| (a) To be eligible for the Board to reserve loan repayment funds, a physician must: (1) ensure that the Board or its designee has received the completed application by the stated deadline; (2) be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident and, at the time of application, hold a Full Physician License from the Texas Medical Board, with no restrictions; (3) not be currently fulfilling another obligation to provide medical services as part of a scholarship agreement, a student loan agreement, or another student loan repayment agreement; (4) during the first, second, and third service period, if the physician has not earned and maintained board certification, be eligible to take the exam for board certification from: (A) an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists in a primary care specialty; or (B) an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists in a specialty other than primary care if the DSHS determines there is a critical need for the applicant's specialty; and (5) agree to provide four consecutive service periods in a HPSA. (b) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, a physician must: (1) have completed one, two, three, or four consecutive service periods in a HPSA or in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Youth Commission and its successor or in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; (2) during the service period, have provided direct patient care to: (A) Medicaid enrollees and CHIP enrollees, if the practice includes children; or (B) Persons committed to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Youth Commission and its successor or persons confined to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; (3) for loan repayment based on the fourth service period, have earned certification from an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists in a primary care specialty, or in a specialty other than primary care if the DSHS has determined that there is a critical need for the applicant's specialty in the HPSA where the practice is located. |
