B. DEFINITIONS
Amendment Contract – An amendment contract is an
optional 1-year extension of a 2-year NHSC LRP contract.
Note: NHSC LRP participants cannot be guaranteed an
amendment contract (additional loan repayment funds) for
continued participation in the program beyond the initial
2-year period.
Commercial Loans - Commercial loans are defined
as loans made by banks, credit unions, savings and loan
associations, insurance companies, schools, and other financial
or credit institutions which are subject to examination
and supervision in their capacity as lenders by an agency
of the United States or of the State in which the lender
has its principal place of business.
Disadvantaged Background
– Certification from a school that an individual was identified
as having a “disadvantaged background” based on environmental
and/or economic factors.
Division of Applications and Awards (DAA) – A division
of the Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service, Health
Resources and Services Administration.
EFN – Documentation from a school that
an individual was awarded assistance based on Exceptional
Financial Need (Physicians and Dentists).
Fiscal Year (FY) - The Federal FY is defined as
October 1 through September 30.
Full-Time Clinical Practice - Working
a minimum of 40 hours per week, for a minimum of 45 weeks
per service year in a primary care setting. Please
refer to Section H
of this bulletin for a more detailed explanation of the
full-time clinical practice requirement.
Government Loans - Government loans are loans made
by Federal, State, county or city agencies authorized by
law to make such loans.
Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) – A HPSA
is a geographic area, population group, public or nonprofit
private medical facility or other facility determined by
the Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services
to have a shortage of primary health care professionals.
HPSAs may be identified on the basis of agency or individual
requests for designation. Information considered when designating
a primary care HPSA include health provider to population
ratios, rates of poverty, and access to available primary
health services. These HPSAs are designated by the Office
of Shortage Designation, within HRSA’s Bureau of Health
Professions, pursuant to Section 332 of the PHS Act (Title
42, U.S. Code, Section 254e) and implementing regulations
(Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 5).
Specific NHSC sites are approved by the Bureau of Clinician
Recruitment and Service, pursuant to Sections 333 and 333A
of the PHS Act (Title 42, U.S. Code, Sections 254f and 254f-1).
Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA) - An operating agency
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Lender - The commercial or Government
institution that initially made the qualifying loan (e.g.,
Department of Education,).
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) -
"The Emergency Health Personnel Act of 1970,"
Public Law 91-623, established the NHSC on December 31,
1970. The NHSC Program, within the Department of Health
and Human Services, was created to eliminate the health
professional shortages in HPSAs through the assignment of
trained health professionals to provide primary health services
in HPSAs. The NHSC seeks to improve the health of
underserved Americans by bringing together communities
in need and quality primary health care professionals.
National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment
Program (LRP) - The NHSC LRP is authorized by Section
338B of the PHS Act, as amended. Under the NHSC LRP,
clinicians provide primary care health services in HPSAs
in exchange for funds for the repayment of their qualifying
educational loans. The NHSC LRP selects fully trained and
licensed, or certified where applicable, primary health
care clinicians dedicated to meeting the health care needs
of medically underserved communities.
Qualifying Educational Loans - Qualifying educational
loans are Government and commercial loans for actual costs
paid for tuition and reasonable educational and living expenses
related to the undergraduate or graduate education of the
participant prior to his or her receipt of the health professions
degree being utilized by the NHSC LRP. Such loans
must have documentation that is contemporaneous with the
education received. Participants will receive funds for
repayment of qualifying educational loans that are still
owed. If the applicant has consolidated otherwise qualifying
educational loans with any other debt or consolidated his/her
loans with loans of another individual, the consolidated
loan is ineligible. Residency relocation loans
are not eligible.
Reasonable Educational Expenses - Reasonable
educational expenses are the costs of education, exclusive
of tuition, such as fees, books, supplies, clinical travel,
educational equipment and materials, which do not exceed
the school's estimated standard student budget for educational
expenses for the participant's degree program and for the
year(s) of that participant's enrollment.
Reasonable Living Expenses - Reasonable
living expenses are the costs of room and board, transportation
and commuting costs, and other costs which do not exceed
the school's estimated standard student budget for living
expenses at that school for the participant's degree program
and for the year(s) of that participant's enrollment.
State - As used in this Bulletin, State
includes the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Territory of American
Samoa, Territory of Guam, Republic of Palau, Republic of
the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia.
Unencumbered License - An
unencumbered license means a license that is not revoked,
suspended, or made probationary or conditional by the State
licensing or registering authority as the result of disciplinary
action.
next page: Eligibility
Requirements and Funding Preferences
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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