Article
10. California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program
69690.
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program.69691.
As used in this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Applicant” means an individual with an active and valid license to practice veterinary medicine in California who applies to participate in the program.
(b) “Community veterinary services” means veterinary services offered at prices substantially less than the prices charged for the same veterinary services by private veterinary clinics in the same local area.
(c) “Educational loan debt” means any student loan provided to a student to pay for the costs of tuition for veterinary school, and other necessary costs associated with this education, including the costs of books,
supplies, and living expenses.
(d) “Eligible premises setting” is a premises setting that meets at least one of the following:
(1) Provides community veterinary services and is located in a veterinary underserved area.
(2) Provides community veterinary services and has at least 50 percent of its client population who reside in a veterinary underserved area.
(3) Is an animal shelter.
(e) “Full-time basis” means at least 32 hours per week, for no less than 45 weeks per year.
(f) “Fund” means the California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program Fund established pursuant to this article.
(g) “Program” means the California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program established pursuant to this article.
(h) “Premises” has the same meaning as subdivision (b) of Section 4853 of the Business and Professions Code.
(i) “Veterinary underserved area” means an area in California that meets at least one of the following:
(1) Is a veterinary services shortage situation identified by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
(2) Is a disadvantaged community identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code.
(3) Is a disadvantaged unincorporated community, as defined in Section 65302.10 of the Government Code.
(4) Has an average household income at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income.
(5) Has an average household income at or below the threshold designated as low-income households by the Department of Housing and Community Development pursuant to Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.
(6) Is a rural area, as defined in Section 50101 of the Health and Safety Code.
69692.
The California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program is hereby established under the administration of the commission to award funds to relieve the educational loan debt of eligible applicants who agree to work in eligible premises settings pursuant to this article. It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission implement and administer the program.69693.
(a) An applicant shall submit a completed application developed by the commission. A completed application shall include documentation detailing the applicant’s educational loan debt.(b) A program participant shall sign an agreement with the commission to maintain full-time employment in an eligible premises setting and complete a minimum of 60 months of work within 72 months of employment in an eligible premises setting.
(c) A program participant shall agree to provide an annual progress report, signed by both the participant and the participant’s employer or the employer’s designee. The progress report shall verify that the participant is employed full-time in an eligible
premises setting.
(d) In distributing program funds, the commission shall give priority consideration to an applicant who meets any of the following:
(1) Speaks one or more Medi-Cal threshold languages.
(2) Has worked for one or more years in a veterinary underserved area.
(3) Has received accreditation in a veterinary specialty recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
(4) Has provided veterinary services to an animal shelter during or after the applicant’s veterinary education.
(e) A program participant shall be employed on a full-time basis in an eligible premises setting. The participant shall commit to
complete a minimum of 60 months of service in an eligible premises setting within 72 months. Upon notice, the commission may grant exceptions to these requirements on a case-by-case basis to accommodate exceptional circumstances such as serious illness, pregnancy, or other reasons approved by the commission.
(f) Grant disbursements shall be deferred until the program participant is employed on a full-time basis in an eligible premises setting, and shall be suspended during periods of interruption in employment lasting more than one month.
(g) The commission may coordinate with local and statewide animal welfare and professional veterinary organizations, and educational institutions, to reach out to eligible premises settings and applicants.
(h) The commission shall develop a process for a program participant to repay
any program grants disbursed if the program participant is terminated before completion of, or otherwise does not complete, 60 months of full-time work within 72 months in an eligible premises setting. Cause for termination from the program shall include, but is not limited to, a program participant’s failure to meet either of the following:
(1) Maintain a California veterinary license in good standing.
(2) Comply with any other term or condition established in this article or by the commission.
69694.
(a) The California Public Interest Veterinary Debt Relief Program Fund is hereby established under the administration of the commission as the initial depository of all moneys appropriated, donated, or otherwise received for the program. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the commission shall disperse moneys in the fund for purposes of this article.(b) The cumulative total amount of grants disbursed to a program participant shall not exceed the amount of the educational loan debt owed by the participant or one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000), whichever is the lesser amount.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government Code, the commission may seek and receive
funds from foundations and private sources to be deposited in the fund.
(d) On or after July 1, 2027, the commission shall extend the program or distribute the remaining moneys in the fund to program participants pursuant to this article until all the moneys in the fund are expended.
69695.
The terms of grant disbursements under the program shall be as follows:(a) After a program participant has entered into an agreement with the commission to participate in the program and is employed full-time in an eligible premises setting, the commission shall provide the participant thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) annually, for five years, to reach a total amount of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) or the total amount of the participant’s educational loan debt, whichever is the lesser amount.
(b) The commission shall provide the initial grant disbursement to the participant within 30 days from the date in which the agreement between the commission and the participant is executed.
(c) The amount of each subsequent grant disbursement shall equal the amount of the initial disbursement. Subsequent disbursements shall be made within 30 days of months 13, 25, 37, 49 and 60 of the participant’s full-time work in an eligible premises setting.
(d) If the participant is terminated from the program, or another circumstance prevents the participant from actively participating in the program either temporarily or permanently, the commission shall pause or terminate grant disbursements to the participant accordingly.
(e) The commission may require the program participant to repay, in part or in full, grant disbursements provided to the participant if the participant has not complied with the participant’s obligations under the program.
69696.
(a) On or before March 31, 2025, and on or before each March 31 thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the program. The report shall include all of the following information for the previous award year:(1) The number of applicants and program participants.
(2) The number, types, and locations of each eligible premises setting that services were rendered.
(3) The amount of funds expended for the program.
(4) A summary of information included in the annual progress reports
received from program participants. This summary shall protect the identity of individual program participants and shall not include personally identifiable information.
(b) (1) The report submitted on or before March 31, 2026, pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include the information submitted in the 2025 report.
(2) The report submitted on or before March 31, 2027, and each report submitted annually thereafter pursuant to subdivision (a), shall include the information submitted in each of the previous annual reports submitted pursuant to subdivision (a).
(c) Information reported pursuant to this section shall be disaggregated by year.
69697.
The commission may adopt regulations to implement and administer the program. The regulations may include, but are not limited to, any standards of program participant eligibility, placement, and termination appropriate to achieve the goal of providing competent veterinary services in eligible premises settings.69698.
This article shall only become operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.