including veterans and people who agree to work in specified communities.
(a) In General — The Readjustment Counseling Service of the Department* determines whether a person is eligible to participate in the Program. A person is eligible if both conditions are met: (1) the person has been accepted for enrollment in, or is enrolled in, a program of study at an accredited educational institution, school, or training program. The program must lead to a terminal degree in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling, and must meet the education requirements for appointment to a position under section 7402(b) of this title; and (2) the person enters into an agreement with the Secretary* under subsection (c).
(b) Priority — When selecting people to participate in the Program, the Secretary must give priority to: (1) a person who agrees to be employed by a Vet Center located in a community that is both: (A) designated as a “medically underserved population” under section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)); and (B) in a State* with a per-capita veteran* population of more than 5 percent, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics and the Bureau of the Census; and (2) a person who is a veteran.
(c) Agreement — In addition to the requirements in section 7604 of this title, an agreement between the Secretary and a Program participant must include: (1) the Secretary’s agreement to provide the participant a scholarship under the Program for a specified number of school years while the participant pursues a program of study described in subsection (a)(1) that meets the requirements in section 7602(a) of this title; and (2) the participant’s agreement to serve as a full-time employee of the Department at a Vet Center for six years after completing that program of study. This six-year period is called the “period of obligated service” in this subchapter.
(d) Vet Center Defined — In this section, “Vet Center” has the meaning given that term in section 1712A(h) of this title.
An individual is eligible to participate in the Program, as determined by the Readjustment Counseling Service of the Department*, if the individual—
is accepted for enrollment or enrolled (as described in section 7602 of this title) in a program of study at an accredited educational institution, school, or training program leading to a terminal degree in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling that would meet the education requirements for appointment to a position under section 7402(b) of this title; and
enters into an agreement with the Secretary* under subsection (c).
In selecting individuals to participate in the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to the following individuals:
An individual who agrees to be employed by a Vet Center located in a community that is—
designated as a medically underserved population under section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)); and
in a State* with a per capita population of veterans of more than five percent according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics and the Bureau of the Census.
An individual who is a veteran*.
An agreement between the Secretary and a participant in the Program shall (in addition to the requirements set forth in section 7604 of this title) include the following:
An agreement by the Secretary to provide the participant with a scholarship under the Program for a specified number of school years during which the participant pursues a program of study described in subsection (a)(1) that meets the requirements set forth in section 7602(a) of this title.
An agreement by the participant to serve as a full-time employee of the Department at a Vet Center for a six-year period following the completion by the participant of such program of study (in this subchapter referred to as the “period of obligated service”).
In this section, the term “Vet Center” has the meaning given that term in section 1712A(h) of this title.
Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 116–171, title V, § 502(a), Oct. 17, 2020, 134 Stat. 815.)
- 2020Enacted · Pub. L. 116-171 · 134 Stat. 815
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 116-171 on 2020-10-17.
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