Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 195 - GEORGIA BOARD FOR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE › Chapter 195-11 - SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM › Rule 195-11-.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. §
								20-3-510 et seq. and authorized to
			 administer a medical scholarship program.
(2) "Scholarship Program" refers to that
			 program of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce authorized under O.C.G.A.
			 §
								20-3-512 et seq., which awards
			 financial scholarships to medical students who, in return, agree to become
			 practicing physicians in rural areas of Georgia.
(3) "Scholarship Contract" refers to the
			 legally binding agreement between Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce and
			 the medical student recipient.
(4)
			 "Scholarship Award" means the amount of state appropriated funds available to
			 be awarded through contracts between the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce
			 and medical student recipients.
(5)
			 "Bona fide Citizen of the United States and Legal Resident of Georgia" refers
			 to, as minimum qualification, any eligible applicant for scholarship funds who
			 is a citizen of the United States and who has established residence in the
			 State of Georgia. Residence is verified by submission of a Certification of
			 Residency form duly executed by the Clerk of Court in the county of the
			 applicant's legal Georgia residence.
(6) "Eligible and Qualified Student" refers
			 to any bona fide citizen of the United States and Georgia resident who has been
			 accepted into an accredited medical school seeking either the degree of Doctor
			 of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.).
(7) "Scholarship Recipient" refers to an
			 applicant who has received and accepted the award of a scholarship and signed a
			 contract and other required documents agreeing to practice such specialty in a
			 rural location in Georgia, as approved by the Board.
(8) "Medical School" means an institution of
			 medical education located in the United States that has received accreditation
			 or provisional accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education
			 (LCME) or the Bureau of Professional Education of the American Osteopathic
			 Association (AOA) for a program in medical education designed to qualify the
			 graduate for licensure by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
(9) "Service Obligation" means the period of
			 service completed by the scholarship recipient in a practice location approved
			 by the Board in a rural area of Georgia or in a designated state facility as
			 required under the provisions of the scholarship contract. The service
			 obligation must begin within ninety (90) days of the completion of an
			 accredited graduated medical education program.
(10) "Strong Commitment" means evidence from
			 interviews and personal statements, or other instruments that the Board, in its
			 sole judgment, deems to be predictive of the student's future practice of
			 medicine in a rural community in Georgia.
(11) "Approved Practice Location" means the
			 Board has approved a practice location for service repayment for the primary
			 care specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine, and general
			 pediatrics in a rural county in Georgia of 50,000 population or less according
			 to the United States decennial census of 2010 or any future such census, or in
			 an area of this state which is rural and underserved by primary care physicians
			 as determined by the Board, or a hospital or facility operated by or under the
			 jurisdiction of the Department of Public Health, or a facility operated by or
			 under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections, or a facility operated
			 by or under the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice or a
			 facility operated by or under the jurisdiction of the Department of Behavioral
			 Health and Developmental Disabilities. Facilities falling under jurisdiction of
			 the mentioned state agencies must include physician employment by approved
			 agency or, in the case of contracted employment, the physician must be treating
			 patients of the approved agency with equal provisions given to that agency's
			 missions.
(12) "Underserved and
			 Rural Area for the primary care specialty of Obstetrics/Gynecology and other
			 critical need specialties" is defined as a regional area composed of counties
			 located in rural Georgia where an unmet need for physicians in the primary care
			 specialty of Obstetrics/Gynecology and other critical needs specialties exists
			 as determined by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce and approved by the
			 commissioners of Community Health and Public Health.
(13) "Census Count" means the population
			 figures published by the United States Decennial Census of the United States
			 Bureau of the Census. For Scholarship Agreements signed during the period of
			 January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2020, the 2010 Census Count shall serve as
			 the authority for populations regarding eligibility of practice locations. For
			 Scholarship Agreements signed during the period of January 1, 2001 through
			 December 31, 2010, the 2000 Census Count shall serve as the authority for
			 populations regarding eligibility of practice locations. For Scholarship
			 Agreements signed during the period of January 1, 1991 through December 31,
			 2000, the 1990 Census Count shall serve as the authority for populations
			 regarding eligibility of practice locations.
(14) "Contract Renewal" means the yearly
			 renewal of the scholarship contract between the recipient and the Board
			 provided the recipient is not repeating coursework. The contract shall not be
			 renewed more than three times for a total of four years of medical school
			 obligation. The contract shall not be renewed if the recipient fails to submit
			 the Annual Report by June 15th of each year.
(15) "Annual Report" means a report the
			 recipient must provide each year by the deadline as designated by the Board.
			 The contract will not be renewed if the scholarship recipient fails to submit
			 the Annual Report by the due date. The Annual Report must include:
(a) Name
(b) Address
(c) Enrollment status and verification of
			 good academic standing at the medical school
(d) Graduation date
(e) Official Transcript from Medical
			 School
(f) Continued interest and
			 recommitment to rural practice