USDA to repay student loan debt of veterinarians who set up practices in areas short of vets

Last week we updated you on the shortage of veterinarians in rural America. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new program to combat that trend. Friday, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the department would begin repaying student loan debt for qualified veterinarians that offer their services is an area suffering from a vet shortage.

"USDA can help ensure there is a first line of defense against animal diseases across the United States by placing qualified veterinarians in areas where there is a critical need," Vilsack said in a news release. "This program will help reduce veterinary shortages, especially in the area of food animal medicine, which will reduce stress on producers and improve the health of the livestock industry." The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program will be administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The program began in January when NIFA began compiling a register of shortage areas.

The program expects to begin accepting applications from interested vets by the end of April, and will repay up to $25,000 in student-loan debt in exchange for three years of service in a shortage area. NIFA has set a tentative application due date for June 30 and expects to issue offers by September 30. (Read more)