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| Public Act 100-0862 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning health.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment | ||||
Program Act. | ||||
Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Community Behavioral | ||||
Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is to recruit | ||||
and retain qualified mental health and substance use | ||||
professionals to practice in underserved or rural areas and to | ||||
address this State's community-based behavioral health care | ||||
workforce shortage that causes disparities in access to | ||||
critical mental health and substance use services. | ||||
Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||
"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance | ||||
Commission. | ||||
"Physician" means a person licensed by this State to | ||||
practice medicine in all its branches and includes any person | ||||
holding a temporary license, as provided in the Medical | ||||
Practice Act of 1987. | ||||
"Program" means the Community Behavioral Health Care | ||||
Professional Loan Repayment Program. | ||||
"Psychiatrist" or "licensed psychiatrist" means a | ||
physician who has successfully completed a residency program in | ||
psychiatry accredited by either the Accreditation Council for | ||
Graduate Medical Education or the American Osteopathic | ||
Association. | ||
Section 15. Establishment of Program. Beginning on July 1, | ||
2019, there is created the Community Behavioral Health Care | ||
Professional Loan Repayment Program, which shall be | ||
administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. | ||
The Program shall provide loan repayment assistance, subject to | ||
appropriation, to eligible mental health and substance use | ||
professionals practicing in a community mental health center in | ||
an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health | ||
Professional Shortage Area. | ||
Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall | ||
receive and consider applications for loan repayment | ||
assistance under this Act. All applications must be submitted | ||
to the Commission in a form and manner prescribed by the | ||
Commission. Applicants must submit any supporting documents | ||
deemed necessary by the Commission at the time of application. | ||
Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; maximum amount. | ||
Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant to | ||
each qualified applicant for a maximum of 4 years. The | ||
Commission must encourage the recipient of a grant awarded | ||
under this Act to use the grant award for payments towards the | ||
recipient's educational loans. The amount of the grant shall | ||
not exceed (i) $35,000 per year for a psychiatrist, (ii) | ||
$15,000 per year for an advanced practice registered nurse or a | ||
physician assistant, (iii) $12,000 per year for a psychologist | ||
who holds a doctoral degree, (iv) $6,500 per year for a | ||
licensed clinical social worker or a licensed clinical | ||
professional counselor, and (v) $2,500 per year for a substance | ||
use professional. | ||
Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement. | ||
(a) To be eligible for assistance under the Community | ||
Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, | ||
the Commission must find that the applicant satisfies all of | ||
the following: | ||
(1) He or she is a United States citizen or an eligible | ||
noncitizen.
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(2) He or she is a resident of this State. | ||
(3) He or she has worked for at least 12 consecutive | ||
months as a behavioral health professional in a community | ||
mental health center in an underserved or rural federally | ||
designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in | ||
this State. | ||
(4) He or she is a borrower with an outstanding balance | ||
due on an educational loan. | ||
(5) He or she has not defaulted on an educational loan. | ||
(b) The Commission may grant preference to a previous | ||
recipient of a grant under the Program, provided that the | ||
recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under | ||
this Section. | ||
(c) A recipient of a grant under the Program must complete | ||
a separate 12-month period working in a community mental health | ||
center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental | ||
Health Professional Shortage Area in this State for each grant | ||
that he or she is awarded.
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Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall | ||
administer the Program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent | ||
with this Act for the Program's effective implementation.
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