Virginia Law

Prior to the payment of money to a scholarship awardee, the commissioner shall enter into a contract with the recipient. The contract shall:

1. Provide that the recipient will pursue the medical course of the school nominating the recipient for the award until the recipient's graduation or will pursue the recipient's first year of primary care graduate training in an accredited residency program approved by the school nominating the recipient for the award and, upon completing a term not to exceed three* years as a resident in an approved program, will promptly begin and thereafter continuously engage in full-time primary care practice in a medically underserved area of Virginia, or in a designated state facility, for a period of years equal to the number of annual scholarships received. At any time prior to entering practice, the scholarship recipient shall be allowed to select a future practice location from the listing of medically underserved areas maintained by the board, and the recipient shall be allowed to fulfill the scholarship repayment obligation in the preselected medically underserved area. However, after making an initial selection of a medically underserved area in which to practice, the recipient may not alter the decision until the recipient is fully prepared to enter practice, at which time the recipient must choose from the current list of medically underserved areas maintained by the board or the preselected medically underserved area.

2. Provide that the recipient shall notify the commissioner in writing of his proposed practice location not more than 30 days after completing his approved residency program. After receiving written approval of his practice location from the commissioner, the recipient shall begin his approved practice not more than 90 days after completing his primary care residency program.

3. Provide that the recipient may request approval of a change of practice location. The commissioner in his discretion may approve such a request, but only if the change is to a practice location in a medically underserved area or a state facility designated by the Board of Health.

4. Provide that the recipient shall repay the scholarship obligation by practicing primary care medicine on a full-time basis in a medically underserved area, will maintain office hours convenient for the population of the area to have access to the recipient's services and will participate in all government sponsored insurance programs designed to assure access of covered persons to medical care services such as Medicare and Medicaid, and will not selectively place limits on the numbers of such patients admitted to the practice, and will charge the usual and customary fees prevailing in the area in which service is provided, except that if the patient is unable to pay the charge, such a patient will be charged a reduced rate or will not be charged at all. This stipulation may be waived at the commissioner's discretion in cases where it places undue financial burden on the part of the primary care medical practice.

5. Provide that the recipient repaying the scholarship obligation by practicing primary care medicine on a full-time basis in a medically underserved area will maintain office hours convenient for the population of the area to have access to the recipient's services.

6. Provide that the recipient shall not voluntarily obligate himself for more than the minimum period of military service required of physicians by the laws of the United States and that upon completion of the minimum period of military service, the recipient will promptly begin and thereafter continuously engage in full-time primary care practice in a medically underserved area of Virginia, or in a designated state facility, for the period of years equal to the number of scholarships received.

7. Provide that the recipient shall receive credit toward fulfillment of his contractual obligation at the rate of 12 months of medical practice for each scholarship award paid to the recipient. The recipient may be absent from the place of approved practice for a total of seven weeks in each 12-month period for personal reasons. Absence for a period in excess of seven weeks without the written permission of the commissioner shall result in proportional reduction of the period of credit toward fulfillment of the contractual obligation.

*NOTE: A variance (of one additional year) to the maximum three-year residency limitation will be available to medical scholarship recipients who choose to complete an obstetrics/gynecology residency program or a certificate of added qualification in primary care upon their request.