Idaho State Loan Repayment Program

Through the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program, qualifying applicants may be able to get a considerable amount of money towards their student loans covered by the state. These applicants must be in the healthcare space through Rural Health & Primary Care fields. There are a few different programs within the Idaho State program. These programs include the Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP), The Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP), and the State Loan Repayment Program (SLPR). Continue reading to see how much money you may be eligible to use toward paying off your student loans.

Eligibility?

In order to be eligible for the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program, you must be qualified into one of the following state programs. Each program will be highlighted below and will allow for you to see a breakdown of what you will need in order to fully be eligible for each of the respective programs through the state of Idaho:

• The Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP)
  • exists to assist rural and underserved Idaho communities in improving access to primary medical and dental health care. RHCAP awards are limited to a maximum of $35,000 for a one-year funding cycle. The application period is from July 1 – August 30 every year and for the FY 2017 cycle, projects must be initiated and completed between November 1, 2017, and June 6, 2018. Proposed projects are required to address needs in areas designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUA). Applicants may submit grant proposals that improve access to primary care and/or dental health services in any of the three assistance categories (Idaho Code 39-5906).

• The Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP)
  • offers an opportunity for medical education debt repayment for rural physicians who practice primary/dental care medicine in an Idaho federally-designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) that demonstrates a need for assistance in physician recruitment. “Primary care medicine” for the purposes of RPIP means family medicine, general internal medicine, and general pediatrics. If there is a demonstrated high level of need in an eligible area as determined by the board, it may also include obstetrics and gynecology, general psychiatry, general surgery, dental and emergency medicine. As of July 1, 2015, RPIP awards are limited to a maximum of $100,000 payable over a four year period in exchange for a service obligation. The application period is from July 1 – August 30 every year.  Awarded funds are disbursed at the end of each year following the term of service. Program authorization can be found in Idaho Code 39, Chapter 59(https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch59/).

• State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
  • SLRP is a multi-discipline, state-based loan repayment program for nurses, clinicians, and physicians working in federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas. Loan repayment is provided through a federal grant, every award must be matched $1 to $1 with funds provided by the practitioner’s employer. Participating sites must implement a sliding fee scale for low income and uninsured patients and accept Medicare and Medicaid. Loan repayment awards may range from $2,500-$25,000 per year depending on employer match contribution. A service obligation is required; full-time practitioners are required to fulfill a two-year service obligation. Sites must submit annual reports during the funding period. Participants currently receiving loan repayment and fulfilling a service obligation are not eligible.

What is the award amount?

Depending on which program you go into for the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program, you will have award amounts that will correspond to those programs. See below for a program breakdown:

• The Rural Health Care Access Program (RHCAP)
  • This program has a maximum of $35,000.00 for a one-year funding cycle. This means that you will max out if you qualify at $35,000.00 per year.
• The Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP)
  • If you qualify for this program, you will be able to get up to $100,000.00 towards your student loan debt over a four year period in exchange for your services.
• State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
  • For this program, loan applicants may be awarded anywhere from $2,500.00 t0 $25,000.00 per year depending on their employers match contribution.

– *New applications for the State Loan Repayment Program are not being accepted at this time. All Federal funds used for the State portion of the $1:$1 match for the current federal fiscal year (September 1, 2018 – August 31, 2019) are fully committed for medical education loan repayment to clinicians in underserved areas of Idaho. We anticipate the new SLRP application period to begin by late Fall 2019. Send your name and email address to [email protected] to be added to the future program announcement.

How to apply?

In order to apply for the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program, you will need to meet the above qualifications. Upon meeting the above criteria, you can head over to their official grant page to fill out an application here.

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Bureau of Rural Health & Primary Care below:

450 W. State St. – 4th Floor
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0036
Phone: 208-334-0669
Fax: 208-332-7262
E-mail: [email protected]

If you have additional questions, they have created a help page that has some common FAQ’s that you may want to check out before applying.

Questions?

If you still have questions or would like to know more information please reach out to us here or you can go back to the Student Loan Repayment Assistance Programs page.