Rural Community Toolbox: Funding & Resources for Rural Communities to Address Substance Misuse

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National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP)

Link

https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-loan-repayment-program

Additional Links

Fact Sheet

Deadline

Application Deadline: May 1, 2025

Sponsor

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)

Purpose

Provides funding for loan repayment to recruit and retain primary care, oral health, behavioral health, mental health, or maternal health providers in eligible communities of need designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Eligible primary care, oral health, behavioral health, and mental health professions include:

  • Physicians (MD or DO)
  • Physician assistants (PA)
  • Nurse practitioners (NP)
  • Certified nurse midwives (CNM)
  • Dentists (DDS or DMD)
  • Dental hygienists
  • Health service psychologists (HSP)
  • Licensed clinical social workers (LCSW)
  • Psychiatric nurse specialists (PNS)
  • Marriage and family therapists (MFT)
  • Licensed professional counselors (LPC)

Amount of Funding

A maximum of $75,000 for a 2-year full-time service obligation for primary care medical providers assigned to a Primary Care HPSA, including maternity care health professionals assigned to a Maternity Care Target Area (MCTA).

A maximum of $50,000 for a 2-year full-time service obligation for mental and oral healthcare providers assigned to a Mental or Dental HPSA.

A maximum of $37,500 for a 2-year half-time service obligation for primary care medical providers assigned to a Primary Care HPSA, including maternity care health professionals assigned to a MCTA.

A maximum of $25,000 for a 2-year half-time service obligation for mental and oral healthcare providers assigned to a Mental or Dental HPSA.

A supplemental award enhancement of up to $5,000 is available to providers who demonstrate Spanish language proficiency determined by a verbal proficiency language skills assessment.

Additional practice type and service obligation information is available in the program guidance.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must work in a primary care, dental, behavioral/mental health, or maternal health approved discipline and specialty to be eligible for this program and meet the following requirements:

  • Be a U.S. citizen, born or naturalized, or a U.S. national
  • Have a current, full, permanent, unencumbered, unrestricted health professional license, certificate, or registration in the discipline in which the individual is applying to serve
  • Participate or be eligible to participate as providers in the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as appropriate
  • Be eligible to hold an appointment as a Commissioned Officer of the Public Health Service or as a federal civil servant
  • Be employed by, or have accepted a position at, a NHSC-approved site where employment and provision of care to patients will begin no later than July 18, 2025
  • Submit a complete application

NHSC will prioritize applicants by the following funding priorities when making loan repayment awards:

  • Current or former NHSC scholarship recipients that have completed their service obligation and continue to have eligible student loans
  • Applicants who demonstrate characteristics that indicate a higher likelihood they will remain in a HPSA after completing their service obligation, as determined by the following factors:
    1. Have completed training through 1 of the following HRSA-funded programs:
      • Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Payment Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Integration Program
      • Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency Fellowship Program
    2. Duration of the applicant's tenure at the current NHSC-approved service site
    3. Characteristics of the applicant's spouse, if applicable, that indicate they are likely to remain in a HPSA
  • Applicants with training in a specialty determined by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be needed by the NHSC, as determined by the following factors:
    1. Have completed training through 1 of the following HRSA-funded programs:
      • Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program
      • Graduate Psychology Education Program
  • Applicants and their spouse, if applicable, from a disadvantaged background

Applications will also be reviewed and approved based on their HPSA score. Applicants currently serving or who will serve at a site with a higher HPSA score will be given preference.

Maternal healthcare applicants will be placed using either their Primary Care HPSA or Maternity Care Target Area score (MCTA), whichever is higher.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Financial Aid for Healthcare Workforce

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other relevant information can be found on the program website. Submit an application through the Bureau of Health Workforce My BHW portal.

Application and program guidance
Application checklist
Applicant webinar recording

Applicant Question and Answer Sessions:

Contact

For questions:
800-221-9393
TTY at 877-897-9910
Online contact form
Bureau of Health Workforce My BHW Portal

Topics This Program Addresses

Healthcare Workforce • Mental Health