The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship program (CDFA AUS) is excited to announce veterinary shortage designations through the USDA NIFA Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). VMLRP aims to help alleviate veterinary service shortages throughout California and the United States by offering student loan debt relief for mixed and large animal veterinarians.
VMLRP helps qualified veterinarians offset a portion of the student debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medicine degrees (up to $25,000/year) in return for three years of service in specified high-priority veterinary shortage situations. There are currently eight qualifying shortage areas in California.
There is a new requirement this year that requires submission of a Letter of Intent by the deadline of April 3, 2023, in addition to completing the full application, due April 17, 2023. This Letter of Intent is a short email following USDA NIFA’s specific formatting- link here.
There are three types of veterinary shortage areas that candidates may apply for:
Type I – candidate must commit 80-100% of practice hours to food animal medicine
Type II – candidate must commit at least 30% of practice time to food animal practice in a rural area (specific percentage is designated on the shortage designation itself)
Type III – candidate must commit at least 49% of time to public practice; typically located in city, county, state or federal governments, and institutions of higher education
The California counties and positions designated as veterinary shortage areas for the 2022-2023 nomination and application cycle are:
Private practice opportunities
- Glenn, Colusa, and Tehama Counties (Type II)
- Imperial County (Type I)
- Los Angeles and Ventura Counties (Type II)
- Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties (Type I)
- Mendocino County (Type II)
- Siskiyou County (Type I)
Public practice opportunities
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (Type III)
- California Department of Food and Agriculture (Type III)
Applicants are not required to have employment lined up at the time of application submission; however, they do need to have secured a position in the specified area within 90 days of award notification. In other words, you may apply for VMLRP in a specific shortage area prior to applying, interviewing, and accepting a job in that shortage area, but you must acquire a position or commit to serving in that area within 90 days after you receive the offer from USDA NIFA. Details about basic eligibility can be found on the VMLRP website. Additionally, USDA NIFA will host two live FAQ sessions in March:
- March 16th (link: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_jWoWjOwvSCCdSRmsIQqubQ)
- March 28th (link: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_dom051GuRSOPgXBlp19wPg)
If you are a veterinarian planning to apply, or if anyone you know has questions about the program or application process, please feel free to reach out by replying to this email. We have additional information and deadlines posted on CDFA AUS’ website pertaining to all aspects of the VMLRP process.
An additional funding program, the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP), works hand-in-hand with the VMLRP in providing support funds for practices needing help, but without the limitation of solely funding educational loans. Explore criteria here. Deadline for application is March 29, 2023.
If there is a veterinary shortage area you’d like represented in the 2023-2024 Nomination cycle, please click here to provide additional information to CDFA AUS.
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