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Veterinary services grants available for Virginia counties
RICHMOND—To help address an ongoing shortage of veterinarians who work with farm animals, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has nominated five shortage areas where veterinarians can apply for financial assistance.
The VDACS nomination provides opportunities for qualified veterinarians and veterinary practices to apply for financial assistance to mitigate food animal veterinarian shortages.
Based on these nominations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture administers a loan repayment program and a grant program to help mitigate veterinary service shortage areas. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program helps qualified veterinarians repay up to $75,000 in student loans for at least three years of service.
The Veterinary Services Grant Program supports education, related activities and practice enhancements within these designated areas with grants ranging from $75,000 to $250,000.
The VSGP application period closes on March 21, and the VMLRP application period closes on April 12.
“I highly encourage anyone eligible for these opportunities to apply. Virginia is allocated five shortage areas each year to highlight the need for food supply veterinarians in rural areas of the state, and we want to do everything we can to encourage and support them,” said Charlie Broaddus, Virginia state veterinarian. “The funds received through the federal programs can help repay educational loan debt, offer more competitive salaries, provide compensation for overhead costs, and/or purchase new equipment to expand a practice.”
Dr. Amanda Weakley-Scott, a large animal veterinarian in Central Virginia, previously received one of the grants to help with her student debt. She explained the cost of education and expenses can be a deterrent for many entering and staying in the field. Veterinarians practicing food animal care typically make much less than those working in small animal medicine, despite both carrying the same tuition and debt load.
“Having these grants to help livestock vets repay their student loans is vital since it levels the playing field,” said Weakley-Scott, a Virginia Farm Bureau member.
“I’ve talked to high schoolers who have decided to go the vet tech route versus vet school because of the overwhelming amount of debt they would have to take on if they went to veterinary school,” she added. “It’s kind of disheartening to see people turn away from the profession.”
She said grants like these can act as an incentive and ease the burden on rural farm veterinarians, who often juggle packed schedules while traveling long distances—sometimes up to four hours—if there aren’t enough veterinarians to help cover an area.
The counties designated as shortage areas by VDACS and USDA and that are eligible for grants include:
Media: Contact Michael Wallace, VDACS communications, at 804-786-1904; or Weakley-Scott at 540-718-5176.