SPECIAL ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE
Electronic Submission of the Application and the
Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service Information
System (BCRSIS) Banking Information
Individuals applying for this funding opportunity are required
to submit the application and BCRSIS Banking Information
(banking form for the direct deposit of loan repayments)
electronically no later than January 31, 2009.
A hard copy of the online application and BCRSIS Banking
Information must be printed, signed and submitted by January
31, 2009 (postmark date) to the:
NHSC LRP
c/o Discovery Logic
1375 Piccard Drive
Suite 350
Rockville, MD 20850
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: If you need to
update your banking information during the application cycle,
please click on the Standard
Form 1199A (Direct Deposit Form). ONLY USE
THIS FORM FOR BANKING ACCOUNT CHANGES.
Submission of Supplemental Forms/Documentation to
Complete Application Package
In addition to submitting electronic and signed hard copies
of the application and BCRSIS Banking Information by January
31, 2009, there are required supplemental forms
and supporting documentation, described in the Bulletin,
which must be submitted by January 31, 2009
(postmark date, except as noted in the Checklist
and elsewhere in the Applicant Information Bulletin)
to the NHSC LRP, c/o Discovery Logic, 1375 Piccard Drive,
Suite 350, Rockville, MD 20850
Applications will undergo an initial review to determine
the completeness of the application package submitted in
response to the January 31, 2009 deadline.
Application packages deemed incomplete (i.e., missing, illegible,
or incomplete application materials) will not be reviewed
or considered for funding. The NHSC will not accept
submission or re-submission of incomplete, rejected, or
otherwise delayed applications after the deadline.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a complete
application package.
NHSC LRP Awards are Only Made by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services (the “Secretary”)
or his/her Designee
Only the Secretary or his/her designee can make an NHSC
LRP contract award. An NHSC LRP award cannot be guaranteed
by a site or a Primary Care Office, a Primary Care Association,
or any other person or entity.
Changes to Applicant Contact and/or Employment Information
It is imperative that applicants promptly notify the NHSC
LRP, c/o Discovery Logic by e-mail at nhsc@discoverylogic.com, of any changes
to their contact information (name change, email address,
mailing address, or telephone number) or site/employment
information.
Eligible Service Sites
All NHSC clinicians must provide full-time clinical practice
in their profession (as defined by the NHSC) at sites which
are located in federally designated Health Professional
Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and are approved
by the NHSC.
If an applicant’s site is not approved by the NHSC at the
time the application is submitted, that site must complete
and submit a Recruitment
and Retention Assistance (R&R) Application to the
Division of Site and Clinical Recruitment by no later than
March 27, 2009. If the
R&R
Application for the applicant’s site is subsequently
disapproved by the NHSC, the applicant will be deemed ineligible
for a NHSC LRP award.
Employment Changes during
the Application Process
The applicant must contact the NHSC LRP, c/o Discovery
Logic immediately by e-mail at nhsc@discoverylogic.com, if there are
any changes to the applicant’s employment status at the
site(s) identified in the application (e.g., applicant no
longer employed by the site, applicant’s position at the
site no longer meets NHSC definition of full-time clinical
practice, etc.).
A change in practice site(s) made before the application
deadline of January 31, 2009 will be considered
provided the applicant submits a Community Site Information
Form for each new site and documentation of the site’s HPSA
status.
A change in practice site(s) for which the above documentation
was not submitted by January 31, 2009 will
not be considered. Applicants in this category should
withdraw their applications (see below).
Withdrawal of an Application Prior to Receiving a
Contract Award
The NHSC LRP contract is effective (becomes legally binding)
on the day it is countersigned by the Secretary or his/her
designee. An applicant may withdraw his/her application
any time prior to the Secretary or his/her designee signing
the contract by contacting Discovery Logic at nhsc@discoverylogic.com.
The NHSC LRP projects that the Secretary or his/her designee
will sign contracts during the period from January 2009
through September 2009.
An applicant whose plans and/or circumstances change, such
that the applicant is uncertain of his/her future ability
to comply with the 2-year NHSC service obligation at the
site identified in his/her application, should consider
withdrawing his/her application. Failure to do so
could result in the contract being countersigned by the
Secretary and the applicant incurring a legal obligation
to provide the services or face substantial monetary damages
for breach of the service obligation. An individual
who withdraws his/her application would be free to reapply
to the NHSC LRP in a subsequent fiscal year.
NHSC LRP Contract Dates
Applicants become participants in the NHSC LRP (i.e., the
contract becomes effective) on the date the Secretary or
his/her designee countersigns the NHSC LRP contract.
An applicant’s signature alone on this contract does
not constitute a contractual agreement.
When an applicant’s employment contract start date precedes
the effective date of the NHSC LRP contract, the applicant/participant
will not receive NHSC LRP service credit for employment
at the NHSC-approved site prior to the effective date of
the NHSC LRP contract. In addition, no loan repayments
will be made for any professional practice performed before
the effective date of the NHSC LRP contract.
Termination of the Contract Award
Once the NHSC LRP contract is signed by the Secretary or
his/her designee (i.e., the NHSC LRP contract takes effect),
there is a limited timeframe during which the Secretary
or his/her designee may terminate contracts awarded in FY
2009. A FY 2009 awardee wishing to terminate his/her
contract must, by no later than August 17, 2009
(1) submit a written request to terminate
the contract and (2) repay all amounts paid to, or on behalf
of, the awardee under the contract. The written request
and check should be mailed to the NHSC LRP, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Room 8-37, Rockville, MD 20857. The check
should be made out to “Department of Health and Human Services.”
The August 17, 2009 deadline is statutory.
Consequently, there are no exceptions to this date.
Use of NHSC LRP Payments
All loan repayments received by a participant MUST
be used by the participant to repay balances for qualifying
educational loans within 30 days of receipt
of funds. The applicant may be responsible for any
interest calculated beyond the 30-day period. NHSC
LRP funds received by a participant may not be used to pay
taxes or other debts. A payment history will be required
within 45 days of making payments. The payment history
should be mailed to the NHSC LRP, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room
8-37, Rockville, MD 20857.
In order to be considered for an amendment contract, the
participant will be asked to provide a payment history demonstrating
that the NHSC LRP funds received were applied to the qualifying
educational loan balances.
NHSC LRP Payments Are Not Taxable
NHSC LRP payments made to participants are exempt from
gross income and employment taxes. These funds are
not included as wages when determining benefits under the
Social Security Act.
Mandatory NHSC Loan Repayor Orientation Conference
for Awardees
NHSC LRP participants are required to attend an NHSC Loan
Repayor Orientation Conference. Conference objectives
include providing 1) mandatory orientation and training
opportunities designed to assist participants in successfully
completing their NSHC LRP service commitment and 2) practical
resources and tools to make service to the underserved a
most fulfilling experience. Conferences are typically
held in the Fall (late October/early November) and Winter
(January/February) of each year. An applicant may
not register for a conference unless the applicant has been
notified, in writing, that he or she has been awarded an
NHSC LRP contract. The NHSC will cover the cost of
travel, lodging, ground transportation, and meal and incidental
expenses during the conference. If an awardee is unable
to attend a face-to-face conference, he or she will be required
to participate in an internet-based training session.
Awardees will be notified by mail and/or email of upcoming
conferences and internet-based training sessions.
Telephone Conferences for Applicants
The NHSC LRP will conduct four (4) telephone conferences
for applicants who may have questions during the Fiscal
Year 2009 application cycle. The telephone conferences
will be held on December 9 and 10, 2008 and January 13 and
14, 2009, respectively. The telephone conferences
will be available for 2 hours each call from 2:30 pm to
4:30 pm, EST.
If you are interested in participating in the telephone
conference, please call 1-888-469-0935 and enter the participant
passcode 3407798.
next page:
Summary of Important Dates
Questions? nhsc@discoverylogic.com
or 1-800-638-0824 Monday through Friday (except Federal
holidays) 8:30 am to 5 pm ET.
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