Conrad Waiver Program Extension and Flexibility Waivers

As anticipated, the President signed a temporary extension of the Conrad State Waiver program on October 8, 2008. The Conrad program is important for many International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who obtain training in the U.S. in J-1 status. The Conrad Waiver program provides an option for some of these physicians to waive or eliminate the requirement that they return to their home countries for two years after program completion. We provided a detailed information about the Conrad program in our March 16, 2007 article, Congress Extends the Conrad State Program until June 1, 2008.

Brief Extension : More Flexibility Waivers

The extension is very brief, with an expiration date of March 6, 2009. It is expected that the long-standing program will be extended, yet again, following the upcoming elections. The extension contained one significant change, in that the number of “flexibility waivers” was increased from 5 to 10. This gives the participating states the flexibility to grant 10 out of the permitted 30 waivers per year to physicians who will work in facilities which are located outside of designated shortage areas, but that serve patients who reside within shortage areas. This should assist in better utilizing the available waiver allotments in some states.

Conclusion

The Conrad program is a valuable program, not only for the physicians who seek to waive their two year home return requirement, but also for people living in many parts of the U.S. who would otherwise not have access to adequate medical care. We will continue to track developments and share information on the Conrad program with our MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers.