Applicant Information Bulletin: School Year 2009-2010
Eligibility Requirements, Qualification Factors, Funding Preferences

1. Eligibility Requirements to Participate

1. Certification of Disadvantaged Background - Applicants must be able to provide certification from a school that he/she was identified as having a disadvantaged background based on environmental or economic factors. 
2. Citizenship - Applicants must be citizens of the United States (either U.S. born or naturalized).  All applicants must submit documentation to verify U.S. citizenship or status as a U.S. national (e.g., a copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship, passport or naturalization certificate) with the application material.  Permanent residents of the U.S. are not eligible to apply.
3. Eligible Disciplines - Applicants must have a degree in, be enrolled in an approved graduate training program, be enrolled in the final year of an approved graduate training program, or be enrolled as a full-time student in the final year of study at an eligible health professions school leading to a degree in one of the following health professions:  Allopathic Medicine; Osteopathic Medicine; Podiatric Medicine; Veterinary Medicine; Dentistry; Pharmacy; Optometry; Nursing (RN only); Public Health; Behavioral and Mental Health (graduate level only); Clinical Psychology (graduate level only); Clinical Social Work (graduate level only); Marriage and Family Therapy (graduate level only); or schools of Allied Health (baccalaureate or graduate degree programs of dental hygiene, medical laboratory technology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, radiologic technology, speech pathology, audiology, and registered dietitians). (See Section A.5. Definitions) 
   
   **An applicant in his/her final year of approved graduate training or final year of study must submit, by July 7, 2009 (postmark date), a letter of good standing from his/her Program Director indicating the expected date of graduation.  The individual must graduate no later than September 1, 2009, and begin working in a faculty position on or before September 30, 2009, to be eligible for FLRP. 
4. Employment - All applicants must have an employment commitment from an eligible health professions school for a full-time or part-time (as defined by the school) faculty position for a minimum of 2 years.  Such employment must start on or before September 30, 2009.  An applicant who is not committed to remaining at the employing institution reflected in his/her application for the duration of the 2-year FLRP contract should not apply for a FLRP award.
   
   Faculty member duties must primarily consist of teaching in a classroom; not research or administrative activities.  An eligible health professions school must be an accredited school of medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, podiatric medicine, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, or a school offering graduate programs in behavioral or mental health.
5. Matching Loan Repayment/Waiver of Matching Loan Repayment – Applicants must have a written agreement with the eligible health professions school pursuant to which the school has agreed to pay principal and interest due on the applicant’s educational loans in an amount equivalent to the loan repayments made by HHS, unless the school has received a full or partial waiver of this requirement from the HHS awarding party.  This amount is in addition to the pay the individual would otherwise receive as a faculty member.  
6. Free of Federal Judgment Liens - An applicant must be free of any judgment liens against his/her property arising from a debt owed to the United States.  Debtors with judgment liens for Federal debts are ineligible to receive Federal financial assistance.  Please be advised that a credit check will be conducted as part of the application process.
7. Not Excluded, Debarred, Suspended or Disqualified By a Federal Agency
   
   The receipt of funding under the FLRP is a “covered transaction” pursuant to Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 180, as adopted by HHS pursuant to 2 CFR Part 376.  Before entering into a loan repayment contract, the applicant is required, under Subpart C of Part 180, to report certain information, which is described in the “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Disqualification and Related Matters” form.  The applicant should sign the Certification that is applicable to his/her situation.  Individuals who are currently excluded (suspended or debarred) or disqualified by any Federal agency from participating in covered transactions are ineligible to receive an award under the FLRP.  Individuals with reportable problems other than exclusion or disqualification may, or may not, be selected to participate in the FLRP, based on the Program’s consideration and evaluation of the applicant’s situation.  As a condition of participating in the FLRP, a participant must agree to comply with the requirements of Subpart C of Part 180, which includes providing immediate written notice to DAA if the applicant learns that he/she failed to make a required disclosure or that a disclosure is now required due to changed circumstances.
8. No Existing Service Obligations - All applicants who have an outstanding contractual obligation for health professional service to the Federal Government, a State, or other entity are ineligible to participate in the FLRP, unless that service obligation will be satisfied completely by June 30, 2009.  The applicant is required to submit a letter, on business letterhead, from the entity to which the service obligation is owed indicating the date the service obligation will be completed.
9. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a complete FY 2009 FLRP application to the Faculty Loan Repayment Program at 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8-37, Rockville, Maryland 20857.  Only applications with all required supporting documentation will be reviewed and processed.

2.  QUALIFICATION FACTORS

Applications from eligible applicants will also be evaluated based on the following factors relevant to selecting qualified applicants to participate in the FLRP.

1. a.   History of Compliance with Prior Obligations – The FLRP will not select applicants who have a history of not honoring their legal obligations, as evidenced by one or more of the following factors:
   • The applicant has defaulted on a Federal debt.  A Federal debt includes debt arising from Federal taxes, Federal loans, federally guaranteed or insured loans such as student or home mortgage loans, an overpayment of Federal benefits and any other debt owed to the Federal Government.  An applicant is considered to have defaulted on a Federal debt is he or she has ever been more than 90 days past due on a scheduled payment.
   • The applicant has breached a prior service obligation to a governmental entity (Federal, State or local) or has had such obligation waived.
   • The applicant has had a Federal debt written off as uncollectible or waived.
2. Prior FLRP Awardees – Failure to apply all FLRP funds previously received toward the applicant’s qualifying educational loans will result in denial of a new award.  Payment histories from the lender(s) will be required. 

Please be advised that a credit check will be performed as part of the application process. 

3.  ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDING PREFERENCES

1. Applicants with full-time employment at an eligible health professions school will be funded first. 
2. To the extent that funds remain available, applicants with part-time employment at an eligible health professions school will be funded.  Part-time participants will be funded based on the percentage of a full-time position he or she works.

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