The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a new loan repayment assistance program. The program benefits primary health care professionals who work in an underserved rural or urban community. You must be a recent graduate with student loans to be eligible.
The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program offers tax-free loan repayment assistance of up to $170,000 for a five-year, full-time commitment or up to $80,000 for a part-time service commitment.
The program is open to healthcare professionals including:
- Dentists
- Dental hygienists
- MDs/DOs specializing in family medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics and psychiatry
- Licensed psychologists
- Licensed social workers
- Professional counselors
- Primary care nurse practitioners
- Certified nurse midwives
- Psychiatric nurse specialists
- Primary care physicians assistants
You must be U.S. born or naturalized citizen or U.S. national, and must complete an application through the HRSA website.
You must agree to serve in a National Health Service Corps-approved site that is considered a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), including:
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- community health centers
- Certified Rural Health Clinics
- Indian tribal health centers
- solo or group private practices
- hospital-affiliated primary care practices
- managed care facilities
- departments of health
- state or federal corrections facilities
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement sites
You can find HPSA locations by state here.
Loan repayment assistance is federally tax-free. Many states, including Ohio, follow federal tax treatment of the loan repayment program.
To learn more about the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, visit http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/.
Tags: Dentist, Health Professional Shortage Area, National Health Service Corps, nurse, physician assistant, primary care physician, student loan repayment