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Amendment Contract
An amendment contract is an optional
1-year extension of a 2-year NELRP contract. There is no guarantee that RNs selcted to participate in the NELRP will receive an amendment contract. Funding for optional 1-year amendment contracts is subject to the availability of future appropriations.
Basic Registered Nurse (RN) Education
Basic RN Education is nursing
education that qualifies the individual
to take the RN licensing examination (NCLEX-RN).
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.
Contract
A written contract pursuant to
Section 846(a) of the Public Health Service
Act, as amended, under which (1) the participant
agrees to engage in a period of continuous
full-time service as an RN at a CSF and
(2) the Secretary agrees to repay, in
consideration of such service, a percentage
of the amount which is outstanding on
the participant's qualifying educational
loans on the effective date of the initial
2-year contract.
Critical Shortage Facility (CSF)
A CSF is a health care facility
which the Secretary has determined has
a critical shortage of nurses. See
Section C of this Bulletin
for information on different types of
CSFs.
Existing Service
Obligation
An obligation to work as an RN
which is owed to and provided for under
an agreement with a CSF, Federal, State,
or local government or any other entity,
(e.g., an active duty military obligation
or existing commitment to an institution
for educational pay back service or a
sign-on bonus).
Full-Time
Full-time is defined as the provision
of nursing services for a minimum of 32
hours per week. No more than 7 weeks
per service year can be spent away from
the CSF for vacation, holidays, continuing
education, illness, maternity/paternity,
or any other reason. (Approved absences
totaling greater than 7 weeks in a 52-week
service year require an extension of the
contract end date.)
Funding Preference
Funding preference is defined
as the funding of a specific category
or group of approved applicants ahead
of other categories or groups of approved
applicants. See Section
E of this Bulletin.
Government Loans
Government loans are loans that
are made by Federal, State, county or
city agencies which are authorized by
law to make such loans.
Greatest Financial Need
The greatest financial need funding
preference is met by applicants whose
total qualifying educational loans are
40% or greater than their gross annual
salary.
Gross Annual Salary
Gross annual salary is the amount
of an individual’s annual salary
or wages before taking any payroll deductions
or taxes into account.
Holder
The commercial or government
institution that currently holds the promissory
note for the qualifying educational loan
(e.g., SallieMae, PHEAA, etc.).
Lender
The commercial or government
institution that initially made the qualifying
educational loan (e.g., Department of
Education).
Nurse Licensure Compact
The mutual recognition model
of nurse licensure that allows an RN to
have a license in one State and to practice
in other States subject to each State's
practice law and regulation. Under
mutual recognition, an RN may practice
in several States unless otherwise restricted.
Nursing Education Loan Repayment
Program (NELRP)
The NELRP is authorized by Section
846(a) of the Public Health Service Act,
as amended. Under the NELRP, the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
provides financial assistance to qualified
applicants to repay a portion of their
qualifying educational loans, in exchange
for their full-time service as an RN at
a CSF.
Post-Master’s Nursing Certificate
Program
A formal, post-graduate program
that admits RNs with a master’s
degree in nursing and, at completion,
awards a certificate and academic credit.
Qualified Applicant
A person who meets all of the
eligibility requirements set forth in
this Bulletin.
Qualifying Educational Loans
Qualifying educational loans
are government and commercial loans for
actual costs paid for tuition and reasonable
educational and living expenses incurred
(1) while attending a school of nursing
where the applicant obtained his/her qualifying
nursing education, and (2) while taking
only nursing prerequisite courses at schools
other than the school(s) of nursing where
the applicant obtained his/her qualifying
nursing education, provided that the applicant
received academic credit for those courses
from the school of nursing where the applicant
obtained his/her qualifying nursing education.
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. See Section
H of this Bulletin for additional
information on which loans qualify for
the NELRP.
Qualifying Nursing Education
Qualifying nursing education
includes completed undergraduate basic
RN education and completed graduate nursing
education (including post-master’s
nursing certificate programs) resulting
in a baccalaureate or associate degree
in nursing (or an equivalent degree),
a diploma in nursing or a graduate degree
in nursing from an accredited school of
nursing.
Reasonable Educational Expenses
Reasonable educational expenses
are books, supplies, laboratory expenses,
educational equipment and materials for
qualifying nursing education 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 or nursing prerequisite
courses and for the year(s) of that participant’s
enrollment.
School of Nursing
An accredited collegiate, associate
degree, or diploma school of nursing in
a State.
The Secretary
The Secretary of Health and Human
Services and any other officer or employee
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services to whom the authority to administer
the NELRP has been delegated.
State
Includes the 50 States, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated
States of Micronesia.
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