Bill > SB86

This bill expands South Dakota's rural recruitment assistance program to include chiropractors and optometrists alongside existing eligible healthcare professionals. The program helps recruit healthcare providers to rural communities by offering financial incentives. Specifically, the bill adds chiropractors and optometrists to the list of eligible professionals who can participate in the recruitment program, with limits on the number of participants: no more than two chiropractors and two optometrists may participate at any given time. To be eligible, these professionals must be licensed in their respective fields, agree to practice in an eligible rural community for a minimum of three years, and may receive an incentive payment equal to twice the University of South Dakota's resident tuition for their most recently completed academic years. The bill also modifies existing language to include these new professional categories and standardizes the program's requirements, such as how participating rural communities will contribute to the incentive payments based on their population size. The overall goal is to improve healthcare access in rural South Dakota communities by attracting and retaining healthcare professionals in areas that may struggle to recruit medical providers.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/25512