Delaware Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program - Brochure

NEW STATE-FUNDED $50,000/YEAR LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM AVAILABLE NOW!

Delaware Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPLRP)

On August 10, 2021, Governor Carney signed House Bill 48 with House Amendment 1, establishing a Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (HCPLRP) for new primary care providers. The Delaware Health Care Commission is responsible for the administration of the program and may award education loan repayment grants to new primary care providers up to $50,000 per year for a maximum of four years.

Eligible clinicians must be a new primary care provider in an ambulatory or outpatient setting and completed graduate education within six-months of the application for HCPLRP grant being submitted.

Awarded clinicians will be asked to commit to an initial contract term of two (2) years with the State of Delaware to receive loan repayment.

Priority consideration will be given to Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research (DIMER)-participating students and participants in Delaware based residency programs.

Eligibility To be eligible, providers must have completed graduate education within six months. Advanced-degree practitioners must have completed a residency program. Eligible degrees and specialties include: Doctor of Medicine (MD) Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Physician Assistant (PA)

Practicing providers are also encouraged to apply in the areas of: Adult Medicine Family Medicine (including osteopathic general practice) Pediatrics Psychiatry/Mental Health Geriatrics Women's Health (obstetrics and gynecology)

Who May Apply?

Health care professionals may apply as well as hospitals, private practices, and health care organizations on behalf of qualifying employees. Sites eligible to apply for grants on behalf of their new primary care providers must be located in underserved areas or areas of need and must accept Medicare and Medicaid participants. Grants to hospital sites must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the applicant hospital. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and will be determined on area of need, rather than individual financial circumstances.

Graduates of combined residency programs which meet the criteria for HCPLRP are eligible and encouraged to apply. If you are unsure if your combined program meets these requirements, please email DHCC@delaware.gov.

How to Apply

There is only one application process for both HCPLRP and SLRP. Applicant eligibility is determined utilizing the content of the application components.

Applicants need to submit a three (3) part application:

• Part A - Employer Application (submit by email)
• Part B - Healthcare Practitioner Application (submit by email)
• Part C - Loan Information and Verification (submit by mail/email/fax)

When to Apply

The DHCC accepts applications on six-week rolling intervals. The following table shows the 2022 application schedule:

Application Cycle	Acceptance Period	Application Deadline	Comments
Cohort 3	August-September 2022	October 1, 2022	November 30, 2022
Cohort 4	October 2022-January 2023	February 1, 2023	March 31, 2023
Cohort 5	February 2023-May 2023	June 1, 2023	July 31, 2023
Cohort 6	June 2023-August 2023	September 1, 2023	October 31, 2023

Applicants must submit one complete application packet to the DHCC on or before the application deadline. Each packet must consist of the completed Part A: Practice Site Application Form; Part B: Health Professional Application Form; and Part C: Loan Verification Form. Ensure all sections are completed in their entirety (including signature) before submitting the application for final review.

If your application is not completed by the cohort deadline, you will not be considered for that cohort.

*Cohort start dates are subject to change.

Program Guidelines

House Bill 48 with House Amendment 1 provides guidance and instructions for administration and operation of this program. The Delaware Health Care Commission manages the program, issues award and corresponding payment, and prepares an annual report. The following table outlines critical parameters and corresponding expectations.

Health Care Practitioner Medical Degree and Specialty

Advanced Degree: MD or DO

Specialty: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Geriatrics, and Psychiatry

Mid-Level Degree: NP, CNM, CNS, PA

Specialty: Adult Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry/Mental Health, Geriatrics, and Women's Health

Health Care Practitioner Schedule
Full-time/Part-time determined by employer, annual certification needed

Full-Time Commitment 40 hours per week is mandatory for full-time health care professionals A minimum of 45 weeks constitutes a full year of service - prior approval needed Compressed schedules are limited to 4 days/week, with no more than 12 hours of work in any 24-hour period Travel or on-call time is not included in the required work hours

Part-time Commitment 20-39 hours per week is mandatory for part-time health professionals A minimum 20 hours/week with prorated to FT at 40 hours/week

Practice Sites

Ambulatory and outpatient in an underserved area of need:

Hospital primary care practice Private practice Federally Qualified Health Center

Community outpatient facilities Community mental health facilities Free medical clinics

Employers

• Must accept Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP reimbursements,
• Private practice sites must participate in the Department of Health and Social Services Voluntary Initiative Program (VIP) administered by the Medical Society of Delaware

U.S. Citizenship

Authorization to work in U.S. for period of loan repayment or J1 Visa

Practitioners are not eligible if any of the following are applicable:

Competing contractual obligations for healthcare services Federal judgement liens Breached service obligations, even if it was subsequently satisfied Past/present defaults for Federal payment obligations

Debt write-offs; uncollectable, waiver, or otherwise Convictions, admission of guilt, or disciplines issued by a certificate / licensing authority Felony convictions

Application and Evaluation

The program applications are designed to incorporate the program parameters to ensure qualitative and quantitative review and award distributions. Award amounts are prioritized according to six (6) criteria; geographic location, underrepresentation in medical environments, number of years residing in Delaware, advance-degreed graduation from Delaware affiliated medical schools and/or Delaware-based residency programs, multilingual fluency, and continuing participation in the program. The priority areas are calculated based on responses submitted in the applications, and a weighted scoring metrics is tabulated to quantify award distribution amounts as follows:

1-4 points	5-7 points	7-9.5
30% of maximum funding	60% of maximum funding	100% of maximum funding
$15,000	$30,000	$50,000

Match

Applicants practicing at hospital sites are subject to a dollar-for-dollar match by the hospital. The match must be coordinated with the DHCC. This requirement applies to the following health systems/hospitals:

• Bayhealth
• Beebe Healthcare
• ChristianaCare
• Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
• Saint Francis Hospital
• TidalHealth Nanticoke

Should one or more of the health systems fail to provide match funds within thirty (30) calendar days of signing a valid contractual agreement, the Delaware Health Care Commission will initiate steps to terminate the agreement.

Contract Period

Applicants that are awarded contractual agreements, must commit to an initial two-year obligation period, and have the opportunity to reapply for an optional one or two-year commitment. Program participants are not eligible for continued participation in this program after a maximum of four-years.

Active Awards and Contracts

Award payments are issued to approved loan servicers (lending institutions) when the loans are due.

DHCC Meeting HCPLRP Presentation

Other Loan Repayment Programs Offered to Health Care Providers Delaware offers several other loan repayment opportunities for health care professionals. Each program has specific advantages, varying eligibility, and award amounts depending on degree and specialty. In most cases, the programs require a term of practice in Delaware in return for loan repayment. Application to any of the programs does not guarantee funding, and applicants may participate in only one loan repayment program. State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) SLRP is a federal program that offers loan repayment up to $200,000 for verifiable educational loans to qualified dental, behavioral/mental health, and primary care professionals. Service requirement is a minimum of two consecutive years of full-time (40 hours per week) or half-time (20 to 39 hours per week) work in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas across Delaware. Award amounts vary depending on the health care professional's qualifications and degree. Learn More National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Learn More Conrad State 30/J-1 Visa Waiver Learn More