1.3 Veteran’s Affairs Consent and Release of Information Form

All students are required to complete the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Consent and Release of Information form. This is a one-time requirement. Students who wish to change their response at a later date, are welcome to submit another response any time. Contact somcompl@uw.edu for a link to the form.

Consent

To be eligible for a rotation at the Veteran’s Affairs Health System, the University of Washington School of Medicine (School) will need to release to the VA your current gender and country of citizenship. If you wish to be considered, you must consent and complete the form accordingly.

Citizenship

Non-US citizens are eligible to participate in rotations at the VA, however the SOM must verify immigration status with the VA and confirm that the students’ immigration paperwork has been reviewed by the Vice Dean. Non-US citizens can decline to disclose this information to the SOM, however they will not be eligible for a rotation at the VA.

Students with dual citizenship are considered US citizens and are eligible for rotations at the VA.

Selective Service

In addition to the above information, the VA also needs the SOM to verify your Selective Service status. To be eligible for a clerkship at the VA, all male students need to be registered with the Selective Service. Visit the Selective Service System website to register or check your status.

Note:  Selective Service bases the registration requirement on gender assigned at birth and not on gender identity or on gender reassignment. Individuals who are born male and changed their gender to female are still required to register. Individuals who are born female and changed their gender to male are not required to register.  Please reach out to the Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs, Dr. Suzanne Allen, suzaalle@uw.edu if you have questions.

If you have questions because you are not registered for the Selective Service and are a male who is older than 26 years of age.  Here are some suggestions:

  1. Go to the Selective Service registration page and click on “Verify Registration” in the top right corner to check your status, you may already be registered. If you are indeed registered and would like to submit another response please let me know so I can delete your previous form submission.  You will then be able to submit another response.
  2. If you are definitely not registered, there is a remedy. Visit the Selective Service FAQ for men 26 and older. Select “Men 26 and older”, “What if I’m over 26 years old and haven’t registered?”  Here is what it says:
    1. Once you turn 26, it’s too late to register. You may be asked for a Status Information Letter (SIL) from Selective Service which can be found here.
    2. Even though you may not be prosecuted, you may be denied student financial assistance, federal job training, and most federal employment unless you can provide convincing evidence to the agency providing the benefit (not Selective Service) that your failure to register was not knowing and willful, along with a copy of your SIL.

If you still have questions please reach out to Vice Dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs, Dr. Suzanne Allen, suzaalle@uw.edu.

As mentioned previously, the SOM does not require you to be registered with the Selective Service.  However, in order to be eligible for a clerkship at the VA you will need to be registered or to have completed the process described above.

Non-Consent

If you do not want to be considered for a rotation at the VA our you do not want the above information released to the VA, you can decline to consent and complete the form accordingly.

FAQs

1. Does this apply to all VA sites or just the VA in Seattle?
This is a national policy for the VA and includes all VA sites across the country.

2. Why is this VA policy in place?
It is not clear why the VA at the national level is requiring schools to verify this information. However, students have always had to self-disclose this information in the on-boarding paperwork that is completed before doing a rotation at a VA. The new policy is that Schools now must provide this information before a student begins the on-boarding process.

3. If we reply no to releasing our information, will there be any consequences?
You will not be able to do any rotations at a VA facility. This may reduce the number of clerkships available to you.

4. Do you know what the purpose of the gender/country of citizenship question is?
We do not know what the purpose of asking the School to provide the information is since students will be asked to share this information while completing their on-boarding paperwork.

5. Does this align with the mission and values of this School?
The clinical experience students receive during rotations at a VA facility does align with the mission and values of the School. The request to share gender and country of citizenship do not. The School has been working with the Assistant Attorney General for the UWSOM and the national VA to find a way for UWSOM to not be required to share this information in advance. Unfortunately, we have not been successful yet. We will continue to work with the national VA to find a way to resolve this issue.

6. Will there be consequences in terms of professionalism for students who decline?
There will be no consequences regarding professionalism. However, you will not be allowed to do rotations at a VA facility.

7. Is this discrimination or illegal?
The VA follows federal laws and there is no legal reason why the VA can’t ask these questions.
The VA has not declined any student the ability to complete a rotation based on the information provided by a student.