The bill requires the Office of Higher Education (OHE), by January 1, 2023, to establish a health care provider loan reimbursement program to provide loan reimbursement grants to DPH-licensed health care providers employed full-time as a health care provider in the state. Under the bill, individuals may apply to OHE for the grants at the time and in the manner the executive director prescribes.

Eligibility Requirements

It requires the OHE executive director, in consultation with DPH, to develop eligibility requirements for grant recipients, which may include income guidelines. Under the bill, at least 20% of the grants must be awarded to regional community-technical college graduates. The executive director must consider health care workforce shortage areas when developing the eligibility requirements.

Loan Reimbursements

Under the bill, qualified individuals must be reimbursed on an annual basis for qualifying student loan payments in amounts the OHE executive director determines.

The bill limits reimbursement to only the loan payments the health care provider made while employed full-time in the state as a health care provider. (Presumably, these are “qualifying student loan payments” under the bill.)