This page describes the relationship between veterinarian shortage situations designated by the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) and the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP).
The purpose of VSGP is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary practices in the U.S. Eligible applicants for the Rural Practice Enhancement program area within VSGP include for-profit and nonprofit entities that, and individuals who, operate clinics providing veterinary services. These applicants must provide those services in a veterinarian shortage situation AND that location must be located in a rural area, as defined in Section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).
Veterinary Services Shortage Situations Map
Each year, NIFA designates veterinarian shortage situations through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). VSGP Rural Practice Enhancement applicants may propose to provide services in VMLRP-designated veterinary shortage situations designated for the current FY. Shortage situations, along with a map and related information, can be found on the VMLRP Shortage Situations webpage.
VMLRP participants with a current Type II award are eligible to apply for a VSGP RPE grant using the shortage situation area of their award. Note that VSGP RPE awards are granted to a clinic, not to an individual veterinarian, unless the veterinarian is the owner of the practice. Because all RPE awards are for a 3-year term, the VMLRP participant must remain with the clinic or practice for the 3-year term.
NOTE regarding the definition of rural:
- By definition, all VMLRP type II veterinarian shortage situations are rural.
- Other veterinary shortage areas may be considered rural if they meet the definition in Section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)). For these areas, it is the applicant's responsibility to demonstrate compliance with this definition. Refer to the USDA-Rural Development’s Business Program’s Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) which provides a map to assess “rural” eligibility at the USDA Income and Property Eligibility Site. Select business programs under Property Eligibility on the left, then click on the link for RCDI, accept the disclaimer and zoom into the area of interest.