Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 520 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE DENTAL SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS › Part III - Scholarship and Loan Repayment Awards › Section 12VAC5-520-160 - Contractual practice obligation

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
Prior to the payment of money to a scholarship or loan
					 repayment recipient, the commissioner shall prepare and enter into a contract
					 with the recipient. The contract shall:
1. Provide that the recipient of the
				  scholarship award shall pursue the dental course of Virginia Commonwealth
				  University until graduation and upon graduation or upon graduation from an
				  accredited residency program that does not exceed four years, shall notify the
				  commissioner in writing of his proposed practice location or intent to enter a
				  residency not more than 30 days after graduation and begin his approved
				  practice within 90 days after completing dental school or residency, and
				  thereafter continuously engage in full-time dental practice in a dental
				  underserved area of Virginia or in a designated state facility for a period of
				  years equal to the number of annual scholarships received.
2. Provide that upon graduation from an
				  accredited dental school and receiving notification of the dentist loan
				  repayment award, the dentist shall begin his approved practice within 90 days
				  and thereafter continuously engage in full-time dental practice in an
				  underserved area of Virginia or in a designated state facility for a period of
				  years equal to the number of loan repayment awards received.
3. Provide that at any time prior to entering
				  practice, the scholarship or loan repayment recipient shall be allowed to
				  select a future practice location from the listing of dental underserved areas
				  maintained by the board.
4. Provide
				  that the recipient may request approval of a change of practice location. The
				  commissioner in his discretion may approve such a request, but only if the
				  change is to a practice location in a dental underserved area or a state
				  facility designated by the Board of Health.
5. Provide that the recipient shall repay the
				  scholarship or loan repayment obligation by practicing dentistry on a full-time
				  basis in a dental underserved area, shall maintain office hours convenient for
				  the population of the area to have access to the recipient's services and shall
				  participate in all government-sponsored insurance programs designed to ensure
				  access to dental services of recipients of public assistance. The recipient
				  shall not selectively place limits on the numbers of such patients admitted to
				  the practice.
6. Provide that the
				  recipient shall not voluntarily obligate himself for more than the minimum
				  period of military service required of dentists by the laws of the United
				  States and that upon completion of the minimum period of military service, the
				  recipient shall promptly begin and thereafter continuously engage in full-time
				  dental practice in a dental underserved area of Virginia or in a designated
				  state facility for the period of years equal to the number of scholarships
				  received. Dental practice in federal agencies, military service or the U.S.
				  Public Health Service may not be substituted for scholarship
				  obligation.
7. Provide that the
				  recipient shall receive credit toward fulfillment of his contractual obligation
				  at the rate of 12 months of dental practice for each scholarship or loan
				  repayment award paid to the recipient. The recipient may be absent from the
				  place of approved practice for a total of four weeks in each 12-month period
				  for personal reasons. Absence for a period in excess of four weeks without the
				  written permission of the commissioner shall result in proportional reduction
				  of the period of credit toward fulfillment of the contractual
				  obligation.
8. Provide that should
				  the scholarship recipient pay restitution by not serving his scholarship
				  obligation in an underserved area, and within five years of paying restitution
				  fulfills the terms of his contract through dental practice as outlined in this
				  section, that the recipient will be reimbursed for all or part of any
				  scholarship award paid based on the fulfillment of the scholarship and
				  availability of funds.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-122.9 of the Code of Virginia.