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According to a November 2006 General Accounting Office (GAO) report, usage of J-1 visa waivers is has continued to be a major source in providing physicians for underserved areas of the United States. Between fiscal years 2003 and 2005, over 1,000 waivers were requested through the Conrad State 30 programs, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Of these waivers, 90 percent were requested by states, who have become the primary source of J-1 visa waiver requests. The GAO compared this recent study to one it conducted in 1995. Like the 1995 study, the number of J-1 waiver physicians practicing in underserved areas at the end of 2005 exceeded the number of physicians practicing in these areas through HHS’s National Health Service Corps (HHSC) programs. However, unlike in the 1995 study, where the majority of waivers were requested by federal agencies, the 2006 study found that states are now the main source of waiver requests. In fiscal year 2005 alone, states requested 956 waivers, while federal agencies requested only 56 waivers. In 1995, states requested only 89 waivers, while federal agencies requested 1285. Both state and federal J-1 physician waiver programs requested waivers for physicians to work in a variety of practice specialties, settings and locations. The study showed that in fiscal year 2005, a little less than half of the waiver requests were for physicians to practice exclusively primary care. About half of the waiver requests were for physicians to be employed in rural areas.
The full report can be found online at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0752.pdf. Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. |
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