Missouri Code of State Regulations › Title 19 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES › Division 10 - Office of the Director › Chapter 60 - Professional and Practical Loan and Training Programs › Section 19 CSR 10-60.060 - Health Professional Loan Repayment Program

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 14, July 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This rule establishes guidelines for
				  implementing the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) that will
				  reduce the burden of educational debt among selected health care, mental health
				  and public health professionals in return for providing health care, mental
				  health and public health services in areas of defined need.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The secretary of state has
				  determined that the publication of the entire text of the material which is
				  incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome
				  or expensive. This material as incorporated by reference in this rule shall be
				  maintained by the agency at its headquarters and shall be made available to the
				  public for inspection and copying at no more than the actual cost of
				  reproduction. This note applies only to the reference material. The entire text
				  of the rule is printed here.
EMERGENCY STATEMENT: The Department of Health and
				  Senior Services ("DHSS") determined that this emergency rule is necessary due
				  to the establishment of the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program under
				  section 191.430, RSMo, paired with the
				  funding appropriated for the administration of this program in state fiscal
				  year 2024. It is necessary to implement an emergency regulation detailing how
				  the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program will be administered to ensure
				  an equitable and expedient distribution of the appropriated funds during the
				  2024 state fiscal year. Immediate availability of this funding opportunity to
				  health professionals is required to protect the public health and welfare of
				  Missouri's citizens. For these reasons, the State has a compelling governmental
				  interest in having an emergency regulation in place allowing for the equitable
				  distribution of the appropriated funds. The scope of this emergency rule is
				  limited to the circumstances creating the emergency and complies with the
				  protections extended in the Missouri and United States Constitutions. The
				  Department of Health and Senior Services believes this emergency rule is fair
				  to all interested persons and parties under the circumstances. This emergency
				  rule was filed September 28, 2023, becomes effective October 13, 2023, and
				  expires April 9, 2024.
(1)
				Definitions. The following definitions shall be used in the interpretation and
				enforcement of this rule:
(A) Area of defined
				need means a geographic area, population, or field of work designated by the
				Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as experiencing a shortage of
				health care, mental health, or public health care services;
(B) Awardee means a health care, mental
				health, or public health professional who applied to and was selected by the
				Department to participate in the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program
				(HPLRP);
(C) Breach of written
				contract means failing to begin or complete service obligation, failing to
				submit employment verification surveys to the department annually, upon the
				request of the department, or within thirty (30) days of any change in
				employment, or failing to submit verification that awarded funds were applied
				to educational debt prior to the service obligation end date;
(D) Default means failure to repay any amount
				awarded as a loan, by the department directly to the individual who entered
				into the contract, which has not yet been forgiven;
(E) Department means the Missouri Department
				of Health and Senior Services;
(F)
				Director means the Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior
				Services;
(G) Forgiveness means
				fulfilling a service obligation through full-time qualifying employment
				consistent with the terms and conditions in the executed contract for a period
				no less than twenty-four (24) months as defined in the contract;
(H) Greatest need in the best interests of
				the public is defined by considering a number of factors related to the access
				to health care, mental health, and public health services and the professional
				shortages associated with the type of services provided; to determine the areas
				of most needed services and areas in Missouri with the greatest need, related
				to increasing access to health care, mental health, or public health services.
				Factors to be considered are subject to availability and may include but are
				not limited to: census data, designated HPSAs, workforce analysis and data
				presented to the Director prior to selection of eligible health professional
				and practitioner types;
(I) Health
				Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) means a geographic area, population group, or
				facility designated by the United States Department of Health and Human
				Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with a shortage
				of primary care, dental health, or mental health providers and
				services;
(J) Health Professional
				Shortage Area score is a numerical representation of the shortage level of
				providers providing services in the HPSA, the higher the score the greater the
				need. The score ranges from one (1) to twenty-five (25) for Primary Care and
				Mental Health, and from one (1) to twenty-six (26) for Dental Health.
(K) Health care professional means a licensed
				provider of health care or dental health treatment and services who has
				graduated with an associate degree or higher associated with a health care
				profession. This includes, but is not limited to: advanced practice registered
				nurse, assistant physician, dental hygienist, dentist, physician, physician
				assistant, registered dietitian, registered nurse, physical therapist,
				occupational therapist, or respiratory therapist.
(L) Mental health professional means a
				licensed mental health practitioner or social and human services provider who
				offers services for the purpose of improving an individuals mental health or to
				treat mental disorders and who has graduated with an associate degree or higher
				associated with a mental health or health care profession. This includes, but
				is not limited to: applied behavior analyst, licensed clinical social worker,
				licensed professional counselor, psychiatric advanced practice registered
				nurse, psychiatric assistant physician, psychiatric nurse, psychiatric
				physician assistant, psychiatric social worker, psychiatrist, or
				psychologist;
(M) Proof of use of
				funds means documentation provided by the awardee to provide proof that the
				total funding awarded was utilized to pay on the qualifying educational debt
				submitted in the awardee's application;
(N) Public health professional, for the
				purpose of this regulation, means professionals working to analyze, develop and
				implement programs that protect the health of individuals, families and
				communities with an associate degree or higher. This includes, but is not
				limited to: epidemiologist, health educator, public health administrator,
				public health laboratorian, public health program specialist, public health
				service coordinator, public health nurse, public school counselor, public
				school nurse or social services professional;
(O) Qualifying educational debt means
				government and commercial loans for actual costs paid for tuition and
				educational costs for the applicant to obtain a degree relevant to the
				applicant's qualifying employment;
(P) Qualifying employment means employment in
				a health care, mental health, or public health field for a minimum of forty
				(40) hours per week in an area of need as defined by the
				department.