Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 195 - GEORGIA BOARD FOR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE › Chapter 195-14 - DENTAL LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM › Rule 195-14-.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 dentists practicing dentistry in rural areas of
			 Georgia.
(3) "Loan Repayment"
			 refers to repayment of all or a portion of recipient's outstanding dental
			 education loan debt. Qualifying debt is held by an established lending
			 institution, identifiable as originating from the debt incurred to obtain a
			 dental education and fully disclosed at the time of application.
(4) "Qualified Debt" is any debt incurred to
			 obtain a dental 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.
(5) "Dental Education Loan
			 Debt" refers to loans incurred by the applicant to finance his/her dental
			 education that remains unpaid during the contract period.
(6) "Eligible and Qualified Applicant" refers
			 to, as minimum qualifications, a dentist with outstanding dental education loan
			 debt, licensed to practice dentistry in the State of Georgia who desires to
			 serve in a Board-approved, rural area of Georgia.
(7) "Dental School" means an institution of
			 dental education that received accreditation or provisional accreditation by
			 the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation for a
			 program in dental education designed to qualify the graduate for licensure by
			 the Georgia Board of Dentistry.
(8)
			 "Recipient" means any person who receives any amount of funding from the
			 Dentists for Rural Areas Assistance Program of the Georgia Board of Health Care
			 Workforce.
(9) "Service Repayment"
			 means the period of service earned by the dentist, as approved by the Board,
			 toward repayment of the service cancelable loan in professional dental services
			 rendered by the recipient and as required under the provisions of the loan
			 contract.
(10) "Credit" means that
			 amount of time credited to the recipient for services rendered in compliance
			 with the provisions of the contract. Credit is typically applied one year of
			 funding for each year of service rendered in compliance with the repayment
			 provisions of the contract.
(11)
			 "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 or any future such census or at any hospital or facility
			 operated by or under jurisdiction of 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
			 jurisdiction of the mentioned state agencies must include dental employment by
			 approved agency or, in case of contracted employment, the dentist must be
			 treating patients of the approved agency with equal provisions given to that
			 agency's missions.
(12) "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
			 $100,000.
(13) "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.
(14) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce"
			 means that agency of Georgia State Government created under O.C.G.A. §
								49-10-1, whose purpose is to
			 address the health care workforce needs of Georgia's communities through the
			 support and development of medical education programs and to increase the
			 number of physicians and health care practitioners practicing in underserved
			 rural areas.
(15) "Default" means
			 breach of contract by the recipient in failing to begin or failing to complete
			 the contractual service obligation of the Dentists 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 the 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 the minimum number
			 of 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.
(19) "Compelling Reasons" refers to
			 conditions such as a life threatening illness or loss of ability to practice
			 dentistry 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.