Provides loan repayment assistance to qualified mental health and substance use professionals.

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[110 ILCS 996 and 110 ILCS 947

23 ILLINOIS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 2753 CH. XIX, SEC. 2753

Designed as incentive for recruitment and retention of qualified mental health and substance use professionals who practice in underserved or rural areas.

Yes

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Individuals;

A qualified applicants must: 1) Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen; 2) Be an Illinois resident; 3) Have an outstanding balance due on an eligible educational loan (includes Stafford loans, Graduate PLUS loans, consolidation loans, Supplemental Loans for Students, alternative loans and other types of government and institutional loans used for education expenses); 4) Be a qualifying behavioral health professional who meets licensing requirements of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation or holds certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor from the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association: a) psychiatrist; b) advanced practice registered nurse; c) physician assistant; d) psychologist who holds a doctoral degree (Psy.D or Ph.D.); e) licensed clinical social worker (LCSW); f) licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC); or g) CADC-certified substance use professional. 5) Have worked for at least 12 consecutive months* immediately prior to applying for this program as a behavioral health professional in an approved community mental health center in an underserved or rural health professional shortage area (HPSA) mental health discipline 6) For each year the assistance is received, fulfill a separate 12 month period* as a behavioral health professional in an approved community mental health center in an underserved or rural HPSA mental health discipline; and 7) Not be in default on any federal guaranteed educational loan nor owe a refund on a grant or scholarship program administered by ISAC. *Periods of vacation and leave of absence provided by your employer count as time worked when calculating the required employment timeframes.

Individual

Direct Payments for Specific Use

Education

Applicants must submit a current loan account statement that includes their full first and last names and address (dated within 30 days of the date of the application) from the loan holder/servicer showing outstanding balances for each eligible educational loan. The statement(s) must include: 1) the name of the loan holder/servicer; 2) the payment address of the holder/servicer; 3) area code/phone number of holder/servicer; 4) account number; 5) type of loan (Federal Direct, Stafford, etc.); 6) monthly payment amount; and 7) outstanding balance

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The 2022-23 Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program application may be accessed via the ISAC website. Each year you wish to apply for this program, you must submit an application. Qualified applicants will be sent a Notice of Eligibility letter from ISAC.

Recipients are selected from among qualified new and renewal applicants. The total number of awards each year is contingent on available funding. If funding in any given year is insufficient to pay all eligible applicants, awarding will be determined in the following order: 1) renewal applicants, in the order in which their applications were received; 2) new applicants, using the mental health portion of the HPSA database to rank eligible rural and underserved applications, giving priority to those in the areas with the highest degree of shortage (score) for that applicant’s profession. If multiple applicants receive the same score, applications will be given consideration in the order in which they were received. a) If an applicant works for an organization located in an HPSA mental health discipline that has satellite clinics and the applicant more than one of the clinics, the highest HPSA score where the applicant works will apply. b) If an applicant works for different employers in multiple HPSA mental health disciplines having different degrees of shortage, the location having the highest HPSA mental health discipline score will apply.

Proceeds will be remitted directly to the holder of the loan(s) to be repaid.

Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program applications must be submitted by the priority consideration date.

There is a minimum of 4-5 weeks turnaround from the date approved recipients are notified by ISAC to when funds are disbursed. Depending on the volume of payment vouchers being processed by the State of Illinois Comptroller’s Office, this timeframe may increase.

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Applicants must apply annually. The amount of the annual award to qualified applicants to repay their student loan debt is based on their position and may be received for up to four years.

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Eligible educational loans include: 1) Stafford Loans; 2) Perkins Loans; 3) Graduate PLUS Loans; 4) consolidation loans; 5) medical student loans; 6) Supplemental Loans for Students; 7) alternative loans; and 8) other types of government and institutional loans used for education expenses. Non-eligible loans include: 1) credit card payments; 2) Parent PLUS Loans; 3) loans that have been paid in full; 4) loans from lending institutions that are not governed by State or federal regulations or loans from individuals or family members; 5) any portion of a consolidated loan that cannot be directly attributed to the applicant; and 6) non-education loans, such as home equity loans.

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The award amount is based on the applicant’s remaining balance on eligible education loans, not to exceed: $35,000 per year for a psychiatrist; $15,000 per year for an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician assistant; $12,000 per year for a psychologist who holds a doctoral degree; $6,500 per year for a licensed clinical social worker or a licensed clinical professional counselor; and $2,500 per year for a substance abuse professional.

Designed as incentive for recruitment and retention of those who practice in underserved or rural areas. It seeks to help address the shortage of Illinois community-based behavioral workers that causes disparities in access to critical mental health and substance use services.

https://www.isac.org/e-library/documents/administrative-rules/2022-23-isac-rules/2753-CBHCPLRP.pdf

500 West Monroe, 3rd Floor Springfield, IL 62704

1755 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015-5209

https://www.isac.org/students/after-college/forgiveness-programs/community-behavioral-health-care-professional-loan-repayment-program.html

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FY 2022 : $10,000,000
FY 2023 : $10,000,000