§ 254l — National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program

(a) The Secretary shall establish the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program to assure, with respect to the provision of primary health services pursuant to section 254d(a)(2) of this title— (1) an adequate supply of physicians, dentists, behavioral and mental health professionals, certified nurse midwives, certified nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and (2) if needed by the Corps, an adequate supply of other health professionals. (b) To be eligible to participate in the Scholarship Program, an individual must— (1) be accepted for enrollment, or be enrolled, as a full-time student (A) in an accredited (as determined by the Secretary) educational institution in a State and (B) in a course of study or program, offered by such institution and approved by the Secretary, leading to a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or other health profession, or an appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and mental health; (2) of the Service or be eligible for selection for civilian service in the Corps; (3) submit an application to participate in the Scholarship Program; and (4) sign and submit to the Secretary, at the time of submittal of such application, a written contract (described in subsection (f)) to accept payment of a scholarship and to serve (in accordance with this subpart) for the applicable period of obligated service in a health professional shortage area. (1) In disseminating application forms and contract forms to individuals desiring to participate in the Scholarship Program, the Secretary shall include with such forms— (A) a fair summary of the rights and liabilities of an individual whose application is approved (and whose contract is accepted) by the Secretary, including in the summary a clear explanation of the damages to which the United States is entitled under section 254o of this title in the case of the individual’s breach of the contract; and (B) information respecting meeting a service obligation through private practice under an agreement under section 254n of this title and such other information as may be necessary for the individual to understand the individual’s prospective participation in the Scholarship Program and service in the Corps, including a statement of all factors considered in approving applications for participation in the Program and in making assignments for participants in the Program. (2) The application form, contract form, and all other information furnished by the Secretary under this subpart shall be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the average individual applying to participate in the Scholarship Program. The Secretary shall make such application forms, contract forms, and other information available to individuals desiring to participate in the Scholarship Program on a date sufficiently early to insure that such individuals have adequate time to carefully review and evaluate such forms and information. (A) The Secretary shall distribute to health professions schools materials providing information on the Scholarship Program and shall encourage the schools to disseminate the materials to the students of the schools. (i) In the case of any health professional whose period of obligated service under the Scholarship Program is nearing completion, the Secretary shall encourage the individual to remain in a health professional shortage area and to continue providing primary health services. (ii) During the period in which a health professional is planning and making the transition to private practice from obligated service under the Scholarship Program, the Secretary may provide assistance to the professional regarding such transition if the professional is remaining in a health professional shortage area and is continuing to provide primary health services. (C) In the case of entities to which participants in the Scholarship Program are assigned under section 254f of this title, the Secretary shall encourage the entities to provide options with respect to assisting the participants in remaining in the health professional shortage areas involved, and in continuing to provide primary health services, after the period of obligated service under the Scholarship Program is completed. The options with respect to which the Secretary provides such encouragement may include options regarding the sharing of a single employment position in the health professions by 2 or more health professionals, and options regarding the recruitment of couples where both of the individuals are health professionals. (1) Subject to section 254f–1 of this title, in providing contracts under the Scholarship Program— (A) the Secretary shall consider the extent of the demonstrated interest of the applicants for the contracts in providing primary health services; (B) the Secretary, in considering applications from individuals accepted for enrollment or enrolled in dental school, shall consider applications from all individuals accepted for enrollment or enrolled in any accredited dental school in a State; and (C) consider such other factors regarding the applicants as the Secretary determines to be relevant to selecting qualified individuals to participate in such Program. (2) In providing contracts under the Scholarship Program, the Secretary shall give priority— (A) of this title; (B) second, to any application for such a contract submitted by an individual who has characteristics that increase the probability that the individual will continue to serve in a health professional shortage area after the period of obligated service pursuant to subsection (f) is completed; and (C) third, subject to subparagraph (B), to any application for such a contract submitted by an individual who is from a disadvantaged background. (1) An individual becomes a participant in the Scholarship Program only upon the Secretary’s approval of the individual’s application submitted under subsection (b)(3) and the Secretary’s acceptance of the contract submitted by the individual under subsection (b)(4). (2) The Secretary shall provide written notice to an individual promptly upon the Secretary’s approving, under paragraph (1), of the individual’s participation in the Scholarship Program. (f) The written contract (referred to in this subpart) between the Secretary and an individual shall contain— (1) an agreement that— (A) subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary agrees (i) to provide the individual with a scholarship (described in subsection (g)) in each such school year or years for a period of years (not to exceed four school years) determined by the individual, during which period the individual is pursuing a course of study described in subsection (b)(1)(B), and (ii) to accept (subject to the availability of appropriated funds for carrying out sections 254d through 254h and section 254j of this title) the individual into the Corps (or for equivalent service as otherwise provided in this subpart); and (B) subject to paragraph (2), the individual agrees— (i) to accept provision of such a scholarship to the individual; (ii) to maintain enrollment in a course of study described in subsection (b)(1)(B) until the individual completes the course of study; (iii) while enrolled in such course of study, to maintain an acceptable level of academic standing (as determined under regulations of the Secretary by the educational institution offering such course of study); (iv) if pursuing a degree from a school of medicine or osteopathic medicine, to complete a residency in a specialty that the Secretary determines is consistent with the needs of the Corps; and (v) to serve for a time period (hereinafter in the subpart referred to as the “period of obligated service”) equal to— (I) one year for each school year for which the individual was provided a scholarship under the Scholarship Program, or (II) two years, (2) a provision that any financial obligation of the United States arising out of a contract entered into under this subpart and any obligation of the individual which is conditioned thereon, is contingent upon funds being appropriated for scholarships under this subpart and to carry out the purposes of sections 254d through 254h and sections 254j and 254k of this title; (3) a statement of the damages to which the United States is entitled, under section 254o of this title, for the individual’s breach of the contract; and (4) such other statements of the rights and liabilities of the Secretary and of the individual, not inconsistent with the provisions of this subpart. (1) A scholarship provided to a student for a school year under a written contract under the Scholarship Program shall consist of— (A) payment to, or (in accordance with paragraph (2)) on behalf of, the student of the amount (except as provided in section 292k 3 of this title) of— (i) the tuition of the student in such school year; and (ii) all other reasonable educational expenses, including fees, books, and laboratory expenses, incurred by the student in such school year; and (B) payment to the student of a stipend of $400 per month (adjusted in accordance with paragraph (3)) for each of the 12 consecutive months beginning with the first month of such school year. (2) The Secretary may contract with an educational institution, in which a participant in the Scholarship Program is enrolled, for the payment to the educational institution of the amounts of tuition and other reasonable educational expenses described in paragraph (1)(A). Payment to such an educational institution may be made without regard to section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31. (3) The amount of the monthly stipend, specified in paragraph (1)(B) and as previously adjusted (if at all) in accordance with this paragraph, shall be increased by the Secretary for each school year ending in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1978, by an amount (rounded to the next highest multiple of $1) equal to the amount of such stipend multiplied by the overall percentage (under section 5303 of title 5) of the adjustment (if such adjustment is an increase) in the rates of pay under the General Schedule made effective in the fiscal year in which such school year ends. (h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, individuals who have entered into written contracts with the Secretary under this section, while undergoing academic training, shall not be counted against any employment ceiling affecting the Department.