Senators have thrown their support behind a proposed loan repayment program for veterans who provide mental health services to other veterans in Wyoming.
In a unanimous vote, the Senate Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee on Thursday approved Senate File 30, “Wyoming’s investment in veteran’s mental health.” SF 30 would establish the Wyoming veteran loan repayment program, which would provide loan repayment for veterans who study at the University of Wyoming and go on to provide mental health services within the state to other veterans.
“The problem we are trying to solve is to try to get some additional mental health providers across the state, to specifically get after veterans mental health,” Maj. Gen. Greg Porter, the adjutant general for the state of Wyoming, told the committee.
Particularly in Wyoming’s low-population areas, it can be difficult for veterans to access mental health services, Porter said.
“We are really trying to drive down the suicide rate in the veteran population,” he said, adding that the program created by SF 30 is a “first attempt” to push mental health providers, who are also veterans themselves, out into Wyoming.
According to Lt. Col. Karen Hinkle, who currently serves as senior legal counsel for the Wyoming Military Department, the loan repayment program would be administered by the University of Wyoming. It would require that participants be citizens and veterans, and be seeking a master’s or doctorate-level degree at UW. Funds would be granted for the cost of attendance, and to qualify for repayment, a graduate would be required to work in state for the minimum amount of time necessary to repay the loan, plus three years. They would also have to dedicate at least 25% of their practice time to other veterans.
Mike Smith with the University of Wyoming said the program would operate differently than other loan repayment programs that encourage medical professionals to work in the state. The program would cover the full cost of attendance, including room and board.
Smith called the repayment program “more expansive and generous” than existing similar programs, but expressed concern over the funding model.
“Those existing other programs are funded through the normal appropriations process, through the general fund,” Smith said. “The practical effect of the way this is set up now, it is a cut to the university block grant.”
The committee approved an amendment to SF 30 to fund it through the general fund, at an expense of $250,000, rather than to take the expenditure from funding already allocated to the university. The estimated cost of attendance for mental health graduate programs at UW is $26,732 for residents and $40,532 for non-residents.
Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs, asked if the program would be open to veterans under any military discharge status. Hinkle said that it would be open to any discharge except dishonorable, and Kolb made an amendment to include exclusion for any discharge “other than honorable.” That amendment failed.
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