AUTHORIZATION:

Public Health Service Act, Title III, Section 3381, 42 U.S.C. 254 q-1.

OBJECTIVES:

To increase the availability of primary health care in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) by assisting States in operating programs for the repayment of educational loans of health professionals in return for their practice in HPSAs.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Direct Payments for Specified Use Place Cursor Here for Definition

Project Grants Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Funds under this grant must only be used to repay the qualifying educational loans of health professionals who have entered into SLRP contract with the States. Funds cannot be used for the following purposes: costs of administering the program, State matching funds, or any other purpose. Funds under this grant must only be used to repay the qualifying educational loans of health professionals who have entered into SLRP contract with the States.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Eligible entities include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Applicants for State programs must have completed a course of study required to practice independently without supervision, as one of the following health care professionals: Doctors of Allopathic Medicine or Osteopathic Medicine, General Practice Dentists (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), Pediatric Dentists, Primary Care Certified Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse-Midwives, Primary Care Physician Assistants, Registered Clinical Dental Hygienists, Health Service Psychologist (formerly Clinical or Counseling Psychologists (Ph.D. or equivalent), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (master�s or doctoral degree in social work), Psychiatric Nurse Specialists, Mental Health Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselors (master�s or doctoral degree with a major study in counseling), Marriage and Family Therapists (master�s or doctoral degree with a major study in marriage and family therapy). The primary care specialties approvable for physicians are: family medicine (and osteopathic general practice), internal medicine, including geriatricians, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and geriatrics and general psychiatry. General practitioners (physicians who have not completed residency training programs) are not eligible for funding under the SLRP. The primary care specialties approval for nurse practitioners and physician assistants are: adult, family, pediatrics, psychiatry/mental health, geriatrics, or women�s health.

Participants must provide full-time clinical service for a minimum of two years in a public or non-profit entity located in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA).

Credentials/Documentation:   Applicants should review the individual HRSA funding opportunity announcement issued under this CFDA program for any required proof or certifications which must be submitted prior to or simultaneous with submission of an application package. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Pre-application Coordination:   Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. HRSA requires all applicants to apply electronically through Grants.gov.

All qualified applications will be forwarded to an objective review committee. Based on the advice of the objective review committee, the HRSA program official with delegated authority is responsible for final selection and funding decisions.

Award Procedure:   Notification is made in writing by a Notice of Award..

Deadlines:   Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   

Approximately 120 days.

Appeals:   

Not Applicable.

Renewals:   

From 120 to 180 days. Subsequent funding depends upon the availability of funds and program performance. Renewals are funded through a non-competitive process each year.

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ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   

This program has no statutory formula. Matching Requirements: Percent: 50.%. Fifty-percent (50%). States must agree to make available (directly or through donations from public or private entities) non-Federal contributions in cash toward SLRP contracts in an amount not less than $1 for each $1 of Federal funds provided in the grant. A State may not use any Federal funds or in-kind contributions to satisfy the non-Federal match requirement. A State must verify that contributions from sources other than State appropriated funds are non-Federal. States may use non-Federal funds in excess of the $1 for $1 minimum match to supplement the repayment of qualifying loans of health professionals.

The Federal share must be used to repay the government and commercial loans of health professionals for tuition, educational expenses and living expenses described in Section 338B(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act.. States must assume administrative costs. This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   

A grant award is for 1 year. Applicants may propose a project period of up to 4 years. States are asked to commit the full amount of funding for their loan repayment awards to practitioners in the current fiscal year to avoid out-year commitments for additional Federal funds. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Grantee drawdown funds, as necessary, from the Payment Management System (PMS). PMS is the centralized web based payment system for HHS awards.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Recipient States must submit: (1) a Financial Report within 90 days of the end of each budget period; (2) Semi-Annual Field Strength Reports through the HRSA Electronic Handbooks System (EHBs); (3) non-competing continuation application(s) report through the EHBs; (4) a Final Report. All BHPr grantees are required to submit a final report within 90 days after the project period ends. No cash reports are required. See above. No expenditure reports are required. No performance monitoring is required.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records:   Grantees are required to maintain grant accounting records 3 years after the date they submit the Federal Financial Report (FFR). If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit or other action involving the award has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records shall be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:  

75-0350-0-1-550.

Obligations:   (Project Grants) FY 09 $9,151,764; FY 10 est $10,000,000; FY 11 est $10,000,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  

For FY 14 Awards ranged from $80,000 to $1,000,000, with an average award of $335,129.

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