Oregon Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment (OAR 409-036) was established by the Oregon Legislature to help support underserved communities in their recruitment and retention of high quality providers who serve patients regardless of their source of coverage (Medicaid, Medicare, private etc.) or ability to pay. In exchange for service at a qualifying practice site, participants receive funds to repay qualifying educational loan debt.

Oregon Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment now accepts applications from unlicensed mental health providers who have completed a master's level or higher degree program. Unlicensed applicants must be registered with their respective professional board and working towards licensure at a qualifying practice site. Scroll down for a list of eligible unlicensed provider types.

Please note: There are separate application forms for licensed and unlicensed providers.

Eligible Provider Types (licensed):

• Dentists in general or pediatric practice;
• Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists;
• Pharmacists;
• Physicians (MD, DO or ND) who practice in the specialties of family medicine or general practice, general internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology; 
• Nurse Practitioners who practice in the specialties of adult primary care, women's health care, geriatrics, pediatrics, psychiatric mental health, family practice, or nurse midwifery;
• Physician Assistants who practice in the specialties of family medicine or general practice, general internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics or obstetrics and gynecology;
• General, child and adolescent or geriatric Psychiatrists;
• Clinical Psychologists;
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers;
• Licensed Professional Counselors;
• Licensed Marriage or Family Therapists

Providers must be providing primary care in an outpatient setting at a qualified Oregon practice site.

Eligible Provider Types (unlicensed):

• Clinical Social Workers
• Counseling or Clinical Psychologists
• Professional Counselors
• Marriage and Family Counselors

Providers must be providing primary care in an outpatient setting at a qualified Oregon practice site.

Eligible Practice Sites (for licensed and unlicensed provider types)

To qualify, a site must:

• Be located in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), or have a Facility HSPA; AND
• Be serving Medicaid and Medicare patients in no less than the same proportion of such patients in the county; AND
• Have a Site Application on file with the Oregon Office of Rural Health and have received confirmation of site qualification.

If a majority of providers at a site are not eligible for reimbursement from both Medicaid and Medicare, the site may qualify if it is located in a HPSA and serves either Medicaid or Medicare patients in no less the same proportion of such patients in the county.

Site Applications are valid for one year.

Award Information

In exchange for service at a qualified practice site, participants receive funds to repay qualifying graduate-level, (or for expanded practice dental hygienists, undergraduate-level) loan debt. Awards are calculated based on the balance owed on qualifying loans upon application to Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment . 

Full time service providers must commit to a 3 year minimum service obligation in exchange for a tax free award of 50% of their qualifying educational loan debt balance, up to $35,000 per obligation year.

Part time service providers must commit to a 3 year minimum service obligation in exchange for a tax free award of 25% of their qualifying educational loan debt balance, up to $25,000 per obligation year.

Applications

Please note: There are separate applications for licensed and unlicensed providers.

Please read our FAQs before filling out an application.

Click here to watch a short video on completing the provider application.

Licensed providers: 

Click here for the Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment provider application (licensed).  

Unlicensed providers:

Click here for the Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment provider application (unlicensed).

Completed Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment applications, and all required attachments, must be submitted no later than 5:00pm (Pacific Time) on August 1st, 2019. Applications received after 5:00pm (Pacific Time) August 1st, 2019, or applications that are deemed to be incomplete on that date, will be rolled over to the next review cycle.

Eligible providers are highly encouraged to apply as early in the cycle as possible to allow time for information requests from ORH. The next review cycle opens August 2nd, 2019 and closes at 5:00pm (Pacific Time) on October 31, 2019. 

Handwritten applications will not be reviewed. Applicants must use the fillable PDF or otherwise type out their application. Email (ruralworkforce@ohsu.edu) is the preferred method of submission to ensure applications retain legibility, however providers may fax their completed application to 503-494-4798.   

Providers may apply a total of 3 times to Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment. If a provider applies to a cycle and is not chosen for an award they may request their application to be rolled over to the next review cycle. Providers wishing to roll over their application to the next review cycle are required to email ruralworkforce@ohsu.edu with their request along with updated educational loan documentation dated within 30 days of the request.

Questions

Contact the Office of Rural Health at ruralworkforce@ohsu.edu | 503-494-4450 | toll free: 866-674-4376

Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment FAQs