text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Serving our Rural Veterans Act of 
  2017''.
  
  SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
  
      It is the sense of Congress that--
              (1) the Department of Veterans Affairs relies on agreements 
          with the Indian Health Service and tribal health organizations 
          to serve native and non-native veteran populations in certain 
          areas, especially rural areas of the United States, due to 
          limited infrastructure or personnel of the Department in those 
          areas;
              (2) the Department should support the practice of rural 
          health care in the United States because such care is crucial 
          to fulfilling the mission of the Department to provide the 
          highest quality care for veterans; and
              (3) education regarding the unique health needs of veterans 
          is necessary for all health care providers and is especially 
          important for providers in rural health care delivery systems, 
          including those affiliated with Indian tribes and tribal health 
          organizations that care for a significant number of veterans.
  
  SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF PAYMENT BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR 
                TRAINING AND SUPERVISION OF RESIDENTS OR INTERNS AT 
                FACILITIES THAT ARE NOT DEPARTMENT FACILITIES.
  
      (a) In General.--Subsection (c) of section 7406 of title 38, United 
  States Code, is amended by striking ``Department facility'' each place 
  it appears and inserting ``covered facility''.
      (b) Covered Facility Defined.--Subsection (a)(2) of such section is 
  amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
              ``(C) The term `covered facility' means any of the 
          following:
                      ``(i) A Department facility.
                      ``(ii) A facility operated by an Indian tribe or a 
                  tribal organization, as those terms are defined in 
                  section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
                  Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
                      ``(iii) A facility operated by the Indian Health 
                  Service.
                      ``(iv) A Federally-qualified health center, as 
                  defined in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security 
                  Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)(2)(B)).
                      ``(v) A community health center.''.
  
  SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH OR AFFILIATE WITH GRADUATE MEDICAL 
                RESIDENCY PROGRAMS AT FACILITIES OPERATED BY INDIAN 
                TRIBES, TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE INDIAN HEALTH 
                SERVICE IN RURAL AREAS.
  
      (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation 
  with the Director of the Indian Health Service, shall carry out a pilot 
  program--
              (1) to establish graduate medical education residency 
          training programs at covered facilities; or
              (2) to affiliate with established programs described in 
          paragraph (1).
      (b) Locations.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
          program at not more than four covered facilities that have been 
          selected by the Secretary for purposes of the pilot program.
              (2) Criteria.--The Secretary shall establish criteria for 
          selecting covered facilities under paragraph (1).
      (c) Duration.--The Secretary shall implement the pilot program 
  during the eight-year period beginning on the date that is 180 days 
  after the date of the enactment of this Act.
      (d) Reimbursement of Costs.--The Secretary shall reimburse each 
  covered facility participating in the pilot program for the following 
  costs associated with the pilot program:
              (1) Curriculum development.
              (2) Recruitment, training, supervision, and retention of 
          residents and faculty.
              (3) Accreditation of programs of education under the pilot 
          program by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical 
          Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association 
          (AOA).
              (4) The portion of faculty salaries attributable to 
          activities relating to carrying out the pilot program.
              (5) Payment for expenses relating to providing medical 
          education under the pilot program.
      (e) Period of Obligated Service.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into an 
          agreement with each individual who participates in the pilot 
          program under which such individual agrees to serve a period of 
          one year of obligated service at a covered facility or a 
          facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs for each year in 
          which the individual participates in the pilot program under 
          this section.
              (2) Breach.--An individual who participates in the pilot 
          program and fails to satisfy the period of obligated service 
          under paragraph (1) shall be liable to the United States, in 
          lieu of such obligated service, for the amount that has been 
          paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under the 
          pilot program, reduced by the proportion that the number of 
          days served for completion of the period of obligated service 
          bears to the total number of days in the period of obligated 
          service of such individual.
              (3) Loan repayment.--During the period of obligated service 
          of an individual under paragraph (1), the individual--
                      (A) shall be deemed to be an eligible individual 
                  under subsection (b) of section 108 of the Indian 
                  Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616a) for 
                  purposes of participation in the Indian Health Service 
                  Loan Repayment Program under such section during the 
                  portion of such period that the individual serves at a 
                  covered facility; and
                      (B) shall be deemed to be an eligible individual 
                  under section 7682(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
                  for purposes of participation in the Department of 
                  Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program under 
                  subchapter VII of chapter 76 of such title during the 
                  portion of such period that the individual serves at a 
                  facility of the Department.
              (4) Concurrent service.--Any period of obligated service 
          required of an individual under paragraph (1) shall be served--
                      (A) with respect to service at a covered facility, 
                  concurrently with any period of obligated service 
                  required of the individual by the Indian Health 
                  Service; and
                      (B) with respect to service at a facility of the 
                  Department of Veterans Affairs, concurrently with any 
                  period of obligated service required of the individual 
                  by the Department.
      (f) Report.--Not later than three years before the termination of 
  the pilot program under subsection (c), the Secretary of Veterans 
  Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
  Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
  Representatives a report on the feasibility and advisability of--
              (1) expanding the pilot program to additional locations; 
          and
              (2) making the pilot program or any aspect of the pilot 
          program permanent.
      (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
              (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
          the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $20,000,000 for each year in 
          which the pilot program is carried out.
              (2) Loan repayments.--
                      (A) In general.--There is authorized to be 
                  appropriated--
                              (i) to the Secretary of Health and Human 
                          Services, acting through the Director of the 
                          Indian Health Service, such sums as may be 
                          necessary to cover loan repayments paid under 
                          the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment 
                          Program to individuals participating in the 
                          pilot program; and
                              (ii) to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                          such sums as may be necessary to cover loan 
                          repayments paid under the Department of 
                          Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction 
                          Program to individuals participating in the 
                          pilot program.
                      (B) Supplement not supplant.--Amounts appropriated 
                  or otherwise made available for the Indian Health 
                  Service Loan Repayment Program or the Department of 
                  Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction Program 
                  pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under 
                  subparagraph (A) shall supplement, not supplant, 
                  amounts made available to such programs under other 
                  provisions of law.
      (h) Covered Facility Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
  facility'' means a facility--
              (1) operated by an Indian tribe or a tribal organization 
          (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
          Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), 
          or the Indian Health Service, that has an existing 
          reimbursement agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs 
          under section 405(c) of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act 
          (25 U.S.C. 1645(c)); and
              (2) located in a rural or remote area, as determined by the 
          Secretary.
target: Serving our Rural Veterans Act of 2017 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay for the training and employment of Veterans Health Administration medical residents and interns at a covered facility, which includes: (1) a VA facility; (2) a facility operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service; (3) a federally-qualified health center; or (4) a community health center. (Currently, such payments are authorized only for VA facilities.)   The VA shall carry out an eight-year pilot program to establish or affiliate with graduate medical education residency training programs at not more than four facilities. The VA shall reimburse each participating facility for the costs of:  curriculum development;  recruitment, training, supervision, and retention of residents and faculty; accreditation of education programs;  faculty salaries attributable to program activities; and other expenses relating to providing medical education under the program.   A program participant: (1) shall agree to one year of obligated service at a covered or a VA facility for each year of partipation in the program, (2) who fails to satisfy the obligated service period shall be liable to the United States for a prorated portion of the amount paid for program participation, and (3) during the period of obligated service, shall be eligible for participation in the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program and the VA Education Debt Reduction Program.  A covered facility for pilot program purposes means a facility: (1) operated by an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or the Indian Health Service that has an existing reimbursement agreement with the VA; and (2) located in a rural or remote area.
feat_title: Serving our Rural Veterans Act of 2017