Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 195 - GEORGIA BOARD FOR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE › Chapter 195-16 - ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES (APRN) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM › Rule 195-16-.01 - General Definitions

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce"
			 means the organization and its office created under O.C.G.A.
			 49-10.
(2) "Loan" refers to the service repayable
			 grant awarded by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to applicants who
			 are desirous of becoming APRNs practicing nursing in rural areas of
			 Georgia.
(3) "Loan Repayment"
			 refers to repayment of all or a portion of recipient's outstanding education
			 loan debt. Qualifying debt is held by an established lending institution,
			 identifiable as originating from the debt incurred to obtain an APRN education
			 and fully disclosed at the time of application.
(4) "APRN" means a certified nurse midwife,
			 certified nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner providing primary
			 care and/or mental health care.
(5)
			 "Qualified Debt" is any debt incurred to obtain a nursing education, fully
			 disclosed at the time of application, and is currently not in default. Even if
			 a creditor now considers the defaulted loan to be in good standing, such debt
			 shall not be considered Qualified Debt.
(6) "APRN Education Loan Debt" refers to
			 loans incurred by the applicant to finance his/her APRN education that remains
			 unpaid during the contract period.
(7) "Eligible and Qualified Applicant" refers
			 to, as minimum qualifications, an APRN with outstanding nursing education loan
			 debt, licensed to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse in the
			 State of Georgia who desires to serve in a Board-approved, rural area of
			 Georgia.
(8) "Nursing School" means
			 an institution of nursing education that received accreditation or provisional
			 accreditation by a national accrediting body in nursing education designed to
			 qualify the graduate for licensure by the Georgia Board of Nursing.
(9) "Recipient" means any person who receives
			 any amount of funding from for Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce Rural
			 Areas Assistance Program of the Georgia Board of Health Care
			 Workforce.
(10) "Service Repayment"
			 means the period of service earned by the APRN, as approved by the Board,
			 toward repayment of the service cancelable loan in professional advanced
			 practice registered nurse's services rendered by the recipient and as required
			 under the provisions of the loan contract.
(11) "Credit" means that amount of time
			 credited to the recipient for services rendered in compliance with the
			 provisions of the contract. Credit is applied one year of funding for each year
			 of service rendered in compliance with the repayment provisions of the
			 contract, but may be prorated at the Board's discretion and
			 determination.
(12) "Rural and
			 Underserved Area" is defined as a Board approved rural county in Georgia of
			 50,000 population or less according to the United States decennial census of
			 2010 of any future such census or at any hospital or facility operated directly
			 by the Department of Public Health, Department of Community Health, Department
			 of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Department of Human
			 Resources, Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice.
			 Facilities falling under the direct jurisdiction of the mentioned state
			 agencies must include advanced practice registered nursing employment by
			 approved agency or, in case of contracted employment, the APRN must be treating
			 patients of the approved agency with equal provisions given to that agency's
			 missions.
(13) "Contract Renewal"
			 means the yearly renewal of the loan repayment contract between the recipient
			 and the Board. The contract period shall be renewable on a one-year basis for a
			 period not exceeding four years and a total amount not exceeding
			 $40,000.00.
(14) "Award Amount"
			 refers to the annual amount obligated to a loan repayment recipient. The award
			 amount shall be determined by the Board. At its annual meeting, the Board may,
			 within its discretion, set the award amount for new loans within the limit of
			 the appropriated funds for the budget year. Said amount shall be set forth in
			 the official minutes of the Board.
(15) "Default" means breach of contract by
			 the recipient in failing to begin or failing to complete the contractual
			 service obligation of the APRN for Rural Areas Assistance Program.
(16) "Ad Damnum or Double Damages" refers to
			 the penalty resulting from a loan repayment recipient defaulting on their
			 contractual obligations. Default requires immediate repayment of double the
			 total principal amount received less any pro-rated amount for repaid service as
			 provided in the contract.
(17)
			 "Cancellation of Contract" refers to the discretionary power of Georgia Board
			 of Health Care Workforce to cancel any contract for cause deemed sufficient by
			 the Board, provided such authority is not exercised unreasonably or
			 arbitrarily.
(18) "Full Time"
			 refers to 40 hours of work required per week to fulfill service obligations.
			 Full time is considered at least 32 clinical hours providing direct patient
			 care during normal clinic hours at the approved practice site. Remaining hours
			 must be spent providing practice-related administrative activities. On-call
			 hours are not considered part of the full time requirement. No more than 7
			 weeks (35 workdays) per year can be spent away from the practice for vacation,
			 holidays, continuing professional education, illness or any other reason.
			 Absences greater than 7 weeks a year will extend the service commitment. The
			 practice time requirement can be split between two or more counties, provided
			 that none of the practice location counties exceeds the 50,000 population
			 limit.
(19) "Compelling Reasons"
			 refers to conditions such as a life threatening illness or loss of ability to
			 perform the duties of an APRN or to be gainfully employed due to illness or
			 accident. The Board may consent to a lesser measure of damages for compelling
			 reasons.
O.C.G.A. §
										49-10-1.