H.R. 3557: To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the number of health care professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs by improving the Department of Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program.

H.R. 3557: To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the number of health care professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs by improving the Department of Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program.

115th Congress · introduced 2017-07-28 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-07-28 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Walden, Greg [R-OR-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the number of health care professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs by improving the Department of Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program.

Plain summary

This bill makes a Veterans Health Administration employee who provides patient care services in a position for which recruitment or retention of qualified personnel is difficult eligible for undergraduate and graduate education loan reduction under the Education Debt Reduction Program. (Currently, such loan reduction is available only for a course or training leading to a degree that qualifies the individual for a patient care services position.) The bill increases the five-year amount of education debt reduction payments made to or for a program participant from $120,000 to $240,000, of which not more than $60,000 (currently, $24,000) may be made in each year. The VA shall select program locations pursuant to a process that is similar to the process used to determine public health professional shortage areas. For purposes of providing tax liability reimbursements resulting from payments on behalf of an individual, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) shall, in addition to such payments, make payments in an amount equal to 39% of the total amount of loan repayments made for the taxable year; and (2) may make such additional payments as the VA determines appropriate.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the number of health care professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs by improving the Department of Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Walden, Greg [R-OR-2] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Dan Newhouse (R-WA)

Agencies named in this bill

Department of Veterans Affairs: its federal spending and other bills that name it

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr3557.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr3557 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115