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Bill

A 4237

Establishes Large Animal Veterinarian Loan Redemption Program; appropriates $200,000.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Andrea Katz and 2 co-sponsors

The bill creates a Large Animal Veterinarian Loan Redemption Program in New Jersey that forgives student debt in exchange for multi-year service in underserved areas.

Reported and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee
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Bill Summary · A 4237

Overview

A 4237 establishes the Large Animal Veterinarian Loan Redemption Program within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) of New Jersey. The program aims to recruit and retain veterinarians to treat large animals in state-designated underserved areas by providing partial repayment of eligible veterinary student loans in exchange for service.

Purpose and intent

  • Address shortages of large animal veterinarians in designated underserved areas of New Jersey.
  • Provide an incentive program that links loan debt relief to service in areas with scarce large animal veterinary care.
  • Utilize HESAA as the administering agency, with coordination from the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health.

Key provisions and changes

  • Definitions (Section 1):
    • Eligible loan expenses: principal and interest for loans covering veterinary degree costs.
    • Full-time, mixed-time, and part-time large animal veterinarians: defined by weekly hours (40+, 26.6–<40, 12–<26.6).
    • State-designated underserved area: areas designated by the Director of the Division of Animal Health as lacking large animal veterinarians.
    • Program participant: a veterinary graduate who signs a contract with HESAA to participate.
    • Qualifying loan: loans for tuition and related costs up to the cost of attendance.
  • Establishment and scope (Section 2):
    • Creates the Large Animal Veterinarian Loan Redemption Program at HESAA.
    • Provides loan debt redemption for each year of service in underserved areas.
  • Eligibility (Section 3):
    • Must be a graduate of an accredited veterinary school.
    • Must agree to practice large animal veterinary medicine (full-, mixed-, or part-time) in a state-designated underserved area under Section 4 terms.
  • Contract terms and service requirement (Section 4):
    • Initial contract: 3 years of service in an underserved area.
    • Most contracts require full three-year service; partial fulfillment still obligates the full term unless otherwise provided.
    • Possibility to sign a second 3-year contract after completing the first, if eligible.
    • Each contract specifies the total debt to be redeemed in exchange for service.
    • Annual redemption is contingent on actual service; loans must be redeemed only for active, eligible employment in the underserved area.
    • Redemption structure (per year of service):
    • Full-time (≥40 hours/week): up to $25,000 per year, up to a total of $150,000 for up to six years.
    • Mixed-time (26.6–<40 hours/week): up to two-thirds of the full-time annual maximum for each year, up to $100,000 total for six years.
    • Part-time (12–<26.6 hours/week): up to one-third of the full-time annual maximum for each year, up to $50,000 total for six years.
    • Repayment obligations if service is not completed: must repay the State for previously extended loan redemption funds (including interest).
    • Optional nullification: a participant can terminate the contract and assume full repayment obligations, or, in cases of death or total/ permanent disability, the authority may nullify or suspend the obligation; in some cases the current year of service may still be redeemed after the second year.
  • Administration and implementation (Section 5–6):
    • HESAA’s executive director (or designee) will pair program participants with underserved areas in consultation with the Division of Animal Health.
    • The Authority will develop rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act, in coordination with the Division of Animal Health.
  • Funding and effective date (Sections 7–8):
    • Appropriates $200,000 from the General Fund to HESAA to implement the program.
    • Takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Eligible participants: graduates of accredited veterinary schools who commit to practicing large animal medicine in NJ underserved areas.
  • State-designated underserved areas: regions in NJ identified as lacking large animal veterinarians.
  • HESAA and the Department of Agriculture (Division of Animal Health): administrative and oversight responsibilities.
  • Employers and communities in underserved areas: potential access to loan redemption incentives to recruit veterinarians.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Implementation timeline is contingent on regulatory development and contract execution after enactment.
  • Annual redemption is contingent on ongoing employment in an underserved area and proof of eligible employment.
  • The bill includes a mechanism for contract extension (another three-year term) upon completion of the initial term and continued eligibility.

Notable details

  • Tiered loan redemption creates varying benefits based on full-, mixed-, or part-time practice intensity.
  • The program is self-funding in the sense that redemption is tied to service commitment; non-completion triggers repayment obligations.
  • Immediate effect: program can begin once enacted and regulations are in place, funded by the $200,000 appropriation.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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