Program Title
Loan Repayment Program
About
Description
Loan Repayment Program
Executive Summary
The San Joaquin Behavioral Health Workforce Partnership was developed by Behavioral Health Services in collaboration with HealthForce Partners to make funding available to the county’s mental health workforce that work in a network adequacy-facing organization with the MEDI-CAL population. Through this program, the partnership seeks to address the deficit of clinical professionals serving within San Joaquin County by offering loan repayment for an agreed upon service obligation.
Clinical employees serving in a network adequacy-facing position will be awarded $7500 - $15,000 in total with a three year service obligation in a network adequacy-facing organization. Applicants can apply to EITHER the loan repayment program OR the retention bonus program and may not combine these awards with any additional service obligations unless served consecutively.
Awards will be distributed to full time employees in $5,000 increments at the end of each year (2080 hours) served.
Awards will be distributed to part time employees (24 hours per week minimum) in $2500 increments at the end of each year (1248 hours) served.
Eligibility Requirements
Work Hours & Location
- To qualify you must be an employee in satisfactory status, in a network adequacy-facing position at BHS or other MEDI-CAL certified network adequacy-facing community-based organization that contracts with BHS.
Application to Program
Application
Personal Statement
Applicant Employment Verification
Qualifying and Non – Qualifying Educational Loans
Government and commercial educational loans obtained for health care professional degrees, which are in current good standing, qualify for the SJBHWP Loan Repayment Program. Qualifying commercial lending institutions are those subject to examination and supervision by an agency of the United States, or by the state in which the institutions have their place of business.
The following types of debt are not eligible for loan repayment under the program:
● Loans in default
● Loans repaid in full
● Credit card debt
● Primary Care Loans
● Personal lines of credit
● Residency loans
The applicant must have obtained the eligible education loans in their own name. Eligible educational loans consolidated with loans owed by any other person, such as a spouse, are ineligible for repayment. For loans to remain eligible, applicants/awardees must keep their eligible educational loans separate from other debts.
Selection Process
Once the application period has closed, applications will be ranked and awarded by an independent committee based on areas of preference as indicated below
● San Joaquin County clinical employees in a network adequacy-facing position excluded from participating in the Cal MHSA WET Project
● Seniority (Based on hiring date)
Award Requirements
Applicants must agree to bi-annual employment verifications throughout the length of their service obligation.
It will be the general policy of the program to defer to the allowable job site policies in relation to interruption in service and duties at the job site. Change of job site to another network adequacy-facing organization including BHS is allowed and will still meet the terms of the service obligation.
Communication Requirements
Awardee’s must contact HealthForce Partners within these specified timeframes for the following reasons:
a. Immediately:
● If you are no longer employed by the approved job site.
b. 30 calendar days if you:
● Change to your name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address or lending institution.
● Will be changing your position within your organization but remain within the bounds of the agreement
● Begin a leave of absence for medical or personal reasons.
c. 60 calendar days if you:
● Begin maternity/paternity/adoption leave.
● Are requesting to switch from full-time to half-time status.
Leaving an Approved Job Site/Provider Role Prior to Completion of Service
HealthForce Partners expect that awardees will fulfill their obligation at an approved job site in their specified role identified in their initial application. If an awardee feels he/she can no longer continue working at the approved job site or in their hard-to-fill/retain role, the awardee should discuss the situation and/or concerns with approved job site management and must contact HFP via phone or email.
If the awardee leaves his/her approved job site without prior communication with and approval from HFP, he/she may be placed in default as of the date awardee stopped providing client care at the approved job site and become liable for any monetary damages specified in the awardee’s HFP contract. Awardees who are terminated for-cause by their job site will be placed in default and will no longer be in compliance with the obligations of their service period requirements.
Transfer Request to another Approved Job Site/Position
Because the Program is a retention tool, transfers from one job site or provider role into another job site or provider must be approved by HFP and could break the requirements of the service obligation. If an awardee requests a job site transfer due to extenuating circumstances, the awardee must contact both job site management and HFP. This communication is not a guarantee of approval of the job transfer. Each potential transfer will be considered individually, and the approval of one transfer does not guarantee the approval of any additional transfer.
Unemployment During Service Obligation
Awardees who voluntarily resigned from their sites without prior communications and approval from HFP, were terminated for cause, or are deemed ineligible for site assistance will be in violation of the service obligation and will no longer be eligible for participation in this program. This termination of service obligation may have a future effect on the applicant’s eligibility for future funding opportunities.
Breach Policy
SJBHWP reserves the right to recover monies for the awardee’s failure to perform the obligations set forth in the program agreement.
Cancellation of Loan Repayment Obligation
The program obligation will be canceled in its entirety in the event of an awardee death. No liability will be transferred to the awardee’s heirs.
