[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 19, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-25923]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 19, 1994]
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Part III
Department of Health and Human Services
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Public Health Service
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program
for Individuals From Disadvantaged Backgrounds; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
RIN 0905-ZA73
National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Loan Repayment
Program for Individuals From Disadvantaged Backgrounds
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pending approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
under the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the availability of
educational loan repayment under the NIH Clinical Research Loan
Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (the
Program). The Program, which is authorized by Section 487E of the
Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 288-5), as added by the
National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-
43), provides for the repayment of the educational loan debt of health
professionals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have
substantial debt relative to income, and who agree to conduct clinical
research as employees of the NIH. The Program provides for the
repayment of up to $20,000 of the principal and interest of the
educational loans of such health professionals for each year of
obligated service. The purpose of the Program is the recruitment and
retention of highly qualified health professionals, who are from
disadvantaged backgrounds, to clinical research careers at the NIH.
Through this notice, the NIH invites health professionals, who are from
disadvantaged backgrounds and interested in engaging in clinical
research as NIH employees for at least two years, to apply for
participation in the NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for
Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds.
DATES: Interested persons may request information about the Program
beginning on October 19, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Information regarding the requirements and application
procedures for the Program may be obtained by calling or writing: Mr.
Marc Horowitz, Director, NIH Loan Repayment Programs, National
Institutes of Health, Federal Building, Room 102, 7550 Wisconsin
Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9905 (800-528-7689).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institutes of Health
Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103-43) was enacted on June 10,
1993, adding section 487E of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42
U.S.C. 288-5). Section 487E authorizes the Secretary to carry out a
program of entering into contracts with appropriately qualified health
professionals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds with substantial
educational loan debt relative to income. Under such contracts,
qualified health professionals agree to conduct clinical research as
employees of the NIH for at least two years in consideration of the
Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of service, not
more than $20,000 of the principal and interest of the educational
loans of such health professionals. This program is known as the NIH
Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from
Disadvantaged Backgrounds (Clinical Research LRP).
Eligibility Criteria
Specific eligibility criteria with regard to participation in the
Clinical Research LRP include the following:
(1) Participants must be United States citizens, nationals, or
permanent residents;
(2) Participants must have a M.D., Ph.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D.,
A.D.N./B.S.N., or equivalent degree;
(3) Participants must come from a disadvantaged background. An
individual from a disadvantaged background is one who (a) comes from an
environment that inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge,
skill, and ability required to enroll in and graduate from a health
professions school or (b) comes from a family with an annual income
below a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size
published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for
changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary for
use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically
publishes these income levels in the Federal Register;
(4) Participants must have qualifying educational debt in excess of
20 percent of their annual NIH salary at their expected date of program
eligibility. In the case of U.S. Commissioned Corps officers, their NIH
salary includes base pay plus quarters, subsistence, and variable
housing allowances. Special and bonus pays, such as board certified,
contract, and variable incentive pays, are not considered in the
Clinical Research LRP's calculation of salary. For these employed under
the Civil Service, salary does not include Physicians Comparability
Allowances (PCAs). However, PCA recipients who are accepted into the
Clinical Research LRP will have their PCAs reduced by the amount of
loan repayments to be received. The expected date of program
eligibility is the date by which the following conditions will be met:
(a) An applicant agrees to begin clinical research as a NIH employee,
and (b) the Secretary is expected to execute the Clinical Research LRP
contract;
(5) Participants must be employees of the NIH. The following are
NOT considered NIH employees: (a) Intramural Research Training Award
(IRTA) recipients, (b) Visiting Fellows, (c) National Research Service
Award (NRSA) recipients, (d) Guest Researchers or Special Volunteers,
(e) NIH-National Research Council (NRC) Biotechnology Research
Associates Program participants, and (f) Intergovernmental Personnel
Act (IPA) participants;
(6) Participants may be appointed under a temporary or permanent
employment mechanism, so long as their employment in a clinical
research assignment has the potential to last a minimum of 2 years;
(7) Individuals with existing service obligations to Federal,
State, or other entities will not be considered for the Program unless
and until the existing service obligation is discharged or deferred for
the length of Program participation;
(8) Applicants will not be excluded from consideration under the
Program on the basis of age, race, culture, religion, gender,
disability, or other non-merit factors.
Selection Process
Since program participation is contingent upon employment with the
NIH, an individual who wishes to apply must obtain a written commitment
from an Institute or Center (IC) Personnel Office of the NIH to be
employed in a clinical research position. The Director, LRP, provides
current deadlines, sources for assistance, and additional details
regarding application procedures in an annual Applicant Information
Bulletin.
Individuals submit their applications to the Director, LRP, who
forwards those qualified to the Clinical Research Loan Repayment
Committee (CR-LRC). The CR-LRC reviews, ranks, and approves or
disapproves Clinical Research LRP applications. The LRC membership is
made up of NIH scientific staff who are nominated by the Deputy
Director, Intramural Research, NIH, and appointed by the Director, NIH.
The CR-LRC is co-chaired by the Associate Director for Clinical
Research, NIH, and the Associate Director for Research on Minority
Health, NIH. The CR-LRC reviews and selects applications for approval
based upon the following:
(1) The merit of the clinical research assignment; and
(2) The credentials of both applicant and supervisor and other
criteria the Secretary deems appropriate.
Clinical research activities are the biomedical and behavioral
studies of etiology, epidemiology, prevention, prevention strategies,
diagnosis, or treatment of diseases, disorders or conditions, including
but not limited to clinical trials.
Funds for repayment will only be awarded to LRC-approved
applications. Priority in funding will be given to qualified health
professionals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are
underrepresented in biomedical/behavioral research including members
from minority groups, disabled individuals, and women.
Program Administration and Details
Under the Clinical Research LRP, the NIH will repay a portion of
the extant qualified educational loan debt incurred by health
professionals to pay for their undergraduate, graduate, and/or health
professional school educational expenses. Upon application, individuals
must have total qualified educational debt which exceeds 20% of their
anticipated annual NIH salary (``debt threshold'') on the date of
program eligibility.
Only qualified loan amounts in excess of 50 percent of the debt
threshold will be considered for repayment (``repayable debt''). The
repayable debt of qualified health professionals will be satisfied at
the rate of one-half per year, subject to a statutory limit of $20,000
per year, for each year of obligated service. Obligated service
requires selected individuals to serve at least 2 years as an NIH
employee engaged in clinical research. Following conclusion of the
initial two-year contract, participants may apply for renewal contracts
to satisfy their remaining repayable debt. These continuation contracts
may be submitted and approved on a year-to-year basis, subject to a
finding by NIH that the applicant's clinical research accomplishments
are acceptable. Funding of contracts is contingent upon appropriation
and/or allocation of funds from the U.S. Congress and/or the NIH.
In return for the repayment of their educational loans,
participants must agree to (1) engage in clinical research as employees
of the NIH for a minimum period of 2 years; (2) make payments to
lenders on their own behalf for periods of Leave Without Pay (LWOP);
(3) pay monetary damages as required for breach of contract; and (4)
satisfy other terms and conditions of the Clinical Research LRP's
contract and application procedures.
Applicants must submit a signed contract, prepared by the NIH,
agreeing to obligated service at the time they apply for consideration
under the Clinical Research LRP. Substantial monetary penalties will be
imposed for breach of contract.
The NIH will repay lenders for the principal, interest, and related
expenses (such as the required insurance premiums on the unpaid
balances of some loans) of qualified Government (Federal, State, local)
and commercial educational loans obtained by participants for the
following:
(1) Undergraduate, graduate, and health professional school tuition
expenses;
(2) Other reasonable educational expenses required by the school(s)
attended, including fees, books, supplies, educational equipment and
materials, and laboratory expenses; and
(3) Reasonable living expenses, including the cost of room and
board, transportation and commuting costs, and other living expenses as
determined by the Secretary.
Repayments will be authorized for direct payment to lenders,
following receipt of (1) the supervisor's verification of completion of
the prior period of obligated service and (2) lender verification of
the crediting of prior loan repayments, including the resulting account
balances and current account status. The NIH will repay loans in the
following order unless significant savings would result from repaying
loans in a different priority order:
(1) Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL);
(2) other loans guaranteed by the Federal Government; and
(3) other qualifying loans.
The following loans are NOT repayable under the Clinical Research
LRP:
(1) Loans not obtained from a Government entity or commercial or
other chartered lending institution, such as loans from friends and
relatives, or other private individuals;
(2) Loans for which contemporaneous documentation is not available;
and
(3) Loans, or those portions of loans, obtained for educational or
living expenses which exceed a ``reasonable'' level as determined by a
review of the standard school budget or additional contemporaneous
documentation for the year in which the loan was made.
In addition, for other programs which provide loans, scholarships,
loan repayments, or similar awards in exchange for a future service
obligation, the NIH will NOT repay any sums that may result from
failure to serve as required or conversion of the obligation to a loan
under these programs. This includes, but is not limited to the
following:
(1) Physicians Shortage Area Scholarship Program (Federal or
State);
(2) National Research Service Award Program;
(3) Public Health Service and National Health Service Corps
Scholarship Programs;
(4) Armed Forces (Army, Navy, or Air Force) Health Professions
Scholarship Programs; and
(5) Indian Health Service Scholarship Program.
Finally, payments will not be made under the Clinical Research LRP
for loans which participants have already repaid, delinquent loans,
loans in default, loans not current in their payment schedule, or loans
for which promissory notes have been signed after the program
eligibility date. During lapses in loan repayments, due either to
administrative complications or a break in service, Clinical Research
LRP participants are wholly responsible for making payments or other
arrangements which maintain loans in a current payment status such that
increases in either principal or interest do not occur. Penalties
assessed participants as a result of NIH administrative complications
may be considered for reimbursement.
Additional Program Information
This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.
This program is subject to OMB clearance under the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980. A Request for OMB Review and
Approval of information collection associated with the program is being
prepared by the NIH and will be sent to OMB for review and approval
prior to implementation of the Clinical Research LRP.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for the
Clinical Research LRP is 93.220.
Dated: September 7, 1994.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 94-25923 Filed 10-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M
