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FY 2010 FUNDING
NATIONAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SERVICE ACT (NVMSA) /
VETERINARY MEDICAL LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM

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AVMA Request

• $5 million for FY 2010 for NVMSA Veterinary Loan Repayment Program administered by USDA-CSREES (PL 108-161).
  • Currently NVMSA awards are taxed at 39%.
  • When taxed, $5 million would permit 122 awards at $25,000.
  • If tax exempt, $5 million would permit 200 awards at $25,000.

Past Appropriations

• $2.95 million FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations.
• $875,000 FY 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, PL 110-161
• $500,000 FY 2007 Continuing Resolution, H.J. Res. 20
• $500,000 FY 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, H.R. 2744
• CBO estimated NVMSA's first 5 years total operational cost would be $23 million.

Why AVMA Supports Funding for Veterinary Loan Repayment

• Loan repayment is essential to address critical workforce shortages of veterinarians practicing food animal medicine, food safety and public health.
• 8,850 veterinarians practice food animal medicine (food animal exclusive, food animal predominate, and mixed animal veterinarians who have 30% or more involvement with food animal species).
• 85,000 veterinarians practice in the U.S. (all types of practice).
• Every state has shortages of food animal medicine veterinarians -- 500 counties have at least 5,000 farm animals but no veterinarians living there to treat them while 1,300 counties have less than one food animal veterinarian per 25,000 farm animals.
• $120,000 is the average educational debt for veterinarians graduating in 2008.
• 90% of graduates left veterinary medical school with debt.
• $1,381 monthly is needed to repay $120,000 on a standard 10-year plan assuming a standard interest rate of 6.8%.
• $61,518 is the average starting salary of a 2008 graduate. Veterinarians entering large and mixed animal practice were compensated below that average.
• A majority of each graduating class enters companion animal medicine in part because the salary level is more competitive.
• Veterinarians are on the front line in combating zoonotic diseases – there are more than 800 such diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
• Since 1980, the U.S. population has increased by 35% while the number of veterinarians has remained stagnant. Only 2,600 new veterinarians enter the workforce annually.

Known Opposition to the AVMA Position: None

Contact: Gina Luke, Assistant Director, AVMA-GRD, (202) 289-3204, gluke@avma.org