New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program
Through the New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program, health care professionals may be able to qualify for student loan forgiveness in exchange for service in areas the State designates as being medically underserved. Through this program, you must agree to and commit to a contract with the state for a minimum of three years if full time and two years in the event that you are a part-time employee. Read on to see eligibility requirements, award amounts, and application process for the New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program.
Eligibility?
In order to be eligible for the New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program, you will need to meet the following terms and conditions set forth by the state:
Service Requirement
In order to be eligible to receive loan repayment, an applicant MUST commit to and sign a binding contract to complete a minimum service obligation of thirty-six months for full-time service or to a minimum obligation of twenty-four months for part-time service with their current practice site.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must be US citizens, must not have any unserved obligations for service to another governmental or non-governmental agency, must not be receiving loan repayment money from any other program, and must be licensed in the State of New Hampshire and ready to begin full- or part-time clinical practice at the eligible practice site once a contract has been signed.
NH Licensed Health Care Professionals Eligible for SLRP
Licensed health care professionals in the following fields are eligible to apply for loan repayment contracts under the SLRP:
| Tier 1 | MDs/DOs: | Doctors of Allopathic or Osteopathic Medicine |
|---|---|---|
| DDs: | General Practice Dentists (DDS. or DMD) | |
| Tier 2 | NPs: | Primary Care Certified Nurse Practitioners |
| NMs: | Certified Nurse Midwives | |
| PAs: | Primary Care Physician Assistants | |
| MLADCs: | Masters Level Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Effective 10/1/2015 |
|
| HCPs: | Psychologist (PhD or equivalent) | |
| LICSWs: | Licensed Clinical Social Workers (MA or PhD) | |
| PNSs: | Psychiatric Nurse Specialists | |
| LPCs: | Licensed Professional Counselors (MA or PhD) | |
| MHCs: | Mental Health Counselors | |
| MFTs: | Marriage and Family Therapists (MA or PhD) | |
| Tier 3 | RDHs: | Registered Clinical Dental Hygienists |
| LADCs: | Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Effective 10/1/2015 |
For more information on this program as well as a further breakdown of this program’s offerings, please head over the program’s website.
What is the award amount?
The award amount through this program will depend on the specific field that you are currently working in. The breakdown is as follows for this program:
General Surgeons:
General Surgeons who are employed by a Critical Access Hospital in New Hampshire and are working “full time” which is defined as a minimum of 40 hours per week, for minimum of 45 weeks per service year providing general surgery at an eligible practice site, with no more than 8 hours per week devoted to practice-related administrative activities. General practitioners who have not completed their residency training programs, school psychologists, school licensed professional counselors, and RNs & LPNs are not eligible for funding under the State Loan Repayment Program.
General Surgeons can receive loan repayments for $75,000 for a minimum service obligation of thirty-six months with an opportunity of an extension for an additional twenty-four months at $40,000. The Critical Access Hospital is required to provide 50% matching funds.
Program Potential Award Amounts
Full-time Applicants:
State of New Hampshire SLRP will offset graduate or undergraduate educational loans to full-time Tier 1 primary care physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists for $75,000 for a minimum service obligation of thirty-six months with an opportunity of an extension for an additional twenty-four months at $40,000 as well as full-time eligible Tier 2 health care professionals for $45,000 for a minimum service obligation of thirty-six months with an opportunity of an extension for an additional twenty-four months at $20,000. Effective 10/1/2015, Tier 3 Registered Dental Hygienists and Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselors are eligible for $30,000 for a minimum service obligation of thirty-six months with an opportunity of an extension for an additional twenty-four months at $10,000.
Part-time Applicants:
State of New Hampshire SLRP will offset graduate or undergraduate educational loans to part-time primary care physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists for $27,500 for a minimum service obligation of twenty-four months with an opportunity of an extension for an additional twelve-months at $10,000 as well as part-time eligible licensed health care professionals for $17,500 for a minimum service obligation of twenty-four months with an opportunity for an extension for an additional twelve-months for $5,000.
Funding Match:
State of New Hampshire SLRP contracts are awarded first to applicants who have secured a one-to-one match for each state dollar in the contract. This match can come from the eligible practice site or the community in which the applicant will practice. If an applicant is unable to secure a match, his/her application will be considered in competition with all other unmatched applications received.
How to apply?
For a breakdown of how to apply for the New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program, please continue reading:
Application Deadlines State Fiscal Year:
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed quarterly. Quarterly applications deadlines are March 15 (for July 1 start), June 15 (for October 1 start), September 15 (for January 1 start) and December 15 (for April 1 start).
Funding Match:
State of New Hampshire SLRP contracts are awarded first to applicants who have secured a one-to-one match for each state dollar in the contract. This match can come from the eligible practice site or the community in which the applicant will practice. If an applicant is unable to secure a match, his/her application will be considered in competition with all other unmatched applications received.
Head over to the official New Hampshire State Loan Repayment Program site and fill out the PDF at the bottom of the page. Included in the application packet is an Alternate W-9 Form with instructions. Please be sure to review the instructions carefully. There will also be various supporting documents requested from both yourself and your employer. Applicants are responsible for submitting complete applications. Application packets will be initially reviewed to determine their completeness. Those deemed incomplete, and still so at the application deadline, will not be considered for funding in that contract term. Please be especially diligent when completing the Outstanding Loans section; filling in each loan then the total of the loans. Those marked “Attached” will be deemed incomplete. Applications not selected for awards may be held until the next quarterly review or placed in the non-priority pool for possible selection at the end of the State Fiscal Year if funds are made available to the program. SLRP Guidelines v.6-16 DHHS, DPHS, RHPC Page 10 of 10 Applicants not selected due to funding shortages may need to resubmit new documentation or a new application upon request by the RHPC Section in order for the application to be considered for funding in the next State Fiscal Year.
Program contact information:
Division of Public Health Services at DHHS
Rural Health and Primary Care Section
29 Hazen Drive Concord, NH 03301
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 603.271.2276 Fax: 603.271.4506
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.