[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HEARING TO REVIEW THE NATIONAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SERVICE ACT
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
LIVESTOCK, DAIRY, AND POULTRY
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
FEBRUARY 7, 2008
__________
Serial No. 110-36
Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture
agriculture.house.gov
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COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Chairman
TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania, BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia, Ranking
Vice Chairman Minority Member
MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina TERRY EVERETT, Alabama
BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma
LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa JERRY MORAN, Kansas
JOE BACA, California ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina
DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia SAM GRAVES, Missouri
JIM MARSHALL, Georgia JO BONNER, Alabama
STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South MIKE ROGERS, Alabama
Dakota STEVE KING, Iowa
HENRY CUELLAR, Texas MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE, Colorado
JIM COSTA, California RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, Jr.,
BRAD ELLSWORTH, Indiana Louisiana
NANCY E. BOYDA, Kansas JOHN R. ``RANDY'' KUHL, Jr., New
ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio York
TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas
STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
EARL POMEROY, North Dakota JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio
LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
JOHN BARROW, Georgia TIM WALBERG, Michigan
NICK LAMPSON, Texas BOB LATTA, Ohio
JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
TIM MAHONEY, Florida
______
Professional Staff
Robert L. Larew, Chief of Staff
Andrew W. Baker, Chief Counsel
April Slayton, Communications Director
William E. O'Conner, Jr., Minority Staff Director
______
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa, Chairman
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina,
STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin Ranking Minority Member
TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania MIKE ROGERS, Alabama
JOE BACA, California STEVE KING, Iowa
DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina
NICK LAMPSON, Texas K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas
JOE DONNELLY, Indiana JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio
JIM COSTA, California ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
TIM MAHONEY, Florida TIM WALBERG, Michigan
Chandler Goule, Subcommittee Staff Director
(II)
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Boswell, Hon. Leonard L., a Representative in Congress from Iowa,
opening statement.............................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 2
Hayes, Hon. Robin, a Representative in Congress from North
Carolina, opening statement.................................... 3
Prepared statement........................................... 4
Kagen, Hon. Steve, a Representative in Congress from Wisconsin,
opening statement.............................................. 4
Smith, Hon. Adrian, a Representative in Congress from Nebraska,
prepared statement............................................. 5
Witnesses
Kingston, Hon. Jack, a Representative in Congress from Georgia,
opening statement.............................................. 6
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Buchanan, Dr. Gale, Under Secretary for Research, Education and
Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.;
accompanied by Dr. Ralph Otto, Associate Administrator,
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture................................. 17
Prepared statement........................................... 19
Responses to submitted questions............................. 41
Hammer, D.V.M., Gregory S., President, American Veterinary
Medical Association; Staff Veterinarian, Owner/Partner, and
Corporate Officer, Brenford Animal Hospital, Dover, DE......... 28
Prepared statement........................................... 31
HEARING TO REVIEW THE NATIONAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, D.C.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:42 a.m., in
Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Leonard
L. Boswell (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding.
Members present: Representatives Boswell, Kagen, Cardoza,
Hayes, Moran, and Smith.
Staff present: Claiborn Crain, Alejandra Gonzalez-Arias,
Chandler Goule, Tyler Jameson, John Riley, April Slayton,
Kristin Sosanie, John Goldberg, and Jamie Weyer.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. LEONARD L. BOSWELL, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM IOWA
The Chairman. We will go ahead and call our hearing to
order and deal with our opening statements and proceed. So I
want to wish you a good morning. I would like to thank everyone
for joining us to discuss a very important issue to rural
America and food security across the country. A special thanks
to our witnesses for appearing before this Committee today. I
know everyone is very busy with farm bill discussions and we
are as well. I think this issue is extremely important and I do
not wish to delay this hearing any further.
Having spent much of my life involved in animal agriculture
and on many occasions having had to employ a veterinarian, I
understand many of the issues that affect the industry
firsthand. The National Veterinary Medical Service Act was
established to address a very specific problem within the
animal health field. With the average veterinary student
graduating with over $100,000 in debt, they are looking for
high-paying jobs. The National Veterinary Medical Service Act
was created to assist by repaying loans for veterinarians who
practice in underserved areas. As I travel in my district,
large-animal veterinarians are in short supply. In the 3rd
District of Iowa, which I represent, there are over 1.5 million
food animals with only 48 food-animal veterinarians. That is
over 32,000 animals per veterinarian. This is concerning not
only for rural communities but also for food safety. This Act
will not only increase the veterinarians in certain areas of
the country but also improve the nation's emergency
preparedness and response capability in the event of an animal
disaster.
Research has shown that the demand for large-animal
veterinarians will increase by 13 percent a year with four in
every 100 positions remaining vacant. With just over 250
graduates from the veterinary schools going into livestock-
related fields, this is a crisis. These large-animal
veterinarians are our first line of defense against animal
disease outbreaks that can lead to serious health problems. I
see this issue pop up in Iowa's Veterinary School at Iowa State
University, and over the past 4 years on average just under 17
percent of their total graduates entered large-animal
practices. In 2003, the National Veterinary Medical Service Act
was signed into law with Congress reporting $500,000 the first
fiscal year in 2006, $500,000 for Fiscal Year 2007 and $800,000
for the current fiscal year. But, USDA has yet to use the money
to begin the rulemaking process, rendering the program
nonfunctional. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses
today. I am hopeful that we will hear what the issues USDA are
having with implementation of this program and how they propose
to address the growing need in rural communities.
I would like to personally welcome Congressman Jack
Kingston, who will be testifying before the Committee shortly.
Congressman Kingston serves on the Agriculture Appropriations
Committee and we are very interested in his testimony since he
has been directly involved in appropriating funding for the
National Veterinary Medical Service Act.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Boswell follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Leonard L. Boswell, a Representative in
Congress From Iowa
Good afternoon, I would like to thank everyone for joining us today
to discuss a very important issue to rural America and food security
across the country. A special thanks to our witnesses for appearing
before the Subcommittee today. I know everyone is very busy with farm
bill discussions but I think this issue is extremely important and did
not wish to delay this hearing further.
Having spent most my life involved in animal agriculture and on
occasion having had to employ a veterinarian, I understand many of the
issues that affect the industry first hand. The National Veterinary
Medical Service Act was established to address a very specific problem
within the animal health field. With the average veterinary student
graduating with over $100,000 in debt they are looking for high paying
jobs. The National Veterinary Medical Service Act was created to repay
loans for veterinarians who practice in underserved areas.
As I travel in my district, large animal veterinarians are in short
supply. In the 3rd District of Iowa, which I represent, there are just
over 1.5 million food animals and just 48 food animal veterinarians.
That's over 32,000 animals per veterinarian. This is concerning not
only for rural Iowa communities but also for food safety. This Act will
not only increase the veterinarians in certain areas of the country but
also will improve the nation's emergency preparedness and response
capability in the event of an animal disaster.
Research has shown that the demand for large animal veterinarians
will increase by 13 percent a year with four in every 100 positions
remaining vacant.
With just over 250 graduates from veterinary schools going into
livestock related fields this is a crisis. These large animal
veterinarians are our first line of defense against animal disease
outbreaks that can lead to serious health problems. I see this issue
pop up in Iowa's large veterinarian school--Iowa State University. Over
the past 4 years on average just under 17 percent of their total
graduates entered large animal practices.
In 2003, the National Veterinary Medical Service Act was signed
into law with Congress appropriating $500,000 for Fiscal Year 2006,
$500,000 for Fiscal Year 2007, and $800,000 for this fiscal year but,
USDA has yet to use that money to begin the rulemaking process--
rendering the program non-functional.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. I am hopeful
that we will hear what the issues USDA are having with the
implementation of this program and how they propose to address the
growing need in rural communities. I would like to personally welcome
Congressman Jack Kingston who will be testifying before the Committee
shortly. Congressman Kingston serves on the Agriculture Appropriations
Committee and I am very interested in his testimony since he has been
directly involved in appropriating funding for the National Veterinary
Medical Service Act.
At this time I would like to recognize my Ranking Member and good
friend Robin Hayes from North Carolina for any opening remarks he would
like to make.
The Chairman. At this time I would like to recognize our
Ranking Member and my good friend, Robin Hayes from North
Carolina, for any remarks that he would like to make.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROBIN HAYES, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome,
Congressman Kingston. We appreciate your being here, and if
USDA had done what they should have done, we wouldn't have to
be here today.
Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing.
Like you, I am concerned about the lack of progress from USDA
in implementing the National Veterinary Medical Services Act of
2003. In ironing out the details of the legislation, this
Committee worked very closely with the Department to ensure
proper implementation of the program. The law provided
seemingly simple and straightforward authorization for the
Department to offer incentives to large-animal veterinarians to
practice in underserved rural communities. The incentive, which
was suggested by USDA, was to offer assistance in repaying a
portion of the practitioner's educational loans. An earlier
version of the legislation introduced in the 107th Congress,
H.R. 1943, had also contemplated a scholarship program. In
technical discussions with USDA, we were informed that it would
be difficult, if not impossible, for USDA to enforce the
service requirement after the scholarship had already been
paid. So this provision was dropped. I will also add that at
USDA's request the final law provides the Secretary with the
authority to offer an increased incentive for those accredited
practitioners who agreed to assist USDA in the event of an
animal health emergency. On July 29, 2003, Chairman Goodlatte
received a legislative report signed by then-Secretary of
Agriculture Veneman affirming Administration support for the
legislation and recommending that the bill be enacted with the
final language reflecting changes USDA had suggested. Each and
every one of USDA's suggested changes were made and the bill
was signed into law by President Bush December 6, 2003. Nearly
4 years after enactment, Under Secretary Buchanan sent a letter
to Chairman Peterson outlining a number of reasons why the
Department would not be able to implement the legislation
despite the fact the Department had received appropriations to
do so.
Mr. Chairman, to the extent that USDA's current concerns
are valid, I am certainly willing to roll up my sleeves and
work to resolve any issues. I am, however, very frustrated that
it has taken USDA so long to bring these concerns to our
attention, particularly since we allowed USDA the opportunity
to assist us in drafting the legislation in the first place. I
hope during today's hearing we can figure out a way to quickly
move this program forward. It will have great value for
veterinarians graduating from first-class veterinary programs
like the one at North Carolina State University.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding the hearing.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hayes follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Robin Hayes, a Representative in Congress
From North Carolina
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing. Like you, I am
concerned about the lack of progress the USDA has made in implementing
the National Veterinary Medical Service Act of 2003.
In ironing out the details of the legislation this Committee worked
very closely with the Department to ensure proper implementation of the
program. This law provided a seemingly simple and straightforward
authorization for the Department to offer incentives to large animal
veterinarians to practice in underserved rural communities. The
incentive, which was suggested by USDA, was to offer assistance in
repaying a portion of the practitioner's educational loans. An earlier
version of the legislation introduced in the 107th Congress (H.R. 1943)
had also contemplated a scholarship program. In technical discussions
with USDA, we were informed that it would be difficult if not
impossible for USDA to enforce the service requirement after the
scholarship had already been paid, so this provision was dropped. I
would also add that at USDA's request, the final law provided the
Secretary with the authority to offer an increased incentive for those
accredited practitioners who agreed to assist USDA in the event of an
animal health emergency.
On July 29, 2003, Chairman Goodlatte received a legislative report
signed by then-Secretary of Agriculture Veneman affirming the
Administration's support for the legislation and recommending that the
bill be enacted if the final language reflected the changes that USDA
had suggested. Each and every one of USDA's suggested changes were made
and the bill was signed into law by President Bush on December 6, 2003.
Nearly 4 years after enactment, Under Secretary Buchanan sent a
letter to Chairman Peterson outlining a number of reasons why the
Department would not be able to implement the legislation--despite the
fact that the Department had received appropriations to do so.
Mr. Chairman, to the extent that USDA's current concerns are valid,
I am certainly willing to roll up my sleeves and work to resolve any
issues. I am however very frustrated that it has taken USDA 4 years to
bring these concerns to our attention, particularly since we allowed
USDA the opportunity to assist us in drafting the legislation in the
first place.
I hope during today's hearing that we can figure out a way to
quickly move this program forward. I know it will have great value for
veterinarians graduating from first-class veterinarian programs like
the one at North Carolina State University. Mr. Chairman, thank you for
holding this hearing.
The Chairman. Thank you, Congressman Hayes.
I will ask other Members on the dais if they have a
statement--I was going to ask you to put it into the record,
but I suppose that if you want to make a short statement, I
would acknowledge that.
Mr. Kagen. Very short.
The Chairman. I recognize Mr. Kagen.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. STEVE KAGEN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM WISCONSIN
Mr. Kagen. I will include my comments for the record but I
have to say that this Act is necessary and the help for the
USDA in oversight is necessary because the animals can't fix
themselves. We need more doctors and more nurses and we need
many more veterinarians, not just in Wisconsin but across the
country. One of the great problems this country is facing as
our human population ages and the number of our animals
increase is the shortage of qualified veterinarians and the
schools that train these individuals. I am very much
appreciative of you holding this hearing today, and I will
leave my comments at that.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
The Chairman. You are welcome, Mr. Hayes.
We will go ahead then to--Mr. Hayes, did you want to make
any short statement?
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Hayes is my hometown
and Mr. Hayes is the gentleman----
The Chairman. Oh, I am sorry. You know, we just talked
about a little bit, that he ought to honor you because you
named your hometown after him.
Mr. Hayes. The Chairman knew how much I thought of you so I
apologize for him trying to give my name to you.
The Chairman. Excuse me.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, I was thinking I was being ignored
and I am happy to reserve my remarks until I have the
opportunity to ask some questions of the witnesses. I do
appreciate that I am here with your permission. This is the one
Subcommittee that I am not a Member of. I consider this issue
so significant and USDA's inaction so appalling that I asked
for the opportunity to join you, and I appreciate you granting
me that chance. I look forward to questioning the witnesses and
I appreciate Mr. Kingston's interest in this. If we are going
to get this resolved, the stick that Mr. Kingston can provide
very well may be useful to us, and again I thank you for
allowing me to join you this morning.
The Chairman. Well, at this time we will get the record in
order. Thank you, Mr. Moran. I would like to ask unanimous
consent for him to join us on the Subcommittee, he is on the
full Committee, to participate in today's hearing. Without any
objection, so ordered.
I would ask that all other Members submit their statements
for the record.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Adrian Smith, a Representative in Congress
From Nebraska
Good morning and thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The food animal industry is important to the economy of Nebraska's
Third District. Our veterinary workforce is critical to maintaining the
health and safety of our food supply, putting our veterinarians on the
front lines of national security. Their vigilance is critical in
protecting Americans from a bioterrorist attack.
We need to encourage more young people to pursue veterinary careers
in large animal medicine. We should expand enrollment at our veterinary
schools so that we are graduating enough students to replace the aging
veterinary workforce. We should investigate the opportunities to build
new veterinary medical schools in states which lack these facilities. I
am proud of the unique collaboration between the University of
Nebraska--Lincoln and Iowa State University to offer a state-of-the-art
veterinary medical program for Nebraska students. The inaugural class
of this program began last fall. I look forward to seeing many students
graduate from this program and practice in underserved areas of
Nebraska.
I am committed to exploring means which will enable more
veterinarians to operate food animal practices in rural areas. I hope
this hearing today will be the first step toward quickly accomplishing
that goal. I want to thank our witness for testifying, and the
Committee and the Chairman for holding this hearing. I yield back.
The Chairman. At this time I would like to welcome
Congressman Kingston and we are anxious to hear your comments.
STATEMENT OF HON. JACK KINGSTON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM GEORGIA
Mr. Kingston. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is great to be
with you and I certainly appreciate the opportunity to testify.
When I first came to Congress, I had the honor of serving on
the Agriculture Committee, and ``Kika'' de la Garza, whose
portrait is of course right above you, was Chairman at the time
and I grew to love the Committee and this room. It has been a
great bipartisan Committee and it does a lot of work. When I
moved to the Appropriations Committee, I thought maybe we would
be a little closer dovetailed than we are, but I think that
this is a great opportunity for us to share our notes and try
to come up with a solution that will serve both of us. So I am
glad to be here.
Our comments have been submitted for the record, so what I
was going to do to save time for you is to summarize, but I
want to underscore some of the numbers which you said in your
opening testimony that I think are very, very important. Of
8,500 vets in America today, only ten percent are in the food
animal field and I understand their average age is about 50 or
somewhere even older than that. The numbers are even more
shocking when you look at 28 accredited vet schools in the
United States of America that graduate only 2,600 students a
year and of those 2,600 only 250 go into rural areas and large
animals, and to me that says that the demand for the food
supply veterinarians is going up and yet the availability, the
shortfall is going down. The shortfall is going up as well, I
guess you could say. So I think it is very important. And then
just looking at it from a real-world point of view, if the
average tuition for vet school is $37,000 to $55,000 a year and
the debt is about $100,000 and the starting salary is probably
in the $50,000 to $70,000 range, the students have to go to
where they can make enough money to repay their debt. It is
just the law of supply and demand or economics, and as a result
the rural areas are having quite a crunch.
You have spoken about Iowa. I know Mr. Moran is passionate
about the problem in Kansas. You mentioned Wisconsin. It is the
same way in Georgia, and I have this map that I will submit for
the record. I know you can't see it very well but on here the
white flags show where there are no veterinarians. The blues
show the population areas there are veterinarians because of
course there is money and house cats. By the way, Mr. Chairman,
if you ever want to find out how much your family really loves
the dog more than you, run over it as I did this summer and I
found out quickly where I ranked. I was on probation until the
dog fully recovered. But in the meantime, I did see that the
small animal clinics were doing real well. I don't know, but I
suspect that a dog is more expensive than a horse these days.
Here is a typical ad from folks in Georgia. ``Need a
veterinarian in Folkston, Georgia. Have a commercial building
on a well-traveled highway that leads to the Okefenokee Swamp.
Ideal facility and location for a new veterinarian or someone
who wishes to relocate in a smaller community near the coast.''
Everybody who goes to that veterinarian will travel about 25 or
30 miles just to get there and that ad, I don't know how old it
is, or how long Folkston has been looking for a veterinarian,
but they can't get one.
Now, we have worked closely with Dr. Sheila Allen at the
University of Georgia, who is the Dean of the Vet School there.
She told us about a program where they are actually going into
rural communities now and identifying what I would call
authentic farm kids. These are kids who were either raised on a
farm, involved in 4-H, have familiarity with horses and cows,
have been in livestock shows and so forth. If their grades are
acceptable, and these kids are identified at the high school
level, the University of Georgia will guarantee them admittance
to the Vet School if they stay in line. Even doing something as
proactive as that doesn't guarantee results. It doesn't fill
the gap that we are in.
What we are frustrated about on the Appropriations
Committee is using your 2003 authorization, we have funded now
$1.8 million, $500,000 in 2006, $500,000 in 2007 and then in
the recently passed omnibus $875,000 and still we are getting
from the USDA that we don't know how to implement this program.
And yet the USDA isn't coming back to us and saying, ``Here is
what we need from you, can you give us this addition to the
authorization language to come up with something.'' It is odd
that they are saying that because there are so many crop loan
programs that you would think the USDA would have the expertise
to get there. There is also in the Department of Health and
Human Services a rural nurses program which I think could be a
model for them. I would not want to see this money transferred
to them but there is a model for it and there are precedents.
So what we would like to work with you on are the tools the
USDA needs to implement it and how our Committees can get there
together.
So with that, Mr. Chairman, I will yield back, and I have a
broader statement that has been submitted.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Kingston follows:]
Well, thank you very much. I appreciate those comments and
painting the picture that you have done. I feel that you are
right on, and I hope that we can do that. I am going to reserve
my questions and let the panel get involved.Mr. Hayes, do
you have questions for the witness?
Mr. Hayes. No.
The Chairman. Mr. Kagen?
Mr. Kagen. No.
The Chairman. Mr. Cardoza?
Mr. Cardoza. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be very brief.
Mr. Kingston, I appreciate your comments very much. I
worked on this issue in the legislature in California. I worked
with UC Davis trying to help. We have a severe shortage in our
area and I know it to be particularly prevalent where I am
from. Thank you for your work on it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing, and as
Mr. Hayes said, I hope that we can find swift resolution to
turning this around and providing more veterinarians in the
areas we need them. Thanks.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Moran.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.
Mr. Kingston, thank you for your leadership on this issue.
You and I, and the Chairman and the Ranking Member and other
Members of Congress met with the Under Secretary late last
year. My question to you is, have you seen any response, any
evidence that USDA is progressing in meeting our requests with
the kinds of things that you asked them during that meeting to
bring to you? Are we any further along here in February than we
were last November in resolving this issue?
Mr. Kingston. Well, there has been a response and there has
been movement and I do credit Dr. Buchanan for staying engaged
in it. But, I don't think that the solution that they have
offered is what the Committee wants at this point and that is
basically a scholarship program. I believe, philosophically,
that Congress wants to have the loan repayment program. I
appreciate the USDA moving forward but I don't think that they
are where they need to be at this point.
Mr. Moran. Moving forward perhaps in the wrong direction. I
will make those my words, not yours, Mr. Kingston.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you.
We are not going to hold you up a long time, Congressman
Kingston, but could you share what is the support of the
Appropriations Committee for the NVMSA Program? I know you are
very adamantly supporting it and we appreciate that. Could you
just give us a sense of how the rest of the Committee feels
about it?
Mr. Kingston. Well, I can't speak for Chairman Rosa DeLauro
but I do believe that she is very sensitive to rural issues.
She has a great passion for rural economic development and
rural well-being just as a general cause. I could speak with
confidence that the Committee would continue to support this. I
can also speak with confidence that the Committee is frustrated
that after $1.8 million, we don't have anything yet; and I
think the Committee probably would lean to your leadership,
that is if this Subcommittee says, ``Don't fund it anymore,''
we are probably going to move in that direction. If you say,
``Fund it according to these conditions,'' then we will do
that. But there is no reason to keep appropriating money
without your signoff.
The Chairman. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that.
I sense your frustration so we are going to thank you very much
for coming and joining us today and we will stay in contact.
Mr. Hayes.
Mr. Hayes. Mr. Kingston, the University of Georgia, are
they administering programs every day where they have
scholarships and they track the students and once they become
alumni they watch them closely so that they can hopefully get a
donation out of them? Does there seem to emerge out of that
model a way that the universities themselves perhaps could do
this without the pain and delay that we are experiencing here
today; just as a possibility or any other thoughts you might
have?
Mr. Kingston. Well, I think that Dean Allen could probably
answer that better, and what I might ask you, if you don't
mind, I can follow up and answer that better and let her give
you a description. I know that sometimes there is a link in the
chain of sending somebody to an animal veterinarian for food
animals. What can happen is, they will go to the CDC, they will
get a broader education and then after years of continuing
education they are going back and they say, ``Look at the debt,
I dug the hole even deeper getting this education. I need to
settle down in a bigger town and do the cats and dogs instead
of the horses and cows.'' I don't think the University of
Georgia or any university would have any say-so in the matter
even among parties of good faith who enter into some agreement.
There is no contractual agreement that the student will go back
to the rural community. But I do think that they do track them
but they don't control them.
Mr. Hayes. Well, don't you think they could control them if
the money was available? Then there is a choice by the student.
If they want the money, you are going to go to wherever the
need may be for 2 years in order to meet this obligation. If it
is working well, 2 years doesn't solve the problems of that
rural area but the university might send the next student there
for 2 years. It looks like this could be done without a whole
lot of trouble and the universities could do it.
Mr. Kingston. Well, I think one of the things that they are
doing with that outreach program is identifying kids from rural
areas who have been on the farm. I have found over the years
that most people from rural areas eventually want to get back
to that rural area. I think that not recruiting the kid from
Atlanta and trying to send him to Folkston but recruiting the
kid from Folkston and trying to get him to stay in Folkston is
what they are looking at. I believe that they are being very
proactive and responsible about that.
But I want to point out to you, Mr. Chairman, one of the
things that we all have done in the post-9/11 world is look at
everything from a terrorism standpoint. If you think about the
Chinese toxic pet food that really sent a shockwave through
America in the last couple of years, think what happens if
there is some kind of a chem-bio attack on our food supply and
we don't have the veterinarians online out there being able to
detect it early and come up with that fast solution to a
planted hoof-and-mouth or an anthrax issue or something like
that. I do think that there is a value added beyond just making
sure that the horses and cows are taken care of.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. We are going to release
you at this time with the understanding we can talk to you some
more as we need to, and we appreciate the challenge you have
given to us. I think you get the picture as I see it and I
appreciate it very, very much.
Mr. Kingston. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and
I look forward to continuing to work with you.
The Chairman. We look forward to working with you, and with
that, you will be excused with our appreciation.
We invite the second panel to the table. Incidentally, for
the Members up here, in your packets you have a map of your
district showing the situation that faces you. I don't have a
copy of yours, Robin, it is yours, and so on, but anyway, I
want to thank staff and particularly Mr. Chandler Goule for
making sure this happened. Thank you, Chandler. I appreciate
it. We will be sure to take a look at it. Thanks for your help.
We thank you for joining us, gentlemen, and appreciate you
being here, so we will just go ahead and start right off with
however you want to do it. I think we will just recognize you,
Dr. Buchanan, to make whatever remarks you would like to make
and then we will proceed from there. So thanks for being here.
We are anxious to hear what you have to share with us.STATEMENT
OF DR. GALE BUCHANAN, UNDER SECRETARY FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION
AND ECONOMICS, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D.C.;
ACCOMPANIED BY DR. RALPH OTTO, ASSOCIATE
ADMINISTRATOR, COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH,
EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE
Dr. Buchanan. Chairman Boswell, Ranking Member Hayes and
other distinguished Members of the Committee, I am Gale
Buchanan, Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics
at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and I really appreciate
the opportunity to discuss the National Veterinary Medical
Service Act with you this morning.
With me is Dr. Ralph Otto, the Associate Administrator for
the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, and Curtis Anderson, Deputy Administrator for Rural
Utilities Service in the Department.
As the Under Secretary for Research, Education and
Economics, I am responsible for four agencies charged in
advancing science and agriculture. These are the Agriculture
Research Service, the Cooperative State Research, Education,
and Extension Service, the Economic Research Service and the
National Agricultural Statistics Service. It is the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service that has been
most closely associated with the legislation that we are
discussing here today.
In December of 2003, the President signed Public Law 108-
161, the National Veterinary Medical Service Act. Subsequently
in November of 2005, Congress provided the initial funding for
NVMSA in Fiscal Year 2006 appropriation for CSREES.
NVMSA authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay
principal and interest on educational loans of veterinarians
who agree to work in areas of the country that are underserved
by veterinarians and underserved disciplines in veterinary
medicine such as food safety and public health and in
underserved areas of the Federal Government that require
veterinary services. The bill also authorizes USDA, in
emergency situations, to enter into agreements with loan
repayment program participants to provide services to the
Federal Government in exchange for salary, travel, per diem
expenses and additional loan repayment assistance.
Please let me take a moment to put the work of CSREES into
context. CSREES accomplishes its mission almost exclusively
through agreements of one type or another with land-grant
universities and other universities, research foundations, not-
for-profit entities, state, local and Federal agencies. This is
significant and has direct bearing on our discussion today.
Although CSREES has highly effective and efficient systems in
place to execute and monitor agreements with organizations, it
does not have corresponding systems to administer loan
repayments for individuals as required by NVMSA.
As enacted, the NVMSA authorizes USDA to administer a loan
repayment program and such programs have never been the
function of CSREES and would need to be created in order to do
that. To do this would require considerable resources and
substantial rulemaking in areas that are new to CSREES. They
would need rules and regulations to address non-performance,
verify applicant eligibility, verify debt of the veterinarians,
background investigation to ensure no warrants or other debts,
and so forth. In underserved regions of the country, it would
also require procedures to be developed to keep that list up to
date. Since we will be able to assist only a few veterinarians
that are eligible, there will certainly need to be a
justifiable and defensible selection process for loan repayment
recipients. Based on the information and guidance received from
the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers
loan repayment programs for other occupations, these are just
some of the new processes USDA would have to put in place.
These issues have been discussed extensively within USDA and
with representatives of the American Veterinary Medicine
Association and American Association of Veterinary Medicine
Colleges.
In considering possible implementation strategies, CSREES
examined the cost involved with various alternatives and
concluded that there were two general implementation options
available in the short term. These were, one, to set up a loan
repayment program that would address the private practitioners,
and according to the Congressional Budget Office, HHS and our
agencies, estimates for doing this would consume the
appropriation; or, utilize existing authorities that are cost-
effective, meet the intent of the legislation and maximize the
funding that could actually be used for loan repayment. CSREES
chose the second option as being the most practical and most
expedient choice available in order to accomplish the intent of
the legislation.
USDA recognizes and appreciates the intent of Congress to
promote more private-sector food-animal veterinarians in rural
areas and we are continuing to seek the best way to do so
within the resources that are provided. I am aware of
alternative proposals that may accomplish the original intent
of Congress in passing NVMSA while also allowing CSREES to
implement the program within the agency's current structure.
One of the possible options is to target funding at veterinary
students in the form of scholarships. The great majority of
students of veterinary medicine currently studying in the
United States are pursuing companion-animal curricula with
plans to enter private practice in urban or suburban areas of
the country to treat companion animals. Consequently, a program
of financial assistance for veterinary students perhaps could
be designed to provide them incentives for choosing to
specialize in large and/or food-animal veterinary science.
I look forward to working with the Committee to examine the
implications of various alternatives for NVMSA, and this
concludes my comments. I want to again thank you for the
opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee regarding this
Act, and my colleagues and I look forward to responding to your
questions, sir.
[The prepared statement of Gale Buchanan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary for Research,
Education and Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington,
D.C.
Chairman Boswell, Ranking Member Hayes, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee, my name is Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary of the
Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area (REE), United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA). I appreciate the opportunity to
discuss the National Veterinary Medical Service Act (NVMSA) with you
this morning. With me is Dr. Ralph Otto, Associate Administrator for
the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
(CSREES), and Curtis Anderson, Deputy Administrator for the Rural
Utilities Service.
As the REE Under Secretary, I am responsible for four agencies
charged with advancing science in agriculture. These are the
Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), the Economic Research
Service (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
It is CSREES that has been most closely associated with the legislation
that we are discussing today.
In December of 2003, the President signed Public Law 108-161, the
National Veterinary Medical Service Act. Subsequently, in November
2005, Congress provided the initial funding for the NVMSA in the Fiscal
Year 2006 appropriation for CSREES. Consequently, USDA delegated the
authority for this program to CSREES.
NVMSA authorizes the Department to pay principal and interest on
educational loans of licensed veterinarians who agree to work in areas
of the country that are underserved by veterinarians, in underserved
disciplines of veterinary practice or in underserved areas of the
Federal Government. The bill also authorizes USDA, in emergency
situations, to enter into agreements with loan repayment program
participants to provide services to the Federal Government in exchange
for salary, travel, per diem expenses, and additional loan repayment
assistance.
Please note that the Administration's FY 2008 Budget request did
not include funding for this program. Nor did the Administration's FY
2009 Budget request, which was submitted on February 4th. However, we
do want to make sure that the funding already provided is utilized as
effectively as possible to support the goals of the program.
In that context, let me take a moment to put the work of CSREES
into context. CSREES accomplishes its mission almost exclusively
through agreements of one type or another with land-grant and other
universities, research foundations, not-for-profit entities, and state,
local, or Federal agencies. This is significant and has direct bearing
on our discussion today. Although CSREES has highly effective and
efficient systems in place to execute and monitor agreements with
organizations, it does not have corresponding systems to administer
loan repayments for individuals, as is required by the NVMSA.
As enacted, the NVMSA authorizes USDA to administer a complex loan
repayment program. Such programs have never been a function of CSREES
and would need to be created. To do this would require considerable
resources and substantial rule making in areas that are new to CSREES.
Setting up such a program would be costly in terms of both time and
money. It would prolong implementation of the NVMSA and it would
consume all of the funds appropriated for the act. No appropriated
funds would be left for actual loan repayments.
Creating a new loan repayment program within CSREES would require
hiring personnel with the unique expertise needed to process
applications, verify applicant eligibility, verify the underlying debt,
and conduct credit and background checks for outstanding warrants or
debts. They would need to verify that the applicant is actually
practicing in an underserved location or specialty in accordance with
the terms of the loan repayment agreement and they would need rules and
regulations to address non-performance. In addition, procedures would
need to be developed to keep the list of underserved regions and
specialties current.
Based on information and guidance received from the Department of
Health and Human Services which administers loan repayment programs for
other occupations, these are just some of the new processes USDA would
have to put in place. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) support our assessment that the cost of initiating and
administering the program would exceed the funds appropriated:
``H.R. 1367 would also authorize appropriations as necessary to
cover the administrative costs of carrying out these programs.
CBO estimates that administrative costs would be less than $1
million in 2004 and would total $3 million over the 2004-2008
period.'' (From the Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
of H.R. 1367, dated November 12, 2003.)
In an effort to implement the program expeditiously, all of these
concerns have been discussed extensively within USDA and with
representatives of the American Veterinary Medicine Association and the
American Association of Veterinary Medicine Colleges.
In considering possible implementation strategies, CSREES examined
the costs involved with various alternatives and concluded that there
were two general implementation options available in the short term.
These were:
1. Set up a loan repayment program that would address private
practitioners. According to CBO, HHS and USDA estimates, doing
this would consume the entire appropriation, leaving no funds
for actual loan repayment.
2. Utilize existing authorities that are cost effective, meet the
intent of the legislation, and maximize the funding that could
actually be used for loan repayment.
CSREES chose the second option as being the most practical and most
expedient choice available.
CSREES then entered into a reimbursable agreement with the Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in Fiscal Year 2007 to use the
Fiscal Year 2006 and 2007 NVMSA funds. This agreement allows FSIS to
add loan repayment incentives to qualifying service agreements in order
to aid recruitment of food animal veterinarians for designated hard-to-
fill positions in food safety and supply, especially in rural
communities. This action addresses two specific purposes of the NVMSA,
which directs the Secretary to consider shortage-areas in public
health, epidemiology, and food safety, as well as ``areas of veterinary
need in the Federal Government.''
Meanwhile, the Department recognizes and appreciates the intent of
Congress to promote more private-sector food animal veterinarians in
rural areas and we are continuing to seek the best way to do so, within
the resources provided. I look forward to working with the Committee on
this program.
This concludes my comments. I want to thank you again for the
opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee regarding the National
Veterinary Medical Service Act. My colleagues and I look forward to
responding to your questions.
The Chairman. Well, thank you for being here, and I want to
say right up front, we are not looking for any adversarial, you
know, head-on on this thing. We just want something done, and I
appreciate your comments and I do appreciate your long history
of serving. Thank you for that. I want you to understand that.
Dr. Buchanan. Thank you.
The Chairman. But you say you thought you met the intent.
We don't think so, and I think you get that from listening to
Mr. Kingston, myself and Mr. Hayes and the rest. We are just
very concerned that after 5 years we are still at square one. I
don't feel satisfied with that situation. There is still no
money going to the graduating veterinarians and the shortage is
building and we all know that it is. So maybe there wasn't
enough money to do what you would have liked to have done, but
it seems to me like with $1.8 million you could have started
and we would be somewhere down the track. I would hope that we
would have some comments about that.
Mr. Hayes, do you have any questions at this time? You do
not.
Mr. Kagen? He does. Mr. Kagen, you are recognized.
Mr. Kagen. Thank you very much.
First of all, Dr. Buchanan, thank you for your sacrifice by
working as a public servant. I appreciate it, and I appreciate
the work that you are trying to do. I have some questions. You
are a veterinarian. Is that true?
Dr. Buchanan. No, sir.
Mr. Kagen. So you are a doctor of?
Dr. Buchanan. Plant physiology.
Mr. Kagen. But certainly you are interested in plants being
eaten by animals----
Dr. Buchanan. Oh, absolutely.
Mr. Kagen.--by cows in Wisconsin. So in Wisconsin
Veterinary Medical School, the predominance of the students are
not men, they are women. There might be 67 out of 73 chairs
occupied by women and they may not choose to go into the caring
of larger animals. So have you considered that as one of the
barriers to people not being interested in these grant monies?
Dr. Buchanan. Can you help me with that? I am not sure I
can answer that.
Dr. Otto. Yes, sir. We are familiar with the statistics
regarding the gender balance in current veterinary students.
Our sense is that if we looked at a scholarship option, and we
are not necessarily advocating that, it is not part of our
President's budget at this point. If we considered that as an
option, we might be able to attract students into veterinary
schools that otherwise would not be able to apply, would not
have the funding. Point one, we think we would be increasing
the pool of veterinary candidates. Point two, such a program
would stipulate that upon entry, they choose a large or food-
animal curriculum as opposed to specializing in companion
animals. We all know women who are large-animal veterinarians.
I don't think that is a particular barrier but I do think the
costs involved certainly could be a barrier.
Mr. Kagen. Well, if it is a cost issue, why is it that the
President's budget would line out and zero fund this program?
Dr. Otto. This program is a Congressional initiative that
is not part of the President's budget.
Mr. Kagen. All right. So if we put money in, you will
execute?
Dr. Buchanan. Let me point out that obviously as Dr. Otto
said, this is a Congressional initiative and not one of our
budget. We know we are in tight budget times and we have had to
prioritize. Of course we looked at all the requirements we
have; of course, the CSREES has responsibility for research,
education, and extension; and of course we have concern for all
of the educational side for agriculture. The workforce
development is a very critical part of our total portfolio.
Certainly veterinary medicine is one of those important areas,
but it is not the only area, so we have tried to look at that
total effort. To be honest, in prioritizing things, this has
not been one of our priorities, but it is something that we
consider important, but there are a lot of important things
that we can't address simply because we don't have adequate
funding.
Mr. Kagen. Your response may reflect a difference in our
values and what we think is important. In my district,
northeast Wisconsin, the 8th District of Wisconsin, I have the
honor of representing 700,000 people and 500,000 animals. So I
think our values may not be consistent with yours. But
certainly, when the Congress has it in its mind to solve a real
shortage problem by providing appropriations and funding for
students to enter and come out of veterinary school without
profound debt, I would appreciate it very much if you would
take our value system and implement it. That is part of your
job, isn't it?
Dr. Buchanan. Well, of course, we have tried to address
this, and of course, the legislation provided for three
categories. The first one was for veterinarians in underserved
areas, but also for veterinarians in underserved areas of
veterinary medicine such as food safety, public health and
epidemiology, and also the third area for underserved areas in
Federal Government where veterinarians are used. And the
approach that we took, and the second option that I pointed
out, clearly identified two of those three areas in which we
have made some effort and certainly have gotten a program
underway to do that. Now, it doesn't address the third area but
certainly two of the three areas that you identified in the
legislation that was approved have been underway and we have
made some progress in that.
Mr. Kagen. Well, we may have a difference of opinion about
the extent of the progress, but thank you again for the brief
time I have had to spend with you. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Moran.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us. Thank you for the
personal attention and interest that you have taken in this
issue. You and I have met and visited and you met with other
Members of Congress. I guess my hope as a result of this
hearing is that we get USDA's attention that you may have made
progress in two of the three areas but we want you to make
progress in the third. I think it is a bit disingenuous, that
may be too strong of a term, but the Administration supported
passage of this legislation. So, for us to get in a battle
about whether this is a priority of Congress or a priority of
the Administration seems to me to be a useless endeavor. I have
seen the letter of Secretary Veneman urging the adoption of
this legislation and encouraging Congress to pass it, and we
did. I am troubled by the fact that USDA really took no action
on this issue for 2 years. And then, as far as I know without
any particular consultation with Congress pursued--to at least
to some of us--what we would consider diverting from the crux
of what we were trying to accomplish. The reality is,
regardless of that history, and you weren't there then, but
regardless of that history, we are at a point in which we are
not accomplishing the goals that I think both of us share.
There is no question that there is a tremendous shortage of
veterinarians in rural America in large animal practice. That
has consequences for the agricultural economy, for my farmers
and my ranchers, and it has a significant consequence to the
food safety and homeland security of our country. So in a
sense, although I am disappointed about the way we got here,
that is not my major point of the day. The opportunity that I
hope to have is now what are we going to do. I would again say
that the idea of a scholarship program in my opinion does not
advance the cause that we are seeking. I continue to be
interested in USDA implementing a loan repayment program for
those who graduate from schools of veterinary medicine and
serve in underserved areas. So what I hope would come from this
hearing is not to repeat the history but to say, ``Okay, here
is where we are, Congress wants this done, we agree it is a
noble endeavor. It is something that needs to happen both for
the security of our country and for the economy of our farmers
and rangers, here is USDA's proposal.'' So rather than all the
reasons why we can't do what we have asked you to do, my
question would be, is there no opportunity for USDA to
implement a loan repayment program for veterinarians serving in
underserved area? It is always frustrating I assume to you as a
head of a department, an agency. It is frustrating to me as a
Member of Congress to always hear why we can't do what needs to
be done when we recognize it needs to be done. Any ability to
give us advice of how we do a loan forgiveness program?
Dr. Buchanan. Well, let me first respond that I thought
that the three areas that were mentioned were all important,
and of course, the CSREES addressed two of those and they
really addressed the other one because for the emergency side,
that was included too as part of it. But all I can say,
Congressman, is that certainly we look forward to working with
you in any way we could to try to find a solution, and I am
like you. Rather than what happened in history, I would prefer
to look at what can we do with the future and we certainly
would look forward to working with you to try to find a
solution.
Mr. Moran. Well, I appreciate that, and you may look at
states. Kansas has implemented in 90 days a veterinary loan
repayment program in which we are repaying the debt of ten
veterinarians who serve in an underserved area. We are dealing
with ten people with very few resources. My guess is that if I
calculate the math, a Department of Agriculture program may be
about 100 veterinarians at that million dollars and my guess
is, my hope is that it doesn't take a significant amount of
personnel and tremendous amount of oversight to deal with a
loan forgiveness program dealing with about 100 veterinarians
across the country.
I see that my time is expired. I thank the Chairman and
Ranking Member again for allowing me the opportunity to
participate in this panel.
The Chairman. We appreciate your comments very much.
Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for
stepping away briefly. I was wondering if you could reflect on
the issue that a lot of industries are seeing retirements and
how much are we seeing the changes in veterinary school
enrollment. Do we need more vet schools? I know there aren't
too many across the country. Could you speak to that issue?
Dr. Buchanan. I really can't answer that. Dr. Otto, do you
have any numbers on that?
Dr. Otto. We do not have specific numbers with us. We could
certainly provide that information for the record. We will say
that we are aware of the aging problem of veterinarians. We are
aware of the shortage issue associated with large and food-
animal veterinarians and can absolutely provide detailed
information for the record if that is desirable.
Mr. Smith. I appreciate that, and I know that as we have
this issue before us, I mean in the realm of food safety, we
are finding out more and more. As Mr. Kingston noted, with the
terrorism issue as well, that the issue is pretty complex and
so I would appreciate your endeavor to reach a resolution.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Well, thank you, Mr. Smith.
Mr. Hayes, anything?
Mr. Hayes. A couple quick questions. Thank you, Dr.
Buchanan, for you and your folks being here today. My question
is, what are you going to do and when are you going to do it?
The Chairman. You just asked my question. Thank you, Robin.
Dr. Buchanan. Well, we are continuing the program that we
started with FSIS that certainly addressees two of those areas.
We are still going to look forward to working with you to
whatever approach we might take in the future.
Mr. Hayes. I think it is pretty clear that we are not at
all satisfied with what you all are doing, and I am asking you
again what are you going to do different? Are you going to call
the university at North Carolina State and ask them for a
suggestion or in Iowa or in Kansas or in Nebraska and get this
thing moving? Working with us is fine but working with us is
not the issue. Getting the money spent to get rural
veterinarians is what we want you to do. We want some more
excitement, we want some more enthusiasm and especially we want
some action. Anything foggy about that?
Dr. Otto. No, sir. That is very direct and clear.
Congressman, we have talked with a number of universities. We
have had fairly extensive conversations with constituent
groups. We have a number of ideas. Speaking parochially from
the point of view of CSREES, and this is where the
appropriation was lodged by the Congress with my agency, we
have extensive authorities to work with universities. The
legislation that we are addressing prohibits us from doing
that. It says specifically, ``the Secretary must enter into an
agreement with a veterinarian.'' That cuts us off at the legs
twice. One, we don't work with practitioners. Our mission is to
advance education, research, and extension. We work with
students. We could probably do that. We work with universities.
We could absolutely do that, make funds available competitively
for the same programs that are being cited here by Members of
your Subcommittee. But the legislation as written prohibits us
from doing that. We just can't. And that is the major problem.
Mr. Hayes. Well, that is very good information. Chandler
and other staff, we can change that. We all know what we want
to do. It shouldn't be that hard to do it. If that is a
problem, Mr. Chairman, I am sure we can provide that and it
shouldn't take 4 years to get over that hump. I yield back.
The Chairman. Are you suggesting we go to a different
agency on this issue?
Mr. Hayes. Well, I just heard him say that because the way
the law is written, they can't deal directly with the
university, they have to deal with the student. They don't know
how to do that, so if the university is the way you think we
ought to go and that will get the job done, and we can provide
in law a correction that removes that hurdle, I am more than
willing to do it.
The Chairman. Are you suggesting we ought to go to some
other agency than you?
Dr. Buchanan. I am not suggesting either that or that the
law be changed. I am pointing out these would be options.
The Chairman. What would you desire from us to allow you to
do what we had in mind to get this problem met; not taking away
as there are other needs as well. But, for this particular
need, what would you need from us. Dr. Buchanan or somebody,
what do you need? Or would you rather not deal with it? I am a
little confused here.
Dr. Buchanan. Well, as I pointed out, we would work with
you----
The Chairman. Well, you have said that but nothing has
happened. So here we are at this stage, and I think Mr. Moran
made it pretty clear what we are asking. We would like to move
on this and get something going. It seems to me like it would
be easy enough to recommend that you go out to the teaching
universities with some kind of a grant and let us get going and
get more veterinarians. But if you don't want to do that or if
that is not a good idea, please tell us so.
Dr. Buchanan. Well, as we tried to point out that clearly,
and I am not saying that because putting a scholarship program
into place would require a lot of things and that is just an
idea. But clearly I think that looking at the long haul, this
would be a way of addressing the problem. You can go to any
university and you have so many different scholarships that are
designed for certain purposes. Someone will want to advance
animal science and they will endow a scholarship for someone to
major in animal science. Now, that is a rather general
approach, but used in many different areas, so the concept is
one that is well tested in academia. I think that the point
that has been made earlier that this would be a way of
recruiting students into large-animal veterinary medicine. I
know as was already pointed out, a majority of the students
that start in veterinary medical science are looking to go into
companion-animal practice simply because that is the most
lucrative. But if you started out with students that, say,
wanted to study veterinary medicine--but let us say their
economic means won't let them. If you were to promise them that
they could go and get their tuition paid and their room and
board and that, if they would sign a contract to practice
veterinary medicine in a certain area. I think that that in the
long haul would be a most logical way of doing it.
The Chairman. Well, I think Mr. Moran was suggesting that
there are some models out there.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, if you would yield?
The Chairman. Sure.
Mr. Moran. I think one of the questions that we need to
resolve, because it seems to me that USDA wants to head down a
path of scholarships and the question becomes, does that
satisfy those of us who care about that program. From my
perspective, I am still in favor of loan forgiveness if the
veterinarian chooses to practice in an underserved area. But I
think when Dr. Otto talks about the ability to enter into a
contract is limited due to, as the Secretary says, when the
legislation says that the Secretary has to enter into a
contract with a veterinarian, that is a problem. If we pursue
the scholarship program that may be where we are talking about
amending the language. So again, I would only point out that
the crux of this issue is, do we want USDA to come to us with
suggestions about how to pursue a scholarship or do we want to
insist that they implement a program of loan forgiveness. I
would guess that the answer of what USDA needs from us is
probably different, depending upon whether it is a scholarship
program or a loan forgiveness program. I would defer to staff.
I may not be precisely right but my guess is, you have to
answer that question before we know what legislatively would be
helpful to USDA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. That was a good discussion.
Mr. Hayes.
Mr. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. Buchanan, we met with some of your folks in November
and talked about this issue and the idea of the scholarship,
and we are hung up on ``wordsmithing'' here. We are talking
about getting veterinarians into rural areas to treat large
animals, and we can call it loan forgiveness, whatever the
result may be. But if some of your folks could refer back to
our meeting in November where you advanced the idea of doing
the scholarship thing, is that the position of the Department
now? Is that how you want us to pursue it?
Dr. Buchanan. Well, let me say, sir, this was only an idea
and of course probably if we worked on this idea, we would
allocate the money on a competitive basis to universities such
as North Carolina State and Kansas and institutions. Then we
would have the stipulation as to how they would do that. I
believe what Congressman Moran was saying was that they have a
similar type of program already in place at Kansas State. I
think that these institutions that have this kind of program
already have in place the mechanism to deliver the students.
Our job would be to allocate the money to colleges of
veterinary medicine on a competitive basis, which is certainly
within the purview of what we do all the time with many of the
allocations of money that go from CSREES. So I think this would
be a very workable approach. While I am not saying that is
something we can do, it is certainly something we can pursue.
But I just think that in looking at how scholarships work
throughout academia, this would be a way of addressing the
problem. Now, that won't address the problem in the short run.
It will take 4 years or 5 years to really start getting
students out of the pipeline. But those schools that have been
forward looking, like Kansas State that already have a program
in place would simply be able to utilize the mechanism that
they already have in place and it would simply augment that.
The Chairman. So are you telling us that you would
recommend that we do something like that and get this moving as
quick as we can? Because the shortage is severe.
Mr. Hayes. If I may, if the Chairman would yield, the
Department sent up language after that meeting suggesting this.
Does that language reflect what Dr. Buchanan is saying now? I
mean, you can't get finished until you get started. It sounds
like outputs and we are interested in outcomes, so does that
language that you sent up, would that get the job done?
Dr. Otto. Congressman, that was sent up as a concept
development at the request of Members of Congress. In our
judgment, it is probably workable. It is not something that the
Administration is requesting.
Dr. Buchanan. And I need to emphasize that that is not a
proposal that we are making. I think you understand that.
Dr. Otto. Mr. Chairman, if I may, on a number of occasions,
questions have come up and suggestions relevant to other models
in government. The HHS program for the National Health Service
Corps comes to mind where they provide loan repayment and debt
forgiveness for a wide range of health and health safety
occupations, everything from midwives to physicians to
osteopaths to clinical social workers. This is a program that
is up and running. We approached HHS very early on. We asked,
could we partner with them and have them cover a loan repayment
program for veterinarians. Their response was to ask us
immediately how much funding was available. We told them. They
said that would not begin to cover the costs simply of merging
a USDA program into theirs. I have looked at their program in
detail. Just the application package runs 78 pages of
instructions. It is very complex and yet it is a good program.
They have it in place already, and if a witness can be
permitted to ask a question, why would this not be a logical
place for this program, given that we have the Veterinary
Workforce Expansion Act already targeted at HHS? Wouldn't this
be an ideal companion piece? It just would seem to me to be
very cost-effective.
Mr. Hayes. You just answered your question. It is a 78 page
form and it is a bureaucratic governmental nightmare. Why can't
we do something simple? And if Yogi was here, he would say,
``It is deja vu all over again,'' 77 pages for animal ID on a
voluntary basis. You sent us language and I think I hear you
saying we are not supporting that. You have told us today that
there is a legislative hurdle to do what we want to do. Can't
you all get your heads together, Congressman Moran and whoever,
and I think, Mr. Chairman, hopefully the gentleman that is
going to testify next, we will quit this circular questioning,
may be able to answer it. But if we can help you all find an
answer, are you all ready to move and get it done?
Dr. Buchanan. Let me say that the idea of the scholarship
is simply an option that we are simply suggesting as an option.
Clearly the reason of those complex rules and regulations is,
when you start handing out money to individuals, I can see so
many challenges and I can understand why we have such long
rules and regulations. For example, just one of the issues that
you have to have is, there certainly will always be more
recipients that are deserving and meet the basic qualifications
than will be money available, so how do you select from those
worthy recipients to get the money? So there has got to be very
definitive rules and regulations that we need to address. But
to also follow up, we certainly are ready to move ahead at the
direction of the Congress. We will do everything we can because
we basically agree, there is a challenge out there. But I also
have to add in the same breath we have a lot of challenges and
we are trying to prioritize the whole effort of research and
education in agriculture.
Mr. Hayes. Again, thank you, Dr. Buchanan. We appreciate
your presence. There has got to be a solution. It can't be that
hard to find. Let us go after it.
The Chairman. Before we close, does anybody else want to
join? We have to vote but we have another minute or 2. Okay.
Can I ask you that you will continue this dialogue with our
staff and with us and let us see if we can't find some simple
way to get to the point? I think Mr. Moran and Mr. Hayes made
their points very well and I have tried to see if we can't find
a solution. We are not satisfied. You know that. And we have
talked clear around the circle of all this stuff. Now, let us
just stop that and go back to your suggestion, Dr. Buchanan.
What can we do? Tell us plain and simply what to do to get
veterinarians in the field of large animals. That is what we
need to do. We are way behind.
Dr. Buchanan. Congressman, I certainly would agree that we
will look forward to working with you and try to find a
solution. My philosophy has always been to don't worry about
the past but try to----
The Chairman. Well, I appreciate that. So I am requesting
of you, I am asking of you if you will go back, put your heads
together and send us something that you think from your best
expertise that would get to this problem. Would you do that?
Dr. Buchanan. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. We are glad to have had
you with us today. We are going to take a short break now
because there is a vote on and then we will come back as soon
as we get past this voting and take up the next panel. Thank
you very much.
[Recess.]
The Chairman. I think we will go ahead and start.
Congressman Hayes will be joining us very shortly. He said we
can go ahead and start with your testimony and the record and
so on, Dr. Hammer, but we appreciate you being here. For those
of you in the audience, this is Dr. Gregory Hammer, a Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine. He is the President of the American
Veterinary Medical Association from Delaware. We appreciate you
being here. I suspect you are a very, very busy gentleman. Drs.
Thompson and Reynolds from out my way speak highly of you and
we appreciate that. They were very pleased that you were going
to be able to be here today, and I just wanted you to know that
from your colleagues in Iowa. So with that, we welcome you, Dr.
Hammer. Thank you for coming and we are anxious to hear what
you have to say.
STATEMENT OF GREGORY S. HAMMER, D.V.M., PRESIDENT, AMERICAN
VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION; STAFF VETERINARIAN, OWNER/
PARTNER, AND CORPORATE
OFFICER, BRENFORD ANIMAL HOSPITAL, DOVER, DE
Dr. Hammer. Thank you, Chairman Boswell. I appreciate the
opportunity to be here, and for Mr. Moran, I also grew up in
Kansas, in Bonner Springs, Kansas, where my family still lives.
So I am very familiar with the 103 counties in the State of
Kansas.
So again, thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the
Subcommittee for giving the American Veterinary Medical
Association the opportunity to speak in support of
implementation of the National Veterinary Medical Service Act.
I am Greg Hammer, President of the AVMA, and I am a small-
animal and equine practitioner in Dover, Delaware.
The AVMA represents more than 76,000 veterinarians engaged
in every aspect of veterinary medical science. Many of us are
food supply veterinarians working to ensure the health and
safety of our nation's livestock. These food supply
veterinarians are the guardians of our nation's food supply and
they will be the first medical professionals to diagnose and
contain diseases in animals that may spread to humans. These
zoonotic diseases are increasing as we have seen most recently
with the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird
flu, from Asia, to the Middle East and now onto Europe.
Today we are facing a shortage of food supply
veterinarians. Their absence in many underserved and rural
areas of our nation negatively impacts animal health and
welfare and constitutes a significant threat to our nation's
public health. The National Veterinary Medical Service Act, or
what is sometimes referred to as NVMSA, was signed into law by
President Bush in December of 2003 and is a loan repayment
program for veterinarians who pledge to practice in a variety
of underserved areas including food supply veterinary medicine.
The Act also creates a reserve corps, a veterinary national
guard, if you will, that will answer the government's call for
assistance in the event of an animal disease emergency or
disaster.
NVMSA has been law for more than 4 years and it received
initial funding more than 2 years ago yet the Act has
languished. Why, we ask? Because its rules remain unwritten,
rendering the program nothing more than a paper tiger,
powerless and ineffectual. This is unacceptable. The AVMA is
committed to solving the workforce shortage in food supply
veterinary medicine. The formation of the Food Supply
Veterinary Medicine Coalition in 2004 shows how strongly the
AVMA and many other organizations feel about solving the
problem. The Coalition sponsored a study published in 2006 that
indicates that while projected demand for food supply
veterinarians will increase 12 to 13 percent between now and
the year 2016, supply is projected to fall by four to five
percent per year. The AVMA also convened a National Veterinary
Medical Service Act Advisory Group in 2004 to address
fundamental issues such as how a shortage would be defined, the
objectives of the program and who would be eligible for the
loan repayments, all in an effort to assist the United States
Department of Agriculture in implementing this program.
Educational debt is one of the biggest obstacles standing
in the way of students pursuing a career in food supply
veterinary medicine. That debt has increased by a whopping 35
percent since the National Veterinary Medical Service Act was
signed in 2003, 35 percent. The Act once implemented and
operational will help defray some of this debt, making food
supply veterinarian jobs in some of our most underserved
geographic areas more attractive to the prospective job
candidate.
Much remains to be done, however. We are still waiting for
USDA to fulfill its responsibility and answer our calls for
written rules and implementation of NVMSA. Over the past 3
years Congress appropriated funds for the Act. However, much of
that funding has been redirected to Food Safety and Inspection
Service veterinarians through a preexisting loan repayment
program previously funded by FSIS. While the AVMA is grateful
for the government assistance this program receives, the monies
going to FSIS were supposed to go to NVMSA, which still awaits
implementation.
Last year the USDA granted the Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service authority to implement NVMSA.
We have learned, however, that that service says it does not
have the capability to administer and develop the program. As a
response to the USDA's inaction on NVMSA, the United States
Senate has called for amendments to the Act in the 2007 Farm
Bill. We support these amendments.
The amendment calls for halting the transfer of money away
from NVMSA and they underscore the importance of limiting the
application of funds for their original intent, which is
support of rural large and mixed animal veterinary practices.
The amendments also provide a deadline by which USDA must
promulgate the rules of the Act.
Mr. Chairman, Members of Congress and President Bush
realize that they can play a role in relieving this shortage of
food supply veterinarians by passing and signing into law
NVMSA. You fulfilled your responsibility. Now we ask that USDA
fulfill theirs. We ask that the USDA go on record about what
resources they need in order to implement the Act. If they need
money for the program, tell us how much. If they need staff to
develop and implement the program, tell us how many. If they
need help in writing the rules, ask us for assistance. The AVMA
stands ready to assist in the development and implementation
process in any way possible.
In closing, the problems that the National Veterinary
Medicine Service Act will address worsen each and every day the
program remains nonfunctional. This has all the markings of a
crisis if we don't act now.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be happy to answer any
questions that you or the Committee might have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Hammer follows:]
Prepared Statement of Gregory S. Hammer, D.V.M., President,
American Veterinary Medical Association; Staff Veterinarian, Owner/
Partner, and Corporate Officer, Brenford Animal Hospital, Dover, DE
``I know of no pursuit in which more real and important
services can be rendered to any country than by improving its
agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of
a husbandman's cares.''
George Washington,
1732-1799,
U.S. General,
President,
Letter, July 20, 1794.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, for giving
the American Veterinary Medical Association the opportunity to speak in
support of implementation of the National Veterinary Medical Service
Act.
I am Dr. Gregory Hammer, President of the AVMA and a small animal
and equine practitioner in Dover, Delaware. Prior to entering private
practice, I held the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force as a
Veterinary Medical Officer from January 1974 to January 1976.
The American Veterinary Medical Association represents more than
76,000 veterinarians engaged in every aspect of veterinary medical
science. Among other things, we ensure the well-being of our nation's
pets, we protect human health through the control of zoonotic disease,
we conduct research into animal and human health, and we help preserve
endangered species. Many of us are food supply veterinarians, working
to ensure the health and safety of our nation's livestock.
Food supply veterinarians are the guardians of our nation's food
supply--from poultry and swine to dairy cows and beef cattle--and they
will be the first medical professionals to diagnose and contain
diseases in animals that may spread to humans. These zoonotic diseases
are increasing, as we have seen most recently with the spread of highly
pathogenic avian influenza--or Bird Flu--from Asia to the Middle East
and Europe. The exponential spread of infectious disease makes rapid
diagnosis necessary if the disease is to be controlled.
Today, we are facing a shortage of food supply veterinarians. Their
absence in many underserved and rural areas of our nation negatively
impacts animal health and welfare, as well as public health. Not only
is the food supply vital for obvious reasons, the economic activity
generated by the food supply industry is also critical to our country's
economy.
The American Veterinary Medical Association is committed to solving
these shortages. The formation of the Food Supply Veterinary Medicine
Coalition in May of 2004 shows how strongly the AVMA, and many other
organizations, feel about solving this problem. The members of the Food
Supply Veterinary Medicine Coalition are: the Academy of Veterinary
Consultants, the American Association of Avian Pathologists, the
American Association of Bovine Practitioners, the American Association
of Food Hygiene Veterinarians, the American Association of Small
Ruminant Practitioners, the American Association of Swine
Veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and the United
States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The Food Supply Veterinary Medicine Coalition has embarked on an
aggressive mission to help curtail the shortage of food supply
veterinarians. The Coalition funded a Kansas State University study to
determine the extent of the shortage and how it impacts the American
food supply. The study, published during the summer of 2006, indicates
that, while projected demand for food supply veterinarians will
increase 12 percent to 13 percent between now and 2016, a shortfall of
four percent to five percent per year is projected.
One of the most recent developments toward helping solve the food
supply veterinarian shortage is the creation of a section on the
American Veterinary Medical Association website that highlights this
situation. This website is part of our effort to help spread the news
that food supply veterinary medicine is at a critical juncture and
deserves national attention. The entities helping in this collaborative
effort are sharing information, building coalitions, lobbying for
legislation and trying to recruit more students into the food supply
field.
Perhaps one of the most revealing programs undertaken by the
Coalition is a series of maps created by the AVMA that provide a unique
look into the state of food animal veterinary medicine and how a lack
of practitioners is hitting some areas of the country much harder than
others. By painstakingly comparing data from the AVMA and the United
States Department of Agriculture, we were able to pinpoint the hot
spots in each state were few--if any--food animal veterinarians reside
or have a practice located. The maps also identify counties where
veterinarians may be located but their numbers are insufficient to
support the concentration of food animals located in that area.
What we found is that the ratio of food animals to food supply
veterinarians in some states--like Wyoming--is fairly well balanced.
It's a different story in other states, however. Take South Dakota, for
instance, where more than a dozen counties have more than 25,000 food
animals but no food animal veterinarians.
The National Veterinary Medical Service Act, which President Bush
signed into law in December 2003, is a loan repayment program for
veterinarians who pledge to practice in a variety of underserved areas,
including food supply veterinary medicine. Under the law's current
language, these veterinarians would receive debt forgiveness if they
provide their services to geographic areas of need, areas of veterinary
practice that are in need, areas of veterinary need in the Federal
Government and other areas deemed appropriate by the Secretary of
Agriculture.
The Act also creates a reserve corps--a ``Veterinary National
Guard'' if you will--that will answer the government's call for
assistance in the event of an animal disease emergency or disaster.
While the National Veterinary Medical Service Act has been law for
more than 4 years, its rules remain unwritten, rendering the program
nothing more than a paper tiger, powerless and ineffectual. What is
most frustrating is that, while the law has been in place since 2003,
the writing of the rules and the implementation of the Act have
languished since its passage and even since it received its first
funding more than 2 years ago.
This is unacceptable.
A few states, including Kansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Maine,
Pennsylvania, Missouri and North Dakota, are picking up the ball that
has been dropped by the Federal Government and are approving--and
implementing--student loan repayment programs for veterinary school
graduates who agree to serve in areas where food supply veterinarians
are needed.
The AVMA also convened a National Veterinary Medical Service Act
Advisory Group in January 2004 to address fundamental issues such as
how a shortage would be defined, the objectives that such a program
would meet and who would be eligible for the loan repayments--all in an
effort to assist the USDA in implementing the program.
Our nation's 28 accredited veterinary colleges currently graduate
about 2,500 veterinarians each year. According to a recent report by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterinary medicine ranked 9th in the
list of the 30 fastest-growing occupations for 2006 through 2016. It is
estimated that jobs for veterinarians will increase by 35 percent in
the next several years.
While some of that growth will be matched with the addition of new
graduates into the workforce, there is no doubt that food supply and
public health veterinarian jobs will be difficult to fill. There are
about 8,850 U.S. veterinarians working in the food supply field. Around
the turn of the 20th Century, virtually every veterinarian was a food
animal veterinarian. Today, only about 17 percent of veterinarians work
in food supply, while more than 70 percent of veterinarians work with
companion animals. This trend is likely to continue as veterinary
school graduates enter the workforce.
Of the 2007 veterinary school graduates who chose to begin work in
the profession directly upon receiving their degrees, only about 14
percent chose food supply veterinary medicine, while more than 41
percent chose small animal practice and about four percent chose equine
practice. Reducing this employment pool even further is the fact that
about 37 percent of graduates decided to pursue advanced study
programs.
One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of students
pursuing a career in food supply veterinary medicine is educational
debt. It is estimated that the average student debt for a veterinary
school graduate now exceeds $106,000. That debt has increased by almost
35 percent since the National Veterinary Medical Service Act was signed
into law in 2003.
As these figures illustrate, it is no easy task earning a degree in
veterinary medicine. Even more obvious is that it is very costly to
become a veterinarian. Upon graduation, most of these newly educated
veterinarians must find a job that not only meets their daily living
expenses, but also helps them pay down their student debt. This can be
a daunting task, especially when we consider salary levels for new
graduates entering the workforce. The mean starting salary for new
graduates was about $57,969 in 2007. Those veterinarians entering large
and mixed animal practice were compensated below that average.
The highest paying jobs in each of the practice categories are
typically determined by geography, which more often than not dictates
the level of salary. Jobs in many rural areas, where food supply
veterinarians are in the highest demand, often pay less due to
demographics and other economic conditions. The National Veterinary
Medical Service Act, once implemented and operational, will help defray
some of this debt, making these rural areas--and these food supply
veterinarian jobs--more attractive to prospective job candidates.
With the mean age of food supply veterinarians hovering around 50,
many practitioners will be considering retirement in the not-too-
distant future, placing an even greater burden on the profession and
our society.
Mr. Chairman, as stated in the invitation to attend this hearing,
our purpose here is to ``review the National Veterinary Medical Service
Act.'' I hope I have laid the groundwork for why we believe fully
funding and implementing this legislation is so important.
Much remains to be done, however, and the AVMA has questions about
why it has taken so long for the United States Department of
Agriculture to answer Congress' call to action.
A letter from then-Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman to
Representative Bob Goodlatte dated July 29, 2004, states, ``As the
front line of defense in the war against animal diseases, USDA is
keenly aware of the serious need for veterinarians in certain
geographical and practice areas. In addition to the areas mentioned in
the bill, USDA has been working with the American Veterinary Medical
Association to identify other areas of veterinarian shortage.'' While
this is indeed the case--that the USDA has worked with the AVMA to
identify areas of veterinarian shortage--most of that data came from
work done by the AVMA and its staff. Now we are waiting for the USDA to
fulfill their responsibility and answer our calls for written rules and
implementation of the National Veterinary Medical Service Act.
Written responses dated June 22, 2006, from Dr. Gary Sherman,
National Program Leader of Plant and Animal Systems, to questions posed
to the USDA about the status of the Act leave us more frustrated than
satisfied about its future.
Dr. Sherman stated in one response that ``substantial progress''
has been made ``to develop a veterinary educational loan repayment
program consistent with the spirit and the letter of the NVMSA.'' We,
however, at the AVMA have not received any details as to what
``substantial progress'' means.
Another response states that the ``NVMSA Working Group within USDA
CSREES has developed a series of white papers describing potential
programmatic strategies for implementing NVMSA.'' We at the AVMA have
not received a copy of these white papers, nor has the working group
shared their content with us.
It was also stated that the NVMSA Working Group ``has developed a
two-phase draft strategy, the first of which is anticipated to lead to
distribution of awards as early as fall of 2006.'' These distributions
are going to Food Safety and Inspection Service veterinarians through a
reprogramming of funds to a pre-existing loan repayment program
previously funded by FSIS. While the AVMA is grateful for the
governmental assistance this program receives, the monies going to FSIS
were supposed to go to the National Veterinary Medical Service Act,
which still awaits implementation.
In another response, it was indicated that the USDA is working on a
``longer-term strategy that provides a mechanism to obtain validated
veterinary workforce needs estimates for the various sectors identified
in the Act.'' We respectfully ask where that work stands, especially in
light of the fact that the AVMA supplied much of the data from the Food
Supply Veterinary Medicine Coalition study and the food supply
distribution maps mentioned earlier in my testimony--and in light of
the fact that the data has generated significant support from many
others in the scientific and government communities.
Apart from these unanswered questions, we also have other concerns.
The USDA last year granted the Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service authority to implement the National
Veterinary Medical Service Act. We have learned, however, that CSREES
says it does not have the capability to administer and develop the
program. We question this because it is our understanding that CSREES
has rule writers on staff. If that is the case, we must assume they
have a management analyst on staff who can lead the rules-writing
process. If CSREES does not have a management analyst, they are free to
ask other agencies for help in the rules writing.
As a response to the USDA's inaction on NVMSA, the United States
Senate has called for amendments to the Act in the 2007 Farm Bill. We
support these amendments. The amendments call for halting the transfer
of money away from NVMSA to FSIS. They underscore the importance of
limiting the application of funds for their original intent--support of
rural large and mixed veterinary practices. And the amendments provide
a deadline by which USDA must promulgate the rules of the Act.
Mr. Chairman, and Members of the Subcommittee, veterinary students
are, by their very nature, dedicated to the care of animals. They are
also keenly aware of the many critical roles veterinarians play in our
society. But while many of these veterinary students are aware of the
career opportunities in food supply veterinary medicine, there are many
societal factors involved in their decision as to where to practice
medicine. Perhaps the biggest factor in their decision is the salary
they can earn to provide for themselves and their family. Members of
Congress and President Bush realized that they could play a role in
making that decision a bit easier by passing and signing into law the
National Veterinary Medical Service Act.
You fulfilled your responsibility. Now we ask that the USDA fulfill
theirs.
We ask that the USDA go on record about what resources they need in
order to implement the National Veterinary Medical Service Act. If they
need money for the program, tell us how much. If they need staff
members to develop and implement the program, tell us how many. If they
need help in writing the rules, ask for assistance.
The AVMA stands ready to assist in the development and
implementation process in any way possible. I believe we have already
shown our commitment to doing so by detailing our involvement in the
process through both the written and oral testimony I have provided to
you today.
In closing, the problems that the National Veterinary Medical
Service Act will address worsen each and every day the program remains
nonfunctional. This has all the makings of a crisis if we don't act now
and implement the National Veterinary Medical Service Act.
The Chairman. Thank you, Dr. Hammer. I think you have hit
the nail on the head. Were you here for our earlier panel
discussion?
Dr. Hammer. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Okay. Then I won't refer to that, and I think
you understand what we discussed there at that time. Maybe for
the record, your definition of ``underserved area'' would be
helpful. I think I know what it is but I would like you to
describe an ``underserved area.'' I think you pretty well told
us what the impact is of it.
Dr. Hammer. I think an ``underserved area'' is anywhere
where you have enough people asking, ``Where is my veterinarian
and how far do I have to go, and why aren't they there when I
need them in an emergency.'' The AVMA has done several studies.
Our most recent one that you have the maps of before you of
your individual states shows 25,000 food animals and no
veterinarians at all in that county. It is a county-by-county
map of the United States and I think it is very, very
frustrating to look at the middle of the country and see how
many red flags are up there. So an underserved area is every
one of those red flags, and it is very frustrating when we
can't put veterinarians there. When every week I get a student
that asks me when are we going to get this program in effect,
and I have new graduate veterinarians that have debts that want
to go into mixed-animal medicine but the obstacle of the debt,
they can't do it. They have to go where they can pay their
debt, and it is very frustrating.
The Chairman. I appreciate that. You probably heard Mr.
Hayes and I talking about it too. It seems to me like we have
professional schools of veterinary medicine in my state, your
state and the rest of us actually, those that have them out
there that are ready to promulgate and get a program going that
would help. Do you have any comment on that?
Dr. Hammer. Yes, sir, I do. There are a number of schools
that Mr. Moran spoke about in the State of Kansas. That is the
legislative help that has come from the state legislatures.
There are a number of veterinary schools that have brought
forth different programs to encourage more of their students to
go into food supply and specifically rural veterinary medicine.
We have a public now that is raised further and further from
the farm, that knows less and less about farm animals. They are
not as comfortable when they come from an urban area and so
they are a little uncomfortable in going to those food supply-
type jobs. And we are just hoping that the opportunities that
we are giving them in the schools and the opportunities that
Congress has given by enacting the NVMSA and funding it will
help.
The Chairman. Well, it seems that large-animal veterinary
medicine is a little more challenging in some respects. That is
where you can make the argument on the small animal, but when
you are dealing with a bull, cow, or a horse, it is a little
bit challenging, to say the least. I just feel that there such
a need, or we wouldn't be having this hearing, that we have
just got to encourage those that are interested and come from
that sector. As we discussed earlier, they would be more
inclined to go back if they had some help, and they do take a
deficit in what they can earn versus going into the urban area
and doing small-animal health, as we all know.
Dr. Hammer. Yes, sir. The biggest obstacle is that debt,
and I agree with you, it is a little more challenging. The only
time I ever got knocked out was putting an 800 pound bull in a
squeeze chute and it caught me right there.
The Chairman. Yes. Been there, done that, so I understand.
Mr. Hayes.
Mr. Hayes. Thank you, Dr. Hammer, and we appreciate you
being here.
Dr. Hammer. Thank you.
Mr. Hayes. It just doesn't seem that complicated, does it?
I was doing some math and----
Dr. Hammer. No, sir, it doesn't. That is why it is so
frustrating.
Mr. Hayes. I was never that good in math, but 29 vet
schools, that is $62,000 is what is on the table right now. You
could go that way. It occurred to me, Mr. Chairman, as you were
speaking, there is an agency called USDA Rural Development.
They give out grants and loans every week. I hope they know how
to do it. So that is another option. But again, Dr. Hammer, I
think it is very clear that the people that know the most about
it are always the ones to deal with the veterinarians
themselves through your organization who could provide
immediate input as to how potential students would like to
implement the program. Then the universities, 29, maybe there
are only 20 that are interested but if we put those facts on
the table and then quickly move to do what we plan to, deciding
what areas are underserved, USDA has a rule book right now that
defines which areas are eligible. So that is not a hurdle that
exists, and them saying how the money had to be administered,
if the problem is how the law is written, we can change that
real quick. So again, whether it is a loan that will be repaid,
as Mr. Moran has discussed it, or a scholarship, it doesn't
matter. We have all identified a need and money to fund it so
we have two out of three. All we have to do is decide how. So
again, your input and pressure from that side of table would be
helpful. I know we are ready to move. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Dr. Hammer. I
appreciate the fact that Chairman Boswell said that you hit the
nail on the head, given your last name, but that was pointed
out by Mr. Moran to me.
I appreciate your information prior to this session here.
If we could maybe elaborate on the numbers out there and
quantify need. It is disturbing to me when I feel that there
are, and I am not as familiar with the veterinary education,
but when there are qualified students wishing to enter a field
and because of the extremely limited seats available they are
turned away, whether it is dentistry, whether it is other
points of the medical profession. Do you feel that we have
enough seats for those interested and qualified students
wishing to pursue a career in large-animal veterinary medicine?
Dr. Hammer. No, sir, I do not feel that we are producing
enough veterinarians every year. The 28 veterinary schools that
we have in the United States are basically working with a 30
year old infrastructure. There has been no money put into those
infrastructures for over 30 years. We are graduating the same
number of veterinarians as we did almost exactly 30 years ago
and obviously the demand has gone up. So it is a demand across
the board, not just food supply. It just happens to be that
food supply is very much in the forefront. One episode of hoof-
and-mouth disease in this country, I know you remember what it
did to the United Kingdom. One episode of hoof-and-mouth
disease in this country would cost $34 billion. Veterinarians
are the first line defense for that. Without those food supply
veterinarians being out there to watch for those diseases in
the rural areas, it can get a foothold much quicker. So that is
why we are so concerned.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. And if you know approximately how
many applications are received compared to those seats granted
to those applicants?
Dr. Hammer. That varies. It varies with the school but I
believe, I don't think there is anybody here from the American
Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges now, they could tell
you, but it is about ten to one. I think that probably is a
general rule of ten applicants to one seat.
Mr. Smith. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. You are welcome. Thank you.
Mr. Moran.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Dr. Hammer, thank you for joining us. I am impressed by
your resume. My only sadness is that despite being a native
Kansan and a graduate twice of Kansas State University, you
live in Dover, Delaware. We would love to have you in the State
of Kansas.
Dr. Hammer. I got back there with the Air Force and I
forgot my ruby red slippers and couldn't get home.
Mr. Moran. I appreciate your service to our country and I
see that if you had remained a Kansan, we would also perhaps
have a better shot at a position as a speech language
pathologist, also professions that we desperately need in our
part of the country.
Dr. Hammer. Thank you.
Mr. Moran. Let me ask just a couple of questions. On the
process of how we got where we are, has the Department of
Agriculture dealt with you and your association? Have they come
to you seeking advice in implementation of this program?
Dr. Hammer. I think there has been some communication.
Certainly we have continued to give our input to this over the
last few years. I can speak personally to one meeting that we
had when Secretary Johanns was still the Secretary that I
attended. It was about an hour-long meeting. It was very
frustrating for just a practitioner, one who doesn't work with
bureaucracy all the time. I kept saying, ``Well, it is all
here, why can't we just do it, somebody make the first step,''
and so we have continued to give information when we are asked.
We are a little frustrated at our office here in Washington
that deals with USDA and in our effort to inform and educate
that they haven't been looked at more favorably when we did
bring information.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Hayes mentioned my interest in a loan
program. Do you have an opinion or wish to explore with us and
further this concept of scholarships versus loan forgiveness?
Do you have a preference and a belief as to which one may work
best in bringing and retaining large-animal practice vets to
rural underserved areas?
Dr. Hammer. Yes, sir. Thank you very much for asking that.
We feel at this point that a loan repayment program would work
much better than a scholarship program, and I can give you an
example. I have a girl that worked for me that is now at
Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine and
she thought she wanted to be a small-animal veterinarian,
companion-animal veterinarian. She is now in her third year and
has decided, and I am really glad that she wants to work on all
bovines, on cattle. Had it been a scholarship program she would
have applied for it in her first year because she wanted to be
a companion-animal person then. By her third year, those
scholarships would not have been available to third year
students. So we are looking at a debt and a loan repayment
really of graduate veterinarians. I think perhaps too much
focus here is on students. We are really looking at the
graduate veterinarian. Now, they are most likely recent
graduates so they can pay down that debt but if it takes
scholarship programs, we will do whatever needs to be done so
we can get this thing off square one. But, we would prefer a
loan repayment program.
Mr. Moran. Well, I share that opinion and your example is
one reason that I share that opinion. I think many times
entering the professional school you have a different idea of
where you want to be than where you may end up. We may lose
lots of students that rural communities could then recruit
because they didn't take out the scholarship from day one. As
they begin to graduate and see the amount of debt that they
have to pay on their student loans, it's a pretty good
inducement to connect with the community that has an
opportunity for service that allows for repayment of that debt.
Let me follow up on Mr. Smith's question about schools of
veterinary medicine. I want to take a slightly different
direction. Your testimony is pretty compelling about the lack
of investment in schools of veterinary medicine. That is a
damaging statistic that it has been 30 years since we have
invested in our schools. Is there no effort underway to expand
the size of classes in veterinary schools across the country,
and if the answer to that is no or not much, what is the
impediment? Is it just such a costly program? I assume that
state universities don't, ``make money,'' educating a
veterinary medical student.
Dr. Hammer. That is a multifaceted question. First of all,
there are 28 veterinary schools that are supported by 26
states. When I say we have not invested in an infrastructure,
that is by the Federal Government. The Federal Government has
not invested in veterinary medicine for over 30 years and it
has strictly been the states. So we are asking----
Mr. Moran. Excuse me for interrupting, but what did the
Federal Government do 30 years ago that we are not doing now in
that investment?
Dr. Hammer. Enlarged the number of veterinary schools and
also enlarged the capacity.
Mr. Moran. So there was a role at one point in time that
the Federal Government played in expanding or creating schools
of veterinary medicine?
Dr. Hammer. Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, at Kansas State
when I graduated in 1973, they were in the middle of that
building program which was a shared program between Kansas and
the Federal Government. They also built two or three new
schools at that time. Now, that is the last investment that has
been there. So it is very much a crisis because it is not just
food-animal veterinarians, as I said, that we are short on. All
of the schools at this point are at their absolute maximum
capacity inside their walls for educating and graduating
veterinarians. So it is not a matter that they are not trying
to fulfill the demand, because, obviously, if they could they
would produce the supply of veterinarians. That is what our job
is to do with our 28 veterinary schools. But they just don't
have the faculty and the inside-the-walls space to do it. We
are hoping that the workforce expansion grant in the farm bill
will be a solution to that and we would hope and like very much
your support. It is way past overdue and something that we need
also.
Mr. Moran. Mr. Chairman, do you mind if I ask another
question?
The Chairman. You have more time.
Mr. Moran. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Let me make certain that I understand. Your ``30 years'' is
about Federal investment. Are there state investments in
schools of veterinary medicine? Are any programs now expanding?
The sister or companion university in Kansas, Kansas
University, I visited in the last month. They are asking the
state legislature to double the size of their school of
pharmacy. We can go through the whole list of professionals
that we have a shortage of, and the demand is there. Students
want to enroll in the school of pharmacy and the capacity is
not there. And so Kansas University is trying to meet the needs
of a state like ours with doubling the size of the school. Is
that kind of program occurring in this country in regard to
veterinary medicine?
Dr. Hammer. No, sir, there are no schools that have the
funds to increase their capacity any more. I mean, when I say
100 percent, they are at 100 percent.
Mr. Moran. So no Federal investment but also no state
investment in expanding the scope or the size of the class?
Dr. Hammer. Less and less state support all the time, which
is why tuition is going up and up and has gone up 35 percent
since this Act was initiated. It has gone up 35 percent. The
average tuition is now $35,000 to $55,000 and that is an
increase over the past 5 years of 35 percent. And because of
less state support, they have to increase the tuition. The
veterinary professional, the veterinary doctor is the
absolutely most expensive medical professional to educate,
mainly because of complexity of medicine, complexity of
anatomy, all the different species we work on including humans.
We also are responsible for human health, public disease and
zoonotic diseases that are transmitted from animal to man.
Mr. Moran. Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, you have been
very generous with me today and I value that and appreciate it.
The Chairman. Well, we appreciate you being here, Jerry.
Thank for you coming and participating in this very important
matter.
Mr. Hayes, any questions?
Mr. Hayes. Would the gentleman from Kansas yield for a
question?
Mr. Moran. I have no time but I am happy to yield to the
gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. Hayes. In listening to your very persuasive, as always,
argument and listening to the good doctor, it came to my
attention at the break that there is a loan program within
these buildings and it is available to members of the staff and
it is one page in length. Is it possible that we could as a
result of these meetings let the folks down the street know
that that process and that application form is available? What
do you think of that idea?
Mr. Moran. Mr. Hayes, I have been pleased with your
comments throughout this hearing today and you seem to just
have the commonsense approach that there is a way to do this,
and I had never thought about Rural Development. USDA has
programs, and somebody earlier also said they are making loans
to farmers all the time. There ought to be an ability to
fashion something that is not so complex. I was completely
surprised by the suggestion that a program with 78 pages of
instructions is a role model. So again, I do think that what I
said earlier in my questions with Dr. Hammer about the
necessity of deciding whether we want to concede the point that
it ought to be a scholarship program as compared to a loan
forgiveness program, that seems to me to be the initial
discussion or conclusion that we need to reach, and then we try
to figure out how we cause this to happen. And Dr. Hammer has
mentioned the farm bill. When we get to conference, the Senate
has provisions related to this topic in their version of the
farm bill, which gives us an opportunity, I hope in short
order, to address whatever we need to do legislatively.
The Chairman. Good discussion. Thank you.
Mr. Hayes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and in his spare time I
am sure Chandler could check and see how----
The Chairman. I just gave him the look. He has his
instructions.
Well, I appreciate it, Dr. Hammer. I wasn't trying to do a
play on words earlier, but I will take credit for it if they
want to give it to me.
Dr. Hammer. I thought it was great. I will get you a tee
shirt with that on it.
The Chairman. We appreciate you being here and the fact you
came early and heard the other discussion, because I think that
will be helpful to us as we try to deal with this. And I like
your statement that you made when you were meeting with the
Secretary in a previous meeting sometime back, ``Let us just
get off square one and get going, the need is there.'' And it
seemed to me like it was pretty clear the intent of the
Congress when we wanted to address this and it has just been
circled around, if you will. So with that, I appreciate it very
much and I think we will bring this to a close. Do you have any
closing statements you want to make?
Dr. Hammer. No, only that I forgot to tell Mr. Hayes that
my son went to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill
so I also contributed funds to North Carolina when I was there.
But thank you very, very much for giving the American
Veterinary Medical Association the opportunity to comment. I
hope it was helpful.
The Chairman. Mr. Hayes, we will recognize you for any
closing remarks you might like to make.
Mr. Hayes. Again, Mr. Chairman, I think it has been very
productive. We will use the information as you always do to, as
Larry the Cable Guy would say, ``Get 'er done.''
The Chairman. Okay. Once again, we want to thank you for
being here and thank everyone that has participated today. I
think we have learned some things we need to do. I think we
obviously agree that the shortage of production-animal
veterinarians currently exists and this shortage could have
devastating effects on our nation's food supply. The number of
practicing large-animal veterinarians is decreasing due to poor
economic incentives. As a result there has been worsening of
the current shortage of food-animal veterinarians. Many
universities across the country including mine in Iowa State
University College of Veterinary Medicine provide their
students with state-of-the-art skills and knowledge. However,
in order for these veterinarians to have a future ensuring our
nation's needs, we must provide the veterinary graduates, and
what you said very well, Dr. Hammer, with the financial
opportunities they need.
So with that, we will bring this to a close. Under the
rules of the Committee, the record of today's hearing will
remain open for 10 days to receive additional material and
supplementary written responses from witnesses to any question
posed by a Member of the panel.
The hearing of the Subcommittee of Livestock, Dairy, and
Poultry is adjourned. Thank you very much.
[Whereupon, at 1 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
[Material submitted for inclusion in the record follows:]
Questions Submitted to Dr. Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary for Research,
Education and Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington,
D.C.
Question 1. Of the funds appropriated for the National Veterinary
Medical Service Act (NVMSA), how much was used to repay the loans of
FSIS veterinarians that were hired before and after the transfer of
funds?
Answer. On June 6, 2007, a $750,000 reimbursable agreement was
executed between CSREES and FSIS. None of the funds had been committed
to anyone hired by FSIS prior to June 6, 2007. Since that time however,
FSIS has committed $150,000 as hiring incentives to veterinarians for
loan repayment.
Question 2. In a November 14, 2008 letter to the Chairman Peterson,
Dr. Buchanan outlined a laundry list of reasons why implementation
would be difficult. Many of these listed barriers to implementation
appear to be core or common functions of the USDA, including:
a. rulemaking; application processing; certify the legitimacy of
the applicant and their debit;
b. perform a credit and reference check of the applicant;
c. perform background criminal checks and citizenship verification;
d. develop and maintain a list of underserved areas; verify that an
applicant works in an underserved area;
e. create rules and regulations for a breach of contract and
maintaining legal services;
f. and to create an audit system for the entire program.
Which of these functions can be done within the USDA currently, and
what functions does the USDA need to develop?
Answer. To our knowledge, none of the other agencies in USDA, each
with its own legislative and regulatory authorities, has a program that
achieves all of these common core functions.
CSREES has experience in rulemaking, especially as it applies to
financial assistance going to universities. Similarly, CSREES has
experience in processing applications leading to various financial
assistance instruments that provide funding to universities.CSREES does
not have systems or personnel that deal with:
conducting citizenship verification;
performing credit checks;
cross referencing candidates with other Federal agencies
(including the Internal Revenue Service) to identify any other
existing Federal debt or participation in other Federal
programs;
verifying existing debt including the determination that the
debt arises from an approved source (i.e., not from a
candidate's family);
the creation of rules and regulations for a breach of
contract;
addressing individual contract breach.
In general, all of CSREES' existing staff and systems work through
agreements with universities and other organizational entities. CSREES
has protocols in place for these entities to provide many of the
certifications required for sound fiscal and programmatic management.
Likewise, procedures are already in place to perform reference checks
and provide legal services and CSREES could certainly develop fiscal
audit procedures.
Although CSREES can utilize Economic Research Service data and data
supplied by veterinarian constituent groups to identify shortage areas,
CSREES has no field staff to verify that participants are working in
the area specified by their agreement. CSREES also has no mechanism
through which to identify employment opportunities in these areas. In
summary, the process involved is complex and would require significant
time to implement and considerable infrastructure and resources to
support.