Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 171 / Thursday, September 4, 1997 / Notices 46747

4. Marylin and Lawrence Cutler on

behalf of Lawrence Cutler, New

Brunswick, New Jersey, Court of

Federal Claims Number 97–0302 V

5. Iris Maldonado on behalf of Ruben

Anibal Felipe Maldonado, Orlando,

Florida, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0314 V

6. Mark Harrington, Belzoni,

Mississippi, Court of Federal

Claims Number 97–0316 V

7. Michelle and Richard Emmons on

behalf of Lauren C. Emmons, Vista,

California, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0327 V

8. Tina and Shawn Saladiner on behalf

of Somer Saladiner, Culpeper,

Virginia, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0331 V

9. Aida Miucin on behalf of Marko

Miucin, San Diego, California,

Court of Federal Claims Number

97–0336 V

10. Thomas J. Sansone, Sr. on behalf of

Thomas J. Sansone, Jr., Mount

Kisco, New York, Court of Federal

Claims Number 97–0337 V

11. Thomas James Owens, Jr.,

Covington, Louisiana, Court of

Federal Claims Number 97–0360 V

12. John Franklin Rowe, Jr., Hagerstown,

Maryland, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0366 V

13. Betsy and Michael Cuthbertson on

behalf of Nicole Cuthbertson,

Frisco, Colorado, Court of Federal

Claims Number 97–0367 V

14. Patton and Richard Carter on behalf

of Rebecca Carter, Deceased,

Ashland, New Hampshire, Court of

Federal Claims Number 97–0387 V

15. Tara Davis on behalf of Shayna

Adams, Overland Park, Kansas,

Court of Federal Claims Number

97–0392 V

16. Deborah Hartkopf, on behalf of

Lindsey Hartkopf, Cherry Hill, New

Jersey, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0403 V

17. Wendy and Steven Jarvis on behalf

of Philip Thomas Jarvis,

Thomasville, North Carolina, Court

of Federal Claims Number 97–

0405V

18. Julie and David A. Ryan on behalf

of Emilee Ryan, Indiana,

Pennsylvania, Court of Federal

Claims Number 97–0412 V

19. Thuy Bui Cung and Thach Bui Kim

on behalf of Diane Cung, Deceased,

Westminster, California, Court of

Federal Claims Number 97–0420 V

20. Christina and James Michener on

behalf of Barak Ross Michener, Las

Cruces, New Mexico, Court of

Federal Claims Number 97–0421 V

21. Margaret Reed, Vienna, Virginia,

Court of Federal Claims Number

97–0427 V

22. Danielle Deidun on behalf of Jalyn

Deidun, Grosse Pointe, Michigan,

Court of Federal Claims Number

97–0430 V

23. Debra Valois on behalf of Alvin Cole

Valois, Hammond, Louisiana, Court

of Federal Claims Number 97–0433

V

24. Carlene T. Giuffrida on behalf of

Megan-Rose Giuffrida, Stony Brook,

New York, Court of Federal Claims

Number 97–0436 V

25. Paula and Rick Rohl on behalf of

Samuel Rohl, Lihue, Hawaii, Court

of Federal Claims Number 97–0440

V

Dated: August 28, 1997.

Claude Earl Fox,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–23374 Filed 9–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service

Availability of Funds for Loan

Repayment Program for Repayment of

Health Professions Educational Loans

AGENCY: Indian Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Administration’s budget

request for fiscal year (FY) 1998

includes $11,706,000 for the Indian

Health Service Loan Repayment

Program for health professions

educational loans (undergraduate and

graduate) in return for full-time clinical

service in Indian health programs. It is

anticipated that $11,706,000 will be

available to support approximately 250

competing awards averaging $50,000

per award.

This program announcement is

subject to the appropriation of funds.

This notice is being published early to

coincide with the recruitment activity of

the IHS which competes with other

Government and private health

management organizations to employ

qualified health professionals. Funds

are required to be expended by

September 30 of the fiscal year. This

program is authorized by section 108 of

the Indian Health Care Improvement

Act (IHCIA) as amended, 25 U.S.C. 1601

et seq. The IHS invites potential

applicants to request an application for

participation in the Loan Repayment

Program.

DATES: Applications for the FY 1998

Loan Repayment Program will be

accepted and evaluated monthly

beginning January 2, 1998 and will

continue each month thereafter until all

funds are exhausted. Subsequent

monthly deadline dates are scheduled

for Friday of the second full week of

each month. Notice of awards will be

mailed on the last working day of each

month.

Applicants selected for participation

in the FY 1998 program cycle will be

expected to begin their service period

no later than September 30, 1998.

Applications shall be considered as

meeting the deadline if they are either:

1. Received on or before the deadline

date; or

2. Sent on or before the deadline date.

(Applicants should request a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or

obtain a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or U.S. Postal

Service. Private metered postmarks shall

not be acceptable as proof of timely

mailing.)

Applications received after the

monthly closing date will be held for

consideration in the next monthly

funding cycle. Applicants who do not

receive funding by September 30, 1998

will be notified in writing.

FORM TO BE USED FOR APPLICATION:

Applications will be accepted only if

they are submitted on the form entitled

‘‘Application for the Indian Health

Service Loan Repayment Program,’’

identified with the Office of

Management and Budget approval

number of OMB #0917–0014 (expires

11/30/99).

ADDRESSES: Application materials may

be obtained by calling or writing to the

address below. In addition, completed

applications should be returned to: IHS

Loan Repayment Program, 12300

Twinbrook Parkway—Suite 100,

Rockville, Maryland 20852, PH: 301/

443–3396 [between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00

p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday,

except Federal holidays].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please address inquiries to Mr. Charles

Yepa, Chief, IHS Loan Repayment

Program, Twinbrook Metro Plaza—Suite

100, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway,

Rockville, Maryland 20852, PH: 301/

443–3396 (between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

(EST) Monday through Friday, except

Federal holidays).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

108 of the INCIA as amended by Public

Laws 100–713 and 102–573, authorizes

the IHS Loan Repayment Program and

provides in pertinent part as follows:

The Secretary, acting through the Service,

shall establish a program to be known as the

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment

Program (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Loan

Repayment Program’’) in order to assure an

adequate supply of trained health

professionals necessary to maintain
46748 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 171 / Thursday, September 4, 1997 / Notices

accreditation of, and provide health care

services to Indians through, Indian health

programs.

Section 4(n) of the IHCIA, as amended

by the Indian Health Care Improvement

Technical Corrections Act of 1996,

Public Law 104–313, provides that:

‘‘Health Profession’’ means allopathic

medicine, family medicine, internal

medicine, pediatrics, geriatric medicine,

obstetrics and gynecology, podiatric

medicine, nursing, public health nursing,

dentistry, psychiatry, osteopathy, optometry,

pharmacy, psychology, public health, social

work, marriage and family therapy,

chiropractic medicine, environmental health

and engineering, an allied health profession,

or any other health profession.

For the purposes of this program, the

term ‘‘Indian health program’’ is defined

in section 108(a)(2)(A), as follows:

* * * any health program or facility funded,

in whole or in part, by the IHS for the benefit

of American Indians and Alaska Natives and

administered:

a. Directly by the service; or

b. By any Indian tribe or tribal or Indian

organization pursuant to a contract under:

(1) The Indian Self-Determination Act; or

(2) Section 23 of the Act of April 30, 1908

(25 U.S.C. 47), popularly known as the Buy

Indian Act; or

(3) By an urban Indian organization

pursuant to title V of this Act.

Applicants may sign contractual

agreements with the Secretary for 2

years. The IHS will repay all or a

portion of the applicant’s health

professions educational loans

(undergraduate and graduate) for tuition

expenses and reasonable educational

and living expenses in amounts up to

$30,000 per year for each year of

contracted service to be made in annual

payments to the participant for the

purpose of repaying his/her outstanding

health professions educational loans.

Repayment of health professional

educations loans will be made to the

participant within 120 days after the

participant’s entry on duty has been

confirmed by the IHS.

The Secretary must approve the

contract before the disbursement of loan

repayments can be made to the

participant. Participants will be

required to fulfill their contract service

agreements through full-time clinical

practice at an Indian health program site

determined by the Secretary. Loan

repayment sites are characterized by

physical, cultural, and professional

isolation, and have histories of frequent

staff turnover. All Indian health

program sites are annually prioritized

by discipline, based on need or vacancy

by the Agency.

All health professionals will receive

up to $30,000 per year, regardless of

their length of contract. Where

payments under the Loan Repayment

Program result in an increase in Federal

income tax liability the IRS will pay up

to 31 percent of the participant’s total

loan repayments to the Internal Revenue

Service on the participant’s behalf for

all or part of the increased tax liability

of the participant.

Pursuant to section 108(b), to be

eligible to participate in the Loan

Repayment Program an individual must:

(1) A. be enrolled:

(i) In a course of study or program in

an accredited institution, as determined

by the Secretary, within any State and

be scheduled to complete such course of

study in the same year such individual

applies to participate in the Loan

Repayment Program. (This includes the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam,

American Samoa, the Federated States

of Micronesia, the Republic of the

Marshall Islands, and the Republic of

Palau); or

(ii) In an approved graduate training

program in a health profession; or

B. Have a degree in a health

profession and a license to practice; and

(2) A. Be eligible for, or hold an

appointment as a Commissioned Officer

in the Regular or Reserve Corps of the

Public Health Service; or

B. Be eligible for selection for civilian

service in the Regular or Reserve Corps

of the Public Health Service; or

C. Meet the professional standards for

civil service employment in the IHS; or

D. Be employed in an Indian health

program without service obligation; and

(3) Submit to the Secretary an

application and contract to the Loan

Repayment Program; and

(4) Sign and submit to the Secretary,

a written contract agreeing to accept

repayment of educational loans and to

serve for the applicable period of

obligated service in a priority site as

determined by the Secretary; and

(5) Sign an affidavit attesting to the

fact that they have been informed of the

relative merits of the U.S. Public Health

Service Commissioned Corps and the

Civil Service as employment options.

Upon approval of the applicant for

participation in the Loan Repayment

Program, the applicant will receive

confirmation of his/her loan repayment

award and the duty site at which he/she

will serve his/her loan repayment

obligation.

The IHS has identified the positions

in each Indian health program for which

there is a need or vacancy and ranked

those positions in order of priority by

developing discipline specific

prioritized lists of sites. Ranking criteria

for these sites include the following:

• Historically critical shortages

caused by frequent staff turnover;

• Current unmatched vacancies in a

Health Profession Discipline;

• Projected vacancies in a Health

Profession Discipline;

• Ensuring that the staffing needs of

Indian health programs administered by

an Indian tribe or tribal or health

organization receive consideration on an

equal basis with programs that are

administered directly by the Service;

and

• Giving priority to vacancies in

Indian health programs that have a need

for health professionals to provide

health care services as a result of

individuals having breached Loan

Repayment Program contracts entered

into under this section. Consistent with

this priority ranking, in determining

which applications to approve and

which contracts to accept, the IHS will

give priority to applications made by

American Indians and Alaska Natives

and to individuals recruited through the

efforts of Indian tribes or tribal or Indian

organizations.

• With respect to priorities among the

various health professions, the statute

requires that of the total amount

appropriated for FY 1998 for loan

repayment contracts, not less than 25

percent be provided to applicants who

are nurses, nurse practitioners, or nurse

midwives and not less than 10 percent

be provided to applicants who are

mental health professionals (other than

nurses, nurse practitioners, or nurse

midwives). This requirement does not

apply if the number of applications from

these two groups, respectively, is not

sufficient to meet the requirement.

• Subject to the above statutory

priority for nurses and mental health

practitioners, the IHS will give priority

in funding among health professionals

to physicians in the following priority

specialties: Anesthesiology, emergency

room medicine, general surgery,

obstetrics/gynecology, ophthalmology,

orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology/

otorhinolaryngol, psychiatry and

radiology.

The following factors are equal in

weight when applied, and are applied

when all other criteria are equal and a

selection must be made between

applicants.

One or all of the following factors may

be applicable to an applicant, and the

applicant who has the most of these

factors, all other criteria equal, would be

selected.

• An applicant’s length of current

employment in the IHS, tribal or urban

program.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 171 / Thursday, September 4, 1997 / Notices 46749

• Availability for service earlier than

other applicants (first come, first

served); and

• Date the individual’s application

was received.

Any individual who enters this

program and satisfactorily completes his

or her obligated period of service may

apply to extend the contract on a yearby-year basis, as determined by the IHS,

at the maximum amount of up to

$30,000 per year and additional 31

percent for Federal Withholding. If

funds are available, the maximum

amount will be funded in this manner

and will not exceed the total of the

individual’s outstanding eligible health

professions educational loans.

Any individual who owes an

obligation for health professional

service to the Federal Government or to

a State or other entity under an

agreement with such State or other

entity is not eligible for the Loan

Repayment Program unless such an

obligation will be completely satisfied

prior to the beginning of service under

this program in the year that an

application is made for this program.

This program is not subject to review

under Executive Order 12372.

(The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

number is 93.164.)

Dated: August 11, 1997.

Michael H. Trujillo,

Assistant Surgeon General, Director.

[FR Doc. 97–23508 Filed 9–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–16–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Center for Research

Resources; Notice of Closed Meeting

Pursuant to Section 10(d) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as

amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice

is hereby given of the following

National Center for Research Resources

Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) meeting:

Name of SEP: Minority Initiative: K–12

Teachers & High.

Date: September 16, 1997.

Time: 8:00 a.m.–Until Adjournment.

Place: Holiday Inn Bethesda, Montgomery

Room, 8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda,

MD 20814, (301) 652–2000.

Contact Person: Dr. Jill Carrington,

Scientific Review Administrator, 6705

Rockledge Drive, MSC 7965, Room 6018,

Bethesda, MD 20892–7965, (301) 435–0811.

Purpose/Agenda: To evaluate and review

grant applications.

This meeting will be closed in accordance

with the provisions set forth in sections

552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5, U.S.C.

Applications and/or proposals and the

discussions could reveal confidential trade

secrets or commercial property such as

patentable material and personal information

concerning individuals associated with the

applications and/or proposals, the disclosure

of which would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

This notice is being published less than 15

days prior to the above meeting due to the

urgent need to meet time limitations imposed

by the review and funding cycle.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93.306, Laboratory Animal

Science and Primate Research).

Dated: August 28, 1997.

LaVeen M. Ponds,

Policy Analyst, NIH CMO.

[FR Doc. 97–23479 Filed 9–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute; Notice of Meeting

Pursuant to Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given of the meeting of

the following National Heart, Lung, and

Blood Institute Special Emphasis Panel.

The meeting will be open to the

public to provide concept review of

proposed contract or grant solicitations.

Individuals who plan to attend and

need special assistance, such as sign

language interpretation or other

reasonable accommodations, should

inform the Contact Person listed below

in advance of the meeting.

Name of Panel: Strategies to Augment

Alveolarization.

Date: September 29, 1997.

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Place: II Rockledge Center, Room 10229,

6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, Maryland

20892.

Agenda: To discuss current concepts

concerning alveolarization including basic

science and clinical issues.

Contact Person: Mary Anne Berberich,

Ph.D., NHLBI/DLD, II Rockledge Center, 6701

Rockledge Drive, Rm. 10102, MSC 7952,

Bethesda, Maryland 20892, (301) 435–0222.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Programs Nos. 93.837, Heart and Vascular

Diseases Research; 93.838, Lung Diseases

Research; and 93.839, Blood Diseases and

Resources Research, National Institutes of

Health)

Dated: August 27, 1997.

LaVeen M. Ponds,

Policy Analyst, NIH CMO.

[FR Doc. 97–23477 Filed 9–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute; Notice of Meeting

Pursuant to Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given of the meeting of

the following National Heart, Lung, and

Blood Institute Special Emphasis Panel.

The meeting will be open to the

public to provide concept review of

proposed contract or grant solicitations.

Individuals who plan to attend and

need special assistance, such as sign

language interpretation or other

reasonable accommodations, should

inform the Contact Person listed below

in advance of the meeting.

Name of Panel: Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

(CJD) and Blood Transfusion.

Dates of Meeting: September 24, 1997.

Time of Meeting: 9:00 a.m.

Place of Meeting: NIH, Building 31, C

Wing, Conference Room 7, 9000 Rockville

Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

Agenda: To discuss and develop plans for

research in the area of CJD and its possible

transmission by blood transfusion.

Contact Person: Luiz H. Barbosa, D.V.M.,

NHLBI/DBDR, II Rockledge Center, 6701

Rockledge Drive, Rm. 10146, MSC 7950,

Bethesda, Maryland 20892, (301) 435–0075.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Programs Nos. 93.837, Heart and Vascular

Diseases Research; 93.838, Lung Diseases

Research; and 93.839, Blood Diseases and

Resources Research, National Institutes of

Health)

Dated: August 27, 1997.

LaVeen M. Ponds,

Policy Analyst, NIH CMO.

[FR Doc. 97–23478 Filed 9–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute; Notice of Meeting

Pursuant to Public Law 92–463,

notice is hereby given of the meeting of

the following National Heart, Lung, and

Blood Institute Special Emphasis Panel.

The meeting will be open to the

public to provide concept review of

proposed contract or grant solicitations.

Individuals who plan to attend and

need special assistance, such as sign

language interpretation or other

reasonable accommodations, should

inform the Contact Person listed below

in advance of the meeting.

Name of Panel: Research Priorities in

Blood Diseases and Resources.