SECTION 23.98. Eligibility for Disbursement of Loan Repayment Assistance

(a) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a mental health professional who first established eligibility for the program before September 1, 2023, a mental health provider must:

(1) have completed one, two, three, four, or five consecutive years of practice in an MHPSA providing direct patient care to Medicaid enrollees and/or CHIP enrollees, if the practice serves children, or to persons committed to a 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; and

(2) after an award is disbursed for a third consecutive year of service, a psychiatrist must have earned certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Osteopathic Board of Psychiatry and Neurology to qualify for continued loan repayment assistance.

(b) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a mental health professional who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, a mental health provider must have completed one, two, or three consecutive years of practice:

(1) in an MHPSA providing direct patient care to Medicaid enrollees and/or CHIP enrollees, if the practice serves children, or to persons committed to a 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;

(2) providing mental health services to patients in a state hospital; or

(3) to individuals receiving community-based mental health services from a local mental health authority.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a specialist in school psychology as outlined under §23.95(6) of this subchapter (relating to Eligible Practice Specialties), the mental health professional must:

(1) have completed one, two, or three consecutive years of employment in:

(A) a school district which is located partially or completely in a MHPSA;

(B) an open-enrollment charter school located in a MHPSA; or

(C) a Title I school; and

(2) have provided mental health services to students enrolled in that district or school during that time of employment.

Source Note: The provisions of this §23.98 adopted to be effective November 12, 2015, 40 TexReg 7818; amended to be effective February 22, 2016, 41 TexReg 1232; transferred effective December 15, 2016, as published in the Texas Register November 25, 2016, 41 TexReg 9341; amended to be effective May 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 2456; amended to be effective November 16, 2022, 47 TexReg 7556; amended to be effective February 15, 2024, 49 TexReg 692