Notwithstanding the requirement of completion of practice specified in subsection (b), the Secretary shall, on or before the due date thereof, pay any loan or loan installment which may fall due within the period of service for which the borrower may receive payments under this subsection, upon the declaration of such borrower, at such times and in such manner as the Secretary may prescribe (and supported by such other evidence as the Secretary may reasonably require), that the borrower is then serving as described by subsection (a)(3), and that the borrower will continue to so serve for the period required (in the absence of this subsection) to entitle the borrower to have made the payments provided by this subsection for such period; except that not more than 85 percent of the principal of any such loan shall be paid pursuant to this subsection.
The Secretary shall (for fiscal years 2003 and 2004) and may (for fiscal years thereafter) carry out a program of entering into contracts with eligible individuals under which such individuals agree to serve as nurses for a period of not less than 2 years at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses, in consideration of the Federal Government agreeing to provide to the individuals scholarships for attendance at schools of nursing.
In this subsection, the term “eligible individual” means an individual who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time or part-time student in a school of nursing.
The Secretary may not enter into a contract with an eligible individual under this subsection unless the individual agrees to serve as a nurse at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses for a period of full-time service of not less than 2 years, or for a period of part-time service in accordance with subparagraph (B).
The provisions of subpart III of part D of subchapter II shall, except as inconsistent with this section, apply to the program established in paragraph (1) in the same manner and to the same extent as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program established in such subpart.
In entering into agreements under subsection (a) or (d), the Secretary shall give preference to qualified applicants with the greatest financial need.
The Secretary may make payments under subsection (a) on behalf of an individual only if the agreement under such subsection provides that section 298b–7(c) 1 of this title is applicable to the individual.
In the case of an individual or health facility making an agreement for purposes of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide for the waiver or suspension of liability under such subsection if compliance by the individual or the health facility, as the case may be, with the agreements involved is impossible, or would involve extreme hardship to the individual or facility, and if enforcement of the agreements with respect to the individual or facility would be unconscionable.
Subject to paragraph (2), any amount that the Federal Government is entitled to recover under paragraph (1) shall be paid to the United States not later than the expiration of the 3-year period beginning on the date the United States becomes so entitled.
Amounts recovered under paragraph (1) with respect to a program under this section shall be available for the purposes of such program, and shall remain available for such purposes until expended.
Of the amounts appropriated under section 298d(b) of this title,,3
Subpart II, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), probably should be “this part” to reflect the redesignation of subpart II of former part B of this subchapter as part E of this subchapter by Pub. L. 105–392, title I, § 123(2),
Section 298b–7(c) of this title, referred to in subsec. (f), was repealed by Pub. L. 105–392, title I, § 123(1),
A prior section 297n, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title VIII, § 847, as added
A prior section 846 of act
2020—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–136, § 3404(a)(8)(A), struck out at end of concluding provisions “After fiscal year 2007, the Secretary may not, pursuant to any agreement entered into under this subsection, assign a nurse to any private entity unless that entity is nonprofit.”
Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–136, § 3404(a)(8)(B), substituted “the individual began such practice” for “he began such practice”.
Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 116–136, § 3404(a)(8)(C), substituted “Allocations” for “Funding” in subsec. (i) heading and substituted “Of the amounts appropriated under section 298d(b) of this title,” for the following: par. (1) heading, par. (1) text which read “For the purpose of payments under agreements entered into under subsection (a) or (d), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2007.”, par. (2) heading, and “Of the amounts appropriated under paragraph (1)”.
2010—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 111–148 inserted “, or in a accredited school of nursing, as defined by section 296(2) of this title, as nurse faculty” before semicolon at end.
2002—Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(1), substituted “Loan repayment and scholarship programs” for “Loan repayment program” in section catchline.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(a)(2), inserted at end of concluding provisions “After fiscal year 2007, the Secretary may not, pursuant to any agreement entered into under this subsection, assign a nurse to any private entity unless that entity is nonprofit.”
Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(a)(1), substituted “at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses” for “in an Indian Health Service health center, in a Native Hawaiian health center, in a public hospital, in a migrant health center, in a community health center, in a rural health clinic, or in a public or nonprofit private health facility determined by the Secretary to have a critical shortage of nurses”.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(4), added subsec. (d). Former subsec. (d) redesignated (f).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(c), substituted “under subsection (a) or (d), the Secretary shall give preference to qualified applicants with the greatest financial need.” for “under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference—
“(1) to qualified applicants with the greatest financial need; and
“(2) to qualified applicants that, with respect to health facilities described in such subsection, agree to serve in such health facilities located in geographic areas with a shortage of and need for nurses, as determined by the Secretary.”
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (f) and transferred it to appear after subsec. (e). Former subsec. (f) redesignated (h).
Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (h) as (g) and transferred it to appear after subsec. (f). Former subsec. (g) redesignated (i).
Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(2), (d), redesignated subsec. (f) as (h) and amended it generally. Prior to amendment, text of subsec. read as follows: “For purposes of this section:
“(1) The term ‘community health center’ has the meaning given such term in section 254c(a) of this title.
“(2) The term ‘migrant health center’ has the meaning given such term in section 254b(a)(1) of this title.
“(3) The term ‘rural health clinic’ has the meaning given such term in section 1395x(aa)(2) of this title.”
Former subsec. (h) redesignated (g).
Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 107–205, § 103(b)(2), (e), redesignated subsec. (g) as (i) and amended it generally. Prior to amendment, text of subsec. read as follows: “For the purpose of payments under agreements entered into under subsection (a) of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and $6,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.”
1998—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 105–392 added subsec. (h).
Reference to community health center, migrant health center, public housing health center, or homeless health center considered reference to health center, see section 4(c) of Pub. L. 104–299, set out as a note under section 254b of this title.