| National Health Service Corps (NHSC) |
Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP) |
Dental Education Loan Repayment Program (DELRP) |
Children’s Medicaid Loan Repayment Program (CMLRP) |
Program Description
Note: Applications are no longer available for state-funded Loan Repayment Programs, including Physician Education Loan Repayment Dental Education Loan Repayment and Children's Medicaid Loan Repayment.
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| The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP) provides tax free student loan repayment assistance to primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians in exchange for service at an approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). |
The Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP) provides loan repayment funds to physicians who agree to practice in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), and provide health care services to recipients enrolled in Medicaid, and the TX Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). |
The Dental Education Loan Repayment Program (DELRP) provides loan repayment funds to general and pediatric dentists who agree to practice in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (DHPSA). |
The Children's Medicaid Loan Repayment Program (CMLRP) provides student loan repayment assistance to physicians and dentists who provide services to children on Medicaid |
Eligibility Requirements
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| US Citizen Appropriate degree, license or certification, and work experience as applicable for discipline (see Application Bulletin)
Accept Medicaid, Medicare, & SCHIP as full payment
Not deny service based on ability to pay
Work full-time at an eligible site
No concurrent service obligation
Have not ever defaulted on a federal or state obligation
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Have completed residency and/or fellowship training at the time of application Be practicing in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) training at the time of application
Have full physician license with no restrictions from the Texas Medical Board at the time of application
Must provide care to Medicaid & CHIP enrollees
No concurrent service obligation
Have eligible outstanding student loans.
Must be Board Eligible in years 1 – 3 and Board Certified in a primary care specialty by year 4
Must provide four consecutive years of services in a HPSA in Texas
Be a citizen or Legal Permanent Resident
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Have completed residency and/or fellowship training at the time of application Current unrestricted license
Work in an eligible site
Practice in an approved specialty
Accept Medicaid as full payment
Have eligible outstanding student loans
Not deny service based on ability to pay
No concurrent service obligation
Must provide one year of service services in a DHPSA in Texas
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Have a current unrestricted license from the appropriate licensing board Subspecialists must have board certification or be eligible to sit for the applicable subspecialty board.
Have a Medicaid number before applying
Have eligible outstanding student loans
No concurrent service obligation
Must agree to provide services for 4 consecutive years and meet the appropriate target number of Medicaid visits
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Eligible Sites
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| Must practice in an NHSC approved site located in a Designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) |
Designated Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA) in Texas |
Designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (DHPSA) in TX Federally Funded Community Health Center
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Site location is not an eligibility criterion. However, it is used as a scoring variable. Scoring criteria are available on the DSHS web at: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/c hpr/CMLRP.shtm
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Application Cycles and Deadline
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| Applications are currently being accepted in cycles. Contact NHSC for current application deadlines |
Applications are no longer available for state-funded Loan Repayment Programs, including Physician Education Loan Repayment Dental Education Loan Repayment and Children's Medicaid Loan Repayment.
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| Service Obligation |
| 2 year minimum. May extend for 1-year periods after initial 2 years completed dependent on availability of funds |
4 consecutive years |
12 consecutive months. May renew annually.
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4 consecutive years |
| Approved Specialties |
| Allopathic or Osteopathic Physician (MD or DO) Family Medicine
General Pediatrics
General Internal Medicine
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Nurse Practitioner
Certified Nurse-Midwife
Physician Assistant
General Practice Dentist
Registered Clinical Dental Hygienist
Mental or Behavioral Health Professional
Psychiatrist (MD or DO)
Health Service Psychologist
Clinical Social Worker
Psychiatric Nurse Specialist Marriage & Family Therapist
Licensed Professional Counselor
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Specialty is a ranking criteria, not an eligibility criteria Priority Specialties:
Family Practice
Osteopathic Family Practice
Obstetrics/Gynecology
General Internal Medicine
General Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Geriatrics
For specialties other than primary care, the Texas Department of State Health Service (DSHS) must determine there is a critical need for the applicant’s specialty in the Health Professional Shortage Area(HPSA) where the practice is located
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General Dentistry Pediatric Dentistry
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Allopathic or Osteopathic Physician: Any medical specialty or sub-specialty that provides services to Medicaid children.
Dentists:
General and Pediatric
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Maximum Annual Repayment Amount
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| $25,000 each year for first 2 years (Total $50,000) Year 3 $35,000
Year 4 $35,000
Year 5 $25,000
Year 6 $20,000
Year 7 & beyond $15,000
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For those with student loan debt of $160,000 or more Year 1 $25,000
Year 2 $35,000
Year 3 $45,000
Year 4 $55,000
Annual amounts pro-rated for debt below $160,000
A physician working in a part time capacity of more than 20 hours per week of direct patient care, but less than the 32.5 hours per week for full payment, may receive a prorated amount of loan repayment assistance based on the percentage of time worked.
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$10,000 annually The repayment amount will be pro-rated for 12 consecutive months of part-time service
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Up to a total of $140,000 Year 1 $20 K or $40 K
Year 2 $15 K or $30 K
Year 3 $20 K or $40 K
Year 4 $15 K or $30 K
Annual payment amounts dependent on the number of verified Medicaid visits
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Eligible Loans
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| Loans for higher education Made by a government entity or commercial lending institution
Not in default
Not being repaid through another program
Not consolidated with ineligible loans
Not made during residency
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Loans for higher education; Not in default
Not have an existing service obligation
Not be subject to repayment through another student loan repayment or loan forgiveness program
Must not be from an insurance policy or pension plan
Not made during residency
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Loans for higher education Not in default
Not have an existing service obligation
Not consolidated with ineligible loans
Must not be from an insurance policy or pension plan
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Loans for higher education Not in default
Not have an existing service obligation
Not consolidated
Must not be from an insurance policy or pension plan
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Breach of Contract
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| Must Repay All funds received for contract period not completed plus interest
Penalty equal to the number of months of obligated service that were not completed, multiplied by $7,500
The amount eligible to be recovered will not be less than $31,000
Breach of a federal contract will affect eligibility of provider to receive federal assistance in the future
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Will not receive funds, and will be removed from the program Will be ineligible to apply for National Health Service Corps.
Will not be eligible to apply for any other loan repayment programs in Texas
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Will not receive funds, and will be removed from the program Will be ineligible to apply for National Health Service Corps.
May not be eligible to apply for any other loan repayment programs in Texas
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Will not receive funds, and will be removed from the program Will be ineligible to apply for National Health Service Corps.
Will not be eligible to apply for any other loan repayment programs in Texas
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For Additional Information and How to Apply
Note: Applications are no longer available for state-funded Loan Repayment Programs, including Physician Education Loan Repayment Dental Education Loan Repayment and Children's Medicaid Loan Repayment.
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| TX Primary Care Office (512) 458-7518
TexasPCO@dshs.state.tx.us
http://nhsc.hrsa.gov
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TX Primary Care Office (512) 458-7518
TexasPCO@dshs.state.tx.us
Link to PELRP Fact Sheet
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TX Primary Care Office (512) 458-7518
TexasPCO@dshs.state.tx.us
Link to DELRP Fact Sheet
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TX Primary Care Office (512) 458-7518
TexasPCO@dshs.state.tx.us
Link to CMLRP Fact Sheet
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