January 28, 2019

What You Need to Know

As federal agencies reopen following our nation’s longest-in-history partial government shutdown, its harmful impact on citizens across the country and the chaos and confusion it has created for federal agencies has dominated the national conversation. Under the shadow of the shutdown, AACOM persisted in its work with the new Congress to educate and inform these Members on our newly released Public Policy Agenda.

Furthermore, we are working closely on Capitol Hill to support bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program, which will expire on September 30. On this front, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Chairman Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Murray (D-WA) introduced the Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act, which will extend for five years federal funding for the THCGME Program, community health centers, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and two other federal health programs. These programs will expire at the end of the fiscal year (FY). AACOM commends their leadership in championing these vital programs critical to supporting a primary care workforce that works to meet the health care needs of our nation.

With the start of the new legislative session, now is a prime opportunity to keep informed about the policy issues impacting the osteopathic medical education community by participating in two upcoming AACOM webinars on January 30 and February 15, and to improve your financial literacy, or that of your students, through AACOM’s 2019 Financial Aid Debt Management Modules.

Pamela Murphy
Senior Vice President of Government Relations

On The Hill

Federal Government Reopens after 35 Days

Last Friday, January 25, President Trump signed a continuing resolution that reopened the federal government until February 15, ending the partial shutdown that began on December 22 and left nine of the 15 federal departments unfunded. The bill includes a commitment to go to conference on FY19 Homeland Security appropriations but does not include any new border wall funding. Federal workers who have not been paid during the shutdown will receive retroactive compensation, as Trump signed a bill last week guaranteeing back-pay.

This marks a major reversal for President Trump. Negotiations between the White House and Democrats had stalled over the President’s insistence that any legislation include $5 billion to fund a wall along the southern border, which Democratic leadership rejected. Instead, they asserted that border security and immigration remain separate from funding discussions until the shutdown ended.

Last weekend, President Trump offered a proposal to reopen the federal government and pair wall funding with temporary protection for some undocumented immigrants, including individuals enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, as well as those with Temporary Protected Status.

Furthermore, last Thursday, the Senate held votes on the GOP package and a Democratic alternative. Both bills would have reopened the federal government. However, they were defeated because they did not reach the 60-vote threshold needed. These two Senate test votes effectively became a catalyst for negotiations between Senate Republican and Democratic leadership, and the creation of the deal that temporarily reopened the federal government.

If the President and congressional leaders do not reach a deal by February 15, the nine agencies that were part of the shutdown will be shuttered again.

AACOM Joins Letter on Public Health Impact of Shutdown

AACOM joined more than 280 national organizations in a letter led by the Trust for America’s Health to the White House and Congress calling for immediate action to reopen the government to minimize any further impact on the public’s health and wellbeing. While most of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) remained open, several of its critical agencies have been impacted, including the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Food and Drug Administration.

AACOM Endorses the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act

Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX) has reintroduced the Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2019 (H.R. 103), which would require that all foreign medical schools be held to the same minimum requirements in order to receive U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Title IV federal financial aid. Under current law, certain medical schools located in the Caribbean are exempt from meeting requirements that other foreign medical schools must meet to receive federal funding. AACOM strongly supports this legislation, as it did in the last Congress.

Advocacy

Prioritizing the Future Health Care Workforce in the New Congress

Education committee leadership in both chambers of the new Congress are committed to negotiating the Higher Education Act reauthorization. AACOM will be calling on its ED to MED advocates throughout this process to urge their lawmakers to support graduate education policies vital to current and future health professions students. To learn more about AACOM’s policy priorities for the new Congress and to hear an overview of the congressional priorities the legislative branch hopes to achieve this session, register for AACOM’s Office of Government Relations’ webinar on Friday, February 15, at 3:00 PM ET.

AACOM Launches 2019 Financial Aid Debt Management Modules

Effectively advocating for your financial future requires financial literacy. AACOM’s 2019 Financial Aid Debt Management Modules contain information and resources to help osteopathic medical students borrow strategically and ensure they are prepared to responsibly repay their loans after they graduate and enter residency training. AACOM offers these modules as part of a continuing commitment to help provide osteopathic medical students, graduates, and financial aid professionals at the nation’s osteopathic medical schools with the best educational debt management tools possible. View the modules online and download and share AACOM's 2019 Financial Aid Debt Management Modules flyer to help promote this resource to your campus community.

Reminder: AACOM GR to Present During January AOGME Webinar

On January 30, Pamela Murphy, MSW, AACOM’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations, and Mary-Lynn Bender, AACOM’s Senior Director of Government and Public Relations, will present an exclusive webinar for the Assembly of Osteopathic Graduate Medical Educators. Geared toward individuals working in osteopathic graduate medical education, participants will learn how they can contribute to and become involved in ED to MED, be considered by AACOM for federal nomination opportunities, and utilize other key resources to stay informed and engaged in policy issues, advocacy opportunities, and federal programs and funding. Learn more and register.

AACOM CSFAA Member Stresses Importance of Early Investment in Financial Literacy

Nicole McMillin, MPA, Director of Financial Aid at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine and AACOM Council of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CSFAA) member guest authored an ED to MED blog post about her experience speaking with prospective osteopathic medical students during AACOM’s recent Online Medical School Recruitment Fair. Nicole and her colleague Christine Willse, MBA, Associate Director of Financial Aid at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and CSFAA Secretary, answered questions and shared resources with prospective students about their financial options as they consider applying to medical school and pursuing a career in the health professions. Learn why Nicole urges prospective students to start planning their financial futures early and read her recommendations on where to begin.

Administration and Federal Agencies

AACOM Nominee Serves on USDE Negotiated Rulemaking Subcommittee

The USDE’s Accreditation and Innovation Committee held its first Negotiated Rulemaking session January 14 – 18, 2019. AACOM nominee Sue Huppert, Des Moines University Chief of External and Government Affairs, served as a negotiator on the Subcommittee on Distance Learning and Educational Innovation. The Subcommittee is one of three that will make recommendations to the full Committee. This Committee, as well as the Subcommittees for Distance Learning and Educational Innovation, TEACH Grants, and Faith-Based Entities, met to discuss proposed revisions to the regulations governing the accreditation landscape.

The USDE’s stated goal for the revisions was to remove barriers to entry for new accreditors and reign in the supposed overregulation, which has caused stagnation and stifled innovation in higher education. While little consensus was reached during this first session, the USDE and its committees will meet again on February 12 for its second session in the rulemaking process.

USDE Proposes New Amendments to the 2016 Borrower Defense to Repayment Regulation

The USDE is proposing to rewrite the Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR) regulation originally finalized on November 1, 2016. A proposal last summer suggested that, under the BDR regulation, loan forgiveness would apply only to borrowers that defaulted on their loans, and loan discharges granted to borrowers who attended institutions that abruptly closed would be restricted. The USDE stated that the notice of proposed rulemaking would allow relief prior to default on a loan, remove restrictions on limiting relief for borrowers that attended institutions that abruptly closed, and extend protection to borrowers that attended institutions that offered students options to complete their degree elsewhere.

Following a public comment period on the new proposal, the USDE must issue a final rule by November 1, 2019, in order for the BDR regulation to take effect in 2020. Previously, AACOM submitted comments on the 2016 regulations as well as on the proposed rule released this summer. We will continue to keep our membership informed as the rulemaking process moves forward.

Title IX Public Comment Period Extended Two Days

In November 2018, the USDE proposed to rewrite the federal standards governing schools’ responses to sexual harassment and assault under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Proposed changes to the Title IX sexual misconduct regulations include narrowing the definition of sexual harassment, adding new specific requirements to an institution’s grievance and investigation procedures, and narrowing the circumstances in which an institution is obligated to respond. The 60-day period for public comment on the proposed regulation was originally scheduled to close on January 28; however, recent technical issues temporarily disabled the website that accepts public comments. As a result, the USDE has announced that the public comment period will be extended two days to January 30, 2019, to compensate.

HHS Releases Draft Guidance on Transition to Revised Common Rule

The HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) has released draft guidance on transitioning to the revised Common Rule, in effect as of January 21, 2019. The goal of the rule is to balance modern research practices with protections for human subjects, while limiting administrative burdens on researchers. Review OHRP’s Revised Common Rule Q&As to learn more about how this could impact research at your institution.

Featured Federal Resources and COM Engagement

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program: The IHS Loan Repayment Program (LRP) funds IHS clinicians to repay their eligible health profession education loans—up to $40,000—in exchange for an initial two-year service commitment to practice in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Applications are accepted October 1 through August 15 and are evaluated monthly beginning in January (or as soon as funds become available). Learn more.

NHSC Accepting Applications for FY19 Loan Repayment Programs: The NHSC LRP and Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP are now open and accepting applications for FY19. The programs, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration at HHS, are open to clinicians who want to serve the nation's underserved rural, urban, and tribal communities. A complete online application is due by 7:30 PM ET on February 21. A Q&A session will be offered February 7, 2:30 – 3:30 PM ET. Learn more.

WVSOM Professor Investigates Rotavirus Replication through West Virginia INBRE NIH Grant: Crystal Boudreaux, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, has been studying rotavirus replication for the last six years to reduce the risk of childhood diarrheal deaths worldwide. "The topic we are studying could last my entire career," Boudreaux said. "I always tell my students that 362 days of the year you will get a negative result and just those three days you will have an aha moment. Patience is a virtue in science, and something that drew me to it is curiosity. It's new questions and new curiosities that keep you waking up every day to do this. It's a challenge to figure out a successful outcome." Boudreaux and her team's research is funded by a West Virginia Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. Learn more.

NIH Spring 2019 Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration in Baltimore, MD: The NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration will be held in Baltimore, MD, May 16 – 17 with optional pre-seminar workshops available May 15. This seminar is intended for administrators, early stage investigators, researchers, graduate students, and others interested in working with the NIH grants process. The seminar will bring together 65 NIH and HHS staff to demystify the application and review process, clarify federal regulations and policies, and highlight current areas of special interest or concern. Register.

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