127925-127933
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 127925-127933
127925. This article shall be known and may be cited as the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. 127926. It is the intent of this article that the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, in consultation with the Dental Board of California, the Medical Board of California, the medical and dental community, including ethnic representatives, medical and dental schools, health advocates representing ethnic communities, primary care clinics, public hospitals and health systems, statewide agencies administering state and federally funded programs targeting underserved communities, and members of the public with health care issue area expertise shall develop and implement the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. 127927. (a) There is hereby established in the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. (b) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall operate the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002 in accordance with, but not limited to, the following: (1) Increased efforts in educating medical and dental students and medical residents of the need for physicians and dentists in underserved communities, and of programs that are available that provide incentives, financial and otherwise, to practice in settings and areas in need. (2) Strategic collaboration with California medical and dental schools and postgraduate programs to better prepare physicians and dentists to meet the distinctive cultural and medical needs of underserved populations. (3) Encourage the University of California and other medical and dental schools to increase the number of medical and dental students and medical residency program positions. (4) Establish, encourage, and expand programs for medical and dental students and medical residents for mentoring at primary and secondary schools, and college levels to increase the number of students entering the medical and dental sciences. (5) Administer financial or other incentives to encourage new or experienced physicians and dentists to practice in underserved areas. 127928. For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) "Program" means the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. (b) (1) "Medically underserved area" means an area as defined in Part 5 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations or an area of the state where unmet priority needs for physicians exists as determined by the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission pursuant to Section 128225 of the Health and Safety Code. (2) "Dentally underserved area" means a geographic area eligible to be designated as having a shortage of dental professionals pursuant to Part I of Appendix B to Part 5 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations or an area of the state where unmet priority needs for dentists exist as determined by the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission pursuant to Section 128224 of the Health and Safety Code. (c) (1) "Medically underserved population" means the Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and uninsured population. (2) "Dentally underserved population" means persons without dental insurance and persons eligible for the Denti-Cal and Healthy Families Programs who are population groups described as having a shortage of dental care professionals in Part I of Appendix B to Part 5 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (d) "Medi-Cal threshold languages" means primary languages spoken by limited-English-proficient (LEP) population groups meeting a numeric threshold of 3,000 eligible LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries residing in a county, 1,000 Medi-Cal eligible LEP beneficiaries residing in a single ZIP Code, or 1,500 LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries residing in two contiguous ZIP Codes. (e) "Office" means the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. 127929. (a) The office shall administer the California Medical and Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. Any individual enrolled in an institution of postsecondary education participating in the program set forth in this article may be eligible to receive a conditional warrant for loan repayment, to be redeemed upon becoming employed as a physician or dentist in a medically underserved area or a dentally underserved area serving primarily medically or dentally underserved populations. In order to be eligible to receive a conditional loan repayment warrant, an applicant shall satisfy all of the following conditions: (1) The applicant has been judged by his or her postsecondary institution to have outstanding ability on the basis of criteria that may include, but not be limited to, any of the following: (A) Grade point average. (B) Test scores. (C) Faculty evaluations. (D) Interviews. (E) Other recommendations. (2) In order to meet the costs associated with obtaining a medical or dental degree, the applicant has received, or is approved to receive, a loan under one or more of the following designated loan programs: (A) The Federal Family Education Loan Program (10 U.S.C. Sec. 1071 et seq.). (B) Any loan program approved by the Student Aid Commission. (3) The applicant has agreed to provide services as a licensed physician for up to three consecutive years, after obtaining a license from the Medical Board of California in a medically underserved area, or the applicant has agreed to provide services as a licensed dentist for up to three consecutive years, after obtaining a license from the Dental Board of California in a dentally underserved area. (4) The applicant has agreed to work in a setting where the applicant will primarily serve medically or dentally underserved populations. (b) The office shall ensure that priority consideration be given to applicants who are best suited to meet the cultural and linguistic needs and demands of medically and dentally underserved populations and who meet one or more of the following criteria: (1) Speak a Medi-Cal threshold language. (2) Come from an economically disadvantaged background. (3) Have received significant training in cultural and linguistically appropriate service delivery. (4) Have done a medical rotation serving medically underserved populations or provided dental services to members of a dentally underserved population. (c) A person participating in the program pursuant to this section shall not receive more than one warrant. (d) The office shall adopt rules and regulations regarding the reallocation of warrants if a participating institution is unable to utilize its allocated warrants or is unable to distribute them within a reasonable time period. 127930. The office, in accordance with Section 127926, shall develop the process to redeem an applicant's warrant and commence loan repayment. 127931. (a) The office shall distribute student applications to participate in the program to postsecondary institutions eligible to participate in the state and federal financial aid programs and that have a program of professional preparation that has been approved by the Medical Board of California or the Dental Board of California. Each eligible institution shall receive at least one application. (b) Each participating institution shall sign an institutional agreement with the office, certifying its intent to administer the program according to all applicable published rules, regulations, and guidelines, and shall make special efforts to notify students regarding the availability of the program, particularly to economically disadvantaged students. (c) To the extent feasible, the office and each participating institution shall coordinate this program with other existing programs designed to recruit or encourage students to enter the medical and dental professions. These programs shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) The Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act. (2) The Health Education and Academic Loan Act. (3) The National Health Service Corp. 127932. (a) The office, in accordance with Section 127926, shall administer this program, and shall adopt rules and regulations for that purpose. The rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions regarding the period of time for which a warrant shall remain valid, the reallocation of warrants that are not utilized, and the development of projections for funding purposes. (b) The office shall work in conjunction with lenders participating in federal or similar loan programs to develop a streamlined application process for participation in the program set forth in this article. 127933. (a) The office shall establish a fund to utilize for the purposes of this article. (b) The office may seek matching funds from foundations and private sources. The office may also contract with an exempt foundation for the receipt of matching funds to be transferred to the fund for use by this program. (c) The provisions of this article shall not become operative unless appropriate funding, as determined by the office, is made available.