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:

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

Loan Repayment applications are available below to view and download. There are two cycles each year. The first deadline for 2008 funding is February 28, 2008. In the first cycle priority is given to sites that are recruiting.

The second deadline is July 31, 2008. In the second cycle all applications are reviewed without priority to recruitment or retention. All applicants who are eligible but not funded in the first cycle are automatically considered again in the second cycle. 

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

Applications must be postmarked by the deadline date.  Faxed copies will not be accepted. For more information on the application process and a copy of the application, click one of the links below:

2008 Health Professional Loan Repayment Application (PDF)

2008 Health Professional Loan Repayment Application (Word fill-able)

2008 Loan Repayment Eligible Site List

For more information:
E-mail: healthprof@doh.wa.gov

Phone: Kathy McVay at 360.236.2816
Phone: Chris Wilkins at  360.236.2817

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.
• Applications are 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 November each year.
• Site and profession(s) must be approved prior to the individual provider being eligible to apply.

Both the site application and provider application are competitive process.  Not all who apply will be approved or awarded.

The state Department of Health (DOH) oversees the site application process. If you would like an application, please email: Nicole Fernandus.

For more Loan Repayment Site information:

E-mail: diana.ehri@doh.wa.gov     

Up to $5,000 to Complete Your Bachelor's Degree.
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