Higher Education Coordinating Board

Health Professional Loan Repayment

The Health Professional Loan Repayment program was created to attract and retain licensed health professionals to serve in critical shortage areas in Washington state. The program provides educational loan repayment assistance to licensed primary care health professionals.

Eligible Professions

Physician (MD or DO, or ND)
Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner
Licensed Nurse (any licensed level)
Midwife (certified-nurse or licensed)
Pharmacist
Dentist
Dental Hygienist

In return for financial assistance, participants agree to serve at an approved site for a minimum of three years. We expect participants to complete their obligation at this site.

To be eligible to apply you must:

Be employed or have a contract to begin employment at an eligible site. (See the current year Loan Repayment Eligible Site List below.)

Submit documentation of eligible outstanding educational debt. (Does not include Parent Plus loans or loans not in your name.)

Be a United States citizen. (Permanent resident does not qualify.)

Provide primary care and not specialty care. (Mental health care is not included in the program.)

Not work in an urgent care clinic or a hospital emergency room.

Sign a program contract to serve for a minimum of three years or pay funds back with double penalty.

Award

The Loan Repayment program provides up to $25,000 per year for a minimum of three years. The service obligation period is based on full time (40 or more hours per week) employment and is prorated for less than full time.

The award amount is based on outstanding educational debt. There is an opportunity to apply for a fourth and fifth year for up to $35,000 per year based on remaining eligible debt.

The award period is divided into service credit quarters. Credit is earned for service during the quarter and a payment is made at the end of each quarter. Service credit is confirmed at the end of each quarter through a Service Verification Form that participants and employers complete.

All program funds must be fully and directly applied to the approved lender(s) identified in the award notification.

How to Apply

The online Loan Repayment application will be posted in January. The deadline to submit the application will be
April 30, 2010.

For detailed information on the program, please see: Guidelines & Terms of Agreement.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline date. All required attachments must be postmarked on or before April 30, 2010. Faxed copies of the application and/or attachments will not be accepted.

For more information on sites and eligibility, click on the links below:

SAMPLE of 2009 Loan Repayment Eligible Site List

The Loan Repayment online application will be posted in January 2010.

For more information:
Email: health@hecb.wa.gov

Phone: Chris Wilkins at 360-596-4817

Health Professional Loan Repayment
Site Information

If you currently work, or would like to work, at a facility that is not on the current Loan Repayment Eligible Site List, the following information explains the process to apply to become an eligible site:

A site interested in becoming eligible for loan repayment must submit an application.
You can apply for multiple professions, for recruitment and/or retention of a current employee.
The online application will be available in July each year and the deadline to submit applications is the first week of September.
Site applications are reviewed, scored and ranked by profession.
Eligible sites are selected and posted with the Loan Repayment Application in January each year.
Site and profession(s) must be approved prior to the individual provider being eligible to apply.