Chaplain Loan Repayment Program (CLRP)

1. This incentive is only offered if the State, Territory, or District of Columbia has the funds available within the fiscal year the bonus is to be paid. This includes anniversary payments.
2. A Soldier cannot receive the Officer Accession Bonus (OAB), Officer Affiliation Bonus (OAFB), Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP), O9S Student Loan Repayment Program (O9S SLRP) and Selective Reserve Incentives Program (SRIP) incentives. All prior incentives must be ceased before the start date to be eligible.
3. Soldier must be in a vacant, non-over strength or excess MOS slot. No exceptions authorized.
4. Minimum three year term service obligation.
5. Soldier must meet all the Chaplain accession and commissioning requirements.
6. Must have a current ecclesiastical endorsement from a religious organization properly documented. See regulation for more details.
7. Must have qualifying loans taken out in the pursuit of higher education resulting in a Master of Divinity Degree. All degrees must be obtained for an accredited seminary. See regulation for more details on obtaining the list for qualifying schools.
8. A Soldier requesting payment above the original approved CLPR agreement of $20,000 must sign another incentive agreement and serve an additional three year term.
9. New loans will not be counted after the initial agreement until a new three year service agreement is signed.
10. Chaplain Candidate Program applicants are not eligible for this incentive.
11. Consolidated loans must be entered individually and then consolidated for repayment.
12. Termination: Any break in service will permanently terminate incentive except for authorized periods of non-availability.
13. Payment:
a. The CLRP will not exceed $20,000 per three year period of obligation. Maximum lifetime amount is $80,000.
b. Chaplain is responsible for requesting repayment in writing within 90 days of annual anniversary. Providing updated copies of loan information is also their responsibility.
c. Payment will be made annually for each successful completed year of obligated time. Amount will not exceed $6,666.66/year.
d. Prorated payments are not authorized if:
i. Separation that resulted from a failure to complete a satisfactory year.
ii. Acceptance of an Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) or Mil-Technician job.
e. Chaplain must make the monthly payments on the loans to avoid entering into default status. Loans that are in default status at the time of the scheduled anniversary payment will not be processed but will be eligible the following anniversary date providing they are no longer in default. The ARNG will also not pay for late fees, interest, or other associated charges, nor will they reimburse the Soldier for payments made by them or on their behalf. All payments are made to the financial institution only.
f. Lender information must be verified within 90 days of the anniversary date.
g. CLRP is not taxed at the time of payment but is considered taxable income. See regulation for more details.
14. Suspension of Incentive:
a. Enters into a period of non-availability (for example, ING) for the allowable periods of:
i. One year for personal reasons
ii. Three years for missionary work
b. Soldier is FLAGGED for failure of APFT and height/weight standards.
c. Soldier is contracting with ROTC Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP)
d. Only 1 period of non-availability is allowed.
e. Reinstatement of incentive is not guaranteed. See regulation for more details.
15. There are several instances where incentives that were suspended can be reinstated. See regulation for a complete breakdown and description or each situation.
16. Refer to the regulation for the list of causes for termination of incentive with or without recoupment. In general, once incentive has been terminated, Soldier cannot receive incentive in the future.