2023 New York Laws › EDN - Education › Title 1 - General Provisions › Article 14 - New York State Higher Education Services Corporation › Part 2 - Student Financial Aid › Sub Part 4 - Other Awards › 679-H - New York State Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship Program.

§  679-h.  New  York  state child welfare worker incentive scholarship
  program. 1. Purpose. The president shall grant  scholarship  awards  for
  the  purpose  of  enhancing  the  proficiency  of  current child welfare
  workers in New York state. Such awards shall be made  on  a  competitive
  basis   to   applicants  who  are  currently  employed  at  a  voluntary
  not-for-profit child welfare agency in New York state  licensed  by  the
  office  of  children  and family services, or employed within such state
  agency as a child welfare worker, with at least  two  years'  experience
  and  are  enrolling  in an approved program to obtain a degree that will
  enhance their ability to work in such agency.
2. Eligibility. To be eligible for an award pursuant to this  section,
  applicants shall: a. be currently employed at a voluntary not-for-profit
  child  welfare  agency  in  New  York  state  licensed  by the office of
  children and family services, with  at  least  two  years  of  qualified
  experience;
b.  be  matriculated in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at
  an institution of higher education located within New York  state  in  a
  program of study that would enhance their ability to work in such agency
  as determined by the president;
c. agree to work in a voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency in
  New York state licensed by the office of children and family services as
  a child welfare worker on a full time basis for a period of no less than
  five  continuous  years  upon completion of such degree program within a
  reasonable period of time and maintain residency in New York  state  for
  such period of employment; and
d.  comply  with  subdivisions  three  and five of section six hundred
  sixty-one of this part.
3. Award conditions and requirements. a. Within  amounts  appropriated
  therefore  and  based  on  availability  of funds, scholarships shall be
  granted beginning with  the  two  thousand  seventeen  --  two  thousand
  eighteen  academic  year  and  thereafter  on  a  competitive  basis  to
  applicants whom the corporation has certified are  eligible  to  receive
  such  awards;  and who agree to work in a voluntary not-for-profit child
  welfare agency in New York state licensed by the office of children  and
  family  services  as  a  child welfare worker on a full time basis for a
  period of no less than five continuous years  upon  completion  of  such
  degree  within a reasonable period of time and maintain residency in New
  York state for such period of employment.
b. An applicant must make every reasonable effort to obtain employment
  in a voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency  in  New  York  state
  licensed  by  the  office  of  children  and  family services as a child
  welfare worker upon graduation.
4. Amount. The corporation shall grant such awards within the  amounts
  appropriated  for  such  purpose  and  based  on  availability  of funds
  according to a schedule to  be  determined  by  the  corporation  in  an
  amount:
a.  equal  to the tuition charged to state resident students attending
  an undergraduate or graduate degree program, as applicable, at the state
  university of New York; the average mandatory fees charged at the  state
  university  of  New  York, or the actual tuition and fees charged to the
  recipient, whichever is  less;  and  the  average  non-tuition  cost  of
  attendance,  as  determined  by  the  corporation and as approved by the
  director of the budget, for a student at the  state  university  of  New
  York  or  actual  non-tuition  cost  of  attendance at such institution,
  whichever is less provided that the  scholarship  shall  not  exceed  an
  amount  that  is  equal  to  the total cost of attendance determined for
  federal  Title  IV  student  financial  aid  purposes,  less  all  other
  scholarships  and  grants  provided by New York state, other states, the

  federal government, or other governments, and the amount of  educational
  benefits  paid  under  any  program that would duplicate the purposes of
  this program, provided that any scholarships or  grants  provided  to  a
  recipient  by  the institution which are intended to fund any portion of
  the difference between the annual state award and the  actual  costs  of
  attendance  at any such institution shall not be considered to duplicate
  the purposes of this program.
b. not to exceed twenty thousand dollars for a master's degree program
  at a private institution; the average  mandatory  fees  charged  at  the
  private  institution,  or  the  actual  tuition  and fees charged to the
  recipient, whichever is  less;  and  the  average  non-tuition  cost  of
  attendance,  as  determined  by  the  corporation and as approved by the
  director of the budget, for a student at  such  private  institution  or
  actual  non-tuition cost of attendance at such institution, whichever is
  less, provided that the scholarship shall not exceed an amount  that  is
  equal  to  the  total cost of attendance determined for federal Title IV
  student financial aid purposes, less all other scholarships  and  grants
  provided  by  New  York  state, other states, the federal government, or
  other governments, and the amount of educational benefits paid under any
  program that would duplicate the purposes of this program, provided that
  any scholarships or grants provided to a recipient  by  the  institution
  which  are  intended  to  fund any portion of the difference between the
  annual state award and the  actual  costs  of  attendance  at  any  such
  institution  shall  not  be considered to duplicate the purposes of this
  program.
5. Other awards. Award recipients shall be eligible to apply for other
  awards.
6. Duration. An award shall entitle the recipient to  annual  payments
  for either an associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or graduate degree.
  An  eligible recipient enrolled in an eligible two year program of study
  shall not receive an award for more than two academic years. An eligible
  recipient enrolled in an eligible undergraduate program of  study  shall
  not  receive an award for more than four academic years of undergraduate
  study or five academic years if the program of study  normally  requires
  five  years.  An  eligible  recipient  enrolled in a graduate program of
  study shall not receive an award  for  more  than  two  academic  years.
  Notwithstanding,   such  duration  may  be  extended  for  an  allowable
  interruption of study as determined by the corporation.
7. Penalties for noncompliance. a. The  corporation  may  collect  the
  full  amount of the award given pursuant to this section, plus interest,
  according to a schedule to be determined by the corporation, if: (i) the
  recipient fails to complete their degree  program  within  a  reasonable
  time  as  determined  by  the  corporation;  or  (ii) one year after the
  completion of the degree program it is found that a  recipient  did  not
  begin  full-time  employment at a voluntary not-for-profit child welfare
  agency in New York state licensed by the office of children  and  family
  services  as  a  child  welfare  worker; or (iii) the recipient fails to
  complete five continuous years of full-time employment  at  a  voluntary
  not-for-profit  child welfare agency in the state licensed by the office
  of children and family services as a child welfare  worker  or  maintain
  residency  in  New York state for such period of employment; or (iv) the
  recipient fails to respond to requests by the corporation for the status
  of  his  or  her  academic  or  professional  progress.  The  terms  and
  conditions of this subdivision shall be deferred for any interruption in
  an  undergraduate  or graduate study or employment as established by the
  rules and regulations of the corporation. Any obligation to comply  with
  such  provisions as outlined in this section shall be cancelled upon the
  death  of  the  recipient.  Notwithstanding  any  provisions   of   this

  subdivision to the contrary, the corporation is authorized to promulgate
  rules  and  regulations  necessary  for  the waiver of suspension of any
  financial obligation which would involve extreme hardship.
8. Recipient selection. The president may establish:
a. an application deadline; and
b.  a  method  of  selecting recipients if in any given year there are
  insufficient funds to cover the needs of all  applicants  and  returning
  recipients.
9.  Rules and regulations. The corporation is authorized to promulgate
  rules  and  regulations,  and  may  promulgate  emergency   regulations,
  necessary  for  the  implementation  of  the  provisions of this section
  including, but not limited to, the criteria to distributing the  awards,
  which  may  include a lottery or other form of random selection, and the
  rate of interest charges for repayment of the student loan.