National guard medical recruitment and retention program.

WORKING DRAFT
2008
STATE OF
WYOMING
08LSO-0178

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0148

National guard medical recruitment and retention program.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Hallinan, Edwards, McOmie and Mercer and Senator(s) Hastert

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to the national guard; creating the Wyoming national guard medical professional recruitment and retention program; providing payment of
the annual WWAMI contract payment
to qualifying WWAMI medical students as specified; providing a malpractice insurance premium reimbursement for national guard medical professionals as specified; providing restrictions; providing conditions for repayment of assistance received; granting rulemaking authority; providing definitions; providing a sunset
date
; requiring a report; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
701 through 19
‑
9
‑
70
7
are created to read:

ARTICLE 7
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM

1
9
‑
9
‑
701.

National guard medical professional recruitment and retention program; administration of program.

(a)

The
Wyoming
national guard medical professional recruitment and retention program is created to provide assistance to:

(i)

One (1) WWAMI student per academic year, not to exceed four (4) WWAMI students in the program at any given time, who agrees to serve in the Wyoming national guard as a medical professional for the period of time specified in W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
703(a)(i);

(ii)

Qualified medical professionals actively serving in the
Wyoming
national guard for the reimbursement of medical malpractice insurance premiums as specified in W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
705.

(b)

The program shall be administered by the adjutant general in accordance with the provisions of this article. The adjutant general shall promulgate rules for the administration of the program.

1
9
‑
9
‑
702.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this article:

(i)

"
Program
"
means the national guard medical professional recruitment and retention program;

(ii)

"
Qualified medical professional
"
means a physician or dentist licensed to practice his profession in Wyoming who is currently an officer in good standing in the Wyoming national guard or is currently fulfilling the requirements to become an officer in the Wyoming national guard;

(iii)

"
WWAMI medical student
"
means a Wyoming resident who has been accepted, or is currently a medical student in good standing in the
Wyoming
,
Washington
,
Alaska
,
Montana
and
Idaho
regional medical program affiliated with the University of Washington School of Medicine.

1
9
‑
9
‑
703.

Requirements for medical student recruitment program; assistance payments; report due.

(a)

Subject to legislative appropriation and in accordance with the provisions of this article, the adjutant general or his designee, may authorize the payment of
the annual WWAMI contract payment
for one
(1)
WWAMI student per academic
year
. To be eligible to participate in the program a WWAMI medical student shall:

(i)

Agree in writing to serve in the active
Wyoming
national guard for at least
eight
(
8
) years after the completion of the WWAMI student
'
s residency program. If the WWAMI student participates in the University of Wyoming family practice residency program the WWAMI student
'
s service period may start upon entrance in the program upon approval by the adjutant general;

(ii)

Agree in writing to complete basic military training or officer training within one (1) year of signing the service agreement unless waived by the adjutant general for good cause shown;

(iii)

Remain in good academic standing as determined by the administrators of the WWAMI program;

(iv)

Be a citizen of the
United States
and a resident of the state of
Wyoming
;

(v)

Agree in writing to fulfill all WWAMI obligations to the state of Wyoming as specified in the contract between the WWAMI medical student and the University of Wyoming; and

(vi)

Agree in writing to practice medicine within the
s
tate of
Wyoming
for at least four (4) years after completion of a residency program.

(b)

In the event that more than one (1) WWAMI medical student applies for the program per academic year, the adjutant general, in consultation with the
Wyoming
army national guard state surgeon and the
Wyoming
air national guard state surgeon, shall select the applicant who shall enter the program based upon:

(i)

The applicants
'
academic records;

(ii)

Personal essays; and

(iii)

Interviews
with the applicants.

(c)

WWAMI medical students meeting the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall receive payment for the full cost of
the annual WWAMI contract payment
for required courses and studies necessary to complete a doctor of medicine degree within the
WWAMI program for the four (4) years the student is in the WWAMI program as approved by the University of Wyoming board of trustees.

(d)

Payment shall be made directly to the
University
of
Wyoming
after the University of Washington School of Medicine certifies that the medical student has been accepted and registered in the WWAMI program.

(e)

The adjutant general shall report to the joint transportation, highway and military affairs
interim
committee by October 1, 2008 and on October 1 annually thereafter concerning the state of the medical recruitment program. The report shall explicitly state the progress of the WWAMI medical students through school and their service requirements.

19
‑
9
‑
704.

Restrictions; repayment of medical student benefits.

(a)

Program participation and
annual WWAMI contract
payments shall be subject to the following additional restrictions and qualifications:

(i)

Participation shall be limited to the earlier of:

(A)

A period of six (6) years from the date of the participant
'
s initial enrollment in the program; or

(B)

The medical student
'
s completion of his doctor of medicine degree.

(ii)

Any member receiving
annual WWAMI contract payments
under the program who fails to matriculate through the WWAMI program shall repay all
annual WWAMI contract payments
granted under the program
;

(iii)

A medical student shall be ineligible for
annual WWAMI contract payments
under the program until the adjutant general has determined that the member meets the minimum requirements for satisfactory membership in the
Wyoming
national guard;

(iv)

Any member who has received assistance under the program and who fails to complete the
eight
(
8
) year commitment required by W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
703(a)(i) shall repay all
annual WWAMI contract payments
received under the program;

(v)

Any member who has received assistance under the program and who fails to complete the four (4) year commitment to practice medicine in the state of
Wyoming
as required by W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
703(a)(vi) shall repay all
annual WWAMI contract payments
under the program.

(b)

The adjutant general may promulgate rules waiving repayment otherwise required under subsection (a) of this section for cases where the debt is not collectible. The adjutant general shall immediately transmit all repayments of benefits under the plan to the state treasurer for deposit in the state general fund.

19
‑
9
‑
705.

National guard medical professional recruitment fund; creation; source of funds.

There is created the national guard medical professional recruitment fund. The fund shall be administered by the adjutant general and shall consist of monies appropriated or designated to the fund by law. The monies shall be transmitted to the state treasurer for credit to the trust fund and shall be invested by the state treasurer as authorized under W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
711 in a manner to obtain the highest return possible consistent with the preservation of the corpus. Any interest earned on the investment or deposit of monies in the fund shall also remain in the fund and shall not be credited to the general fund. All monies in the fund that are not expended, encumbered or obligated shall revert to the general fund in accordance with the provisions of W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
706 on June 30, 20
1
6.

19
‑
9
‑
706.

Sunset.

W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
701 through 19
‑
9
‑
705 are repealed effective June 30, 2016.

1
9
‑
9
‑
707.

Requirements for malpractice insurance premium reimbursements.

(a)

Subject to legislative appropriation and in accordance with the provisions of this section, the adjutant general or his designee, may authorize the reimbursement of medical and dental malpractice
premiums
as specified by this section for qualifying national guard medical professionals. The maximum medical malpractice premium reimbursement under the program shall be the lesser of
fifty percent (50%) of
the total cost of malpractice insurance premiums paid by the qualified member during a calendar year, or fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) per calendar year for each year the service contract required by paragraph (ii) of this subsection is in effect. To be eligible to participate in the program members shall:

(i)

Be a resident of the state of
Wyoming
;

(ii)

Sign a new service contract after July 1, 2008 in which the member agrees to serve in the Wyoming National Guard as a medical professional for at least four (4) years;

(iii)

Be licensed as a physician or dentist within the state of
Wyoming
as required by W.S. 33
‑
26
‑
301 or 33
‑
15
‑
108, respectively.

(b)

Any member receiving benefits under this section who fails to meet the requirements of subsection (a) shall repay all medical malpractice insurance premium reimbursements received under the program.

(
c)

T
he adjutant general may promulgate rules waiving repayment otherwise required under subsection (a) of this section for cases where the debt is not collectible. The adjutant general shall immediately transmit all repayments of benefits under the plan to the state treasurer for deposit in the state general fund.

Section 2.

(a)

There is appropriated two hundred fifty-six thousand dollars ($256,000.00) from the general fund to the
Wyoming
military department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, to implement the national guard WWAMI medical student recruitment program under W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
701 through 19
‑
9
‑
706. The funds appropriated under this subsection shall be expended to meet the
annual WWAMI contract payment
of WWAMI medical students enrolled in the
Wyoming
national guard medical recruitment program and shall not be expended for any other purpose. Any funds appropriated under this subsection that are not expended, encumbered or obligated at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the general fund as provided by W.S. 9
‑
4
‑
207 on June 30, 2010. Funds appropriated under this subsection that are not expended, encumbered or obligated after June 30, 2016 shall revert to the budget reserve account.

(b)

There is appropriated
six
hundred
forty
thousand dollars ($
640
,000.00) from the general fund to the
Wyoming
military department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, to implement the medical malpractice program under W.S. 19
‑
9
‑
707. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2012. This appropriation shall only be expended for the purposes specified in this subsection. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2012. This appropriation shall be included in the Wyoming Military Department
'
s 2012-2014 standard biennial budget request.

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2008.

(END)

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HB0148