SECTION 23.66. Eligibility

(a) To be eligible for the Board to reserve loan repayment funds, a physician must:

(1) ensure that the Board or its designee has received the completed application by the established deadline, which will be posted on the program web page;

(2) be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident and, at the time of application, hold a Full Physician License from the Texas Medical Board, with no restrictions;

(3) not be in postgraduate training, including fellowship;

(4) not be currently fulfilling another obligation to provide medical services as part of a scholarship agreement, a student loan agreement, or another student loan repayment agreement;

(5) at the time of the initial application, if the physician has not earned and maintained board certification, be eligible to take the exam for board certification from:

(A) an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists in a primary care specialty; or

(B) an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists.

(6) in the case of physicians qualifying on the basis of practice in a HPSA, agree to provide four consecutive service periods in a HPSA.

(b) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, a physician must:

(1) have completed one, two, three, or four consecutive service periods in a:

(A) HPSA, serving persons who are:

(i) enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP or both;

(ii) uninsured; and

(iii) enrolled in Medicare, except in the case of pediatricians.

(B) secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or its successor or in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or its successor, or

(C) location other than a HPSA, if the physician practices primary (outpatient) care and during the service period has provided health care services to a designated number of Medicaid or Texas Women's Health Program enrollees, established in the Board's Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and posted on the program web page.

(2) for loan repayment based on the fourth service period, have earned certification from an American Specialty Board that is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists in a primary care specialty, or in a specialty other than primary care if the practice is located in a HPSA.

Source Note: The provisions of this §23.66 adopted to be effective February 22, 2016, 41 TexReg 1231; transferred effective December 15, 2016, as published in the Texas Register November 25, 2016, 41 TexReg 9341; amended to be effective November 22, 2020, 45 TexReg 8343