[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20208-20211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10872]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.
ACTION: Notice
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SUMMARY: The Center for Population Research of the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), announces the availability of educational loan
repayment under the NICHD Contraception and Infertility Research Loan
Repayment Program (CIR-LRP or the Program). The CIR-LRP, which is
authorized by Section 487B of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42
U.S.C. 288-2) as added by the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. L.
103-43). provides for the repayment of the educational loan debt of
qualified health professionals (including graduate students) who agree
to commit to a period of obligated service of not less than two years
conducting research with respect to contraception and/or infertility.
The CIR-LRP will pay up to $20,000 of the principal and interest of
such individual's educational loans for each year of obligated service.
In addition to the loan repayments, the CIR-LRP will pay participants
an amount equal to 39 percent of the total amount of the loan
repayments made for the taxable year in order to provide reimbursement
for tax liability caused by the Program's loan repayments. The purpose
of the CIR-LRP is the recruitment and retention of highly qualified
health professionals conducting contraception and/or infertility
research. Through this notice, the NICHD, NIH, announces changes in the
eligibility criteria for participation in the CIR-LRP, and invites
health professionals who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria to
apply.
DATES: Interested persons who meet the eligibility requirements may
request information about the CIR-LRP beginning on March 1, 1998.
Applications for participation in the CIR-LRP can be submitted at any
time after April 1, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Information regarding the CIR-LRP may be obtained by
contacting: Dr. Louis V. DePaolo, Coordinator, Contraception and
Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program, Center for Population
Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
NIH, Building 61E, Rm. 8B01, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7510 (Voice: 301/
496-6515; FAX: 301/496-0692; E-Mail: 1d38p@nih.gov).
Applications can be submitted at any time after April 1, 1998 to:
Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program, Center
for Population Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, NIH, Building 61E, Rm. 8B01, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-
7510. For courier deliveries, the following address should be used:
Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program, Center
for Population Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, NIH, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8B01, Rockville,
Maryland 20851.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Pub. L.
103-43) was enacted on June 10, 1993, adding section 487B of the PHS
Act (42 U.S.C. 288-2). Section 487B authorizes the Secretary of Health
and Human Services in consultation with the Director of NICHD to
establish a program of entering into contracts with qualified
professionals under which such health professionals agree to conduct
contraception and/or infertility research in consideration of the
Federal Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such service,
not more than $20,000 of the principal and interest of their
outstanding graduate and/or undergraduate educational loans. The
Secretary, in consultation with the Director of NICHD, has established
a program to provide such loan repayments. This program is known as
[[Page 20209]]
the Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program (CIR-
LRP). In return for these loan repayments, applicants must agree to
participate in contraception and/or infertility research for a period
of obligated service of not less than two years. Selected applicants
become participants in the CIR-LRP only upon the signing of a written
contract by the Director, NICHD, the Secretary's designate.
On March 24, 1997, the NICHD, NIH published a notice in the Federal
Register announcing the availability of educational loan repayment
under the CIR-LRP (62 FR 13892). In that notice, the NICHD, NIH
announced the initial implementation of the program would be limited to
employees of the three NICHD Contraception Research Centers and two
NICHD Infertility Research Centers due to limited availability of
funds. The NICHD, NIH is modifying that original eligibility criteria
to read as follows:
Eligibility Criteria
Qualified health and allied health professionals including, but not
limited to, physicians, Ph.D.-level scientists, nurses and physician
assistants, as well as graduate students and postgraduate research
fellows training in the health professions are eligible to apply
provided that they will be or are engaged, at the time of participation
in the CIR-LRP, in employment/training at an NICHD intramural
laboratory or one of the following NICHD-supported extramural sites:
(1) A Cooperative Specialized Contraception or Infertility Research
Center; (2) a Cooperative Specialized Research Center in Reproduction
Research; (3) a Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development
Center; or (4) a Reproductive Medicine Unit identified as a clinical
site for the National Cooperative Reproductive Medicine Network. As
such, applicants will be expected to participate in research relating
to infertility and/or contraception. For purposes of the CIR-LRP,
infertility research is defined as research whose long-range objective
is to evaluate, treat or ameliorate conditions which result in the
failure of couples to either conceive or bear young, and contraception
development is defined as research whose ultimate goal is to provide
new or improved methods of preventing pregnancy.
In order to be considered for selection into the CIR-LRP, an
applicant meeting the above eligibility requirements must submit a
completed and signed application form. In addition, the individual
must: (1) Sign and submit a CIR-LRP contract by which he/she agrees to
serve the obligated minimum period of two years conducting
contraception or infertility research at an NICHD intramural laboratory
or an eligible NICHD-supported extramural site approved by the
Director, NICHD; (2) have completely satisfied any other service
obligation for health professional service which is owed under an
agreement with the Federal Government, State Government or other entity
prior to beginning the period of service under the CIR-LRP, and (3)
certify that he/she is not delinquent on any amounts which are owed to
the Federal Government.
Participants must be U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent
residents. Individuals who are fulfilling internship, residency or
other advanced primary-care training requirements are not eligible to
participate.
Applicaiton Procedure and Selection Process
Submission of applications for participation in the CIR-LRP by
eligible individuals will be made to NICHD on behalf of the applicant
by the extramural grantee institution or the NICHD for intramural
employees/affiliates. The application will include: (1) Institutional
assurance of future employment/affiliation with the NICHD intramural
laboratory or eligible NICHD-supported extramural site (e.g., contract
between individual and institution) of not less than two years from the
anticipated effective date of the CIR-LRP contract between the
individual and NICHD; (2) a description of the applicant's proposed
role in the scientific research on contraception and/or infertility
being conducted in the NICHD intramural laboratory or eligible NICHD-
supported extramural site, and (3) a brief statement addressing the
applicant's long-range career plan for engaging in contraception or
infertility research. The application will be reviewed by the CIR-LRP
Panel (Panel), chaired by the Deputy Director, NICHD, and comprised of
representatives of the NICHD's Office of Administrative Management, the
respective Program Officers of the Center for Population Research, and
special consultants as required. The Panel will review and select
applications for approval based upon the credentials of the applicant
and other criteria the Secretary deems appropriate such as the
scientific merit of the research and the nature of the applicant's
career plan focus. Priority will be given to applicants with a clear
career focus in the specialized areas of contraception and/or
infertility research over those engaging in general reproductive
sciences research. In addition to this review, the CIR-LRP will
determine whether the educational loan debt qualifies for loan
repayment assistance under this Program (see below). All selections are
subject to final approval by the Director, NICHD. The NICHD will notify
the applicant of the outcome of the review. It is anticipated that the
selection process will take approximately six to eight weeks following
receipt of the application.
Program Administration
The applicant is required to submit: (1) a completed and signed
CIR-LRP contract, and (2) a copy of an institutional assurance of
employment/affiliation with an NICHD intramural laboratory or eligible
NICHD-supported extramural site for no less than a two-year period from
the anticipated effective date of the CIR-LRP contract. Neither the
applicant nor the Federal Government is bound by this contract until:
(1) the applicant has submitted and had approved by the Director,
NICHD, a complete, accurate application as required by this program
announcement, (2) the contract is signed by the Director, NICHD, and
(3) authorized funds are available to the NICHD to carry out the
contract.
The effective date of the contract will be the date it is signed by
the Director or the date employment/training begins at the NICHD
intramural laboratory or eligible NICHD-supported extramural site,
whichever is later. Initial contracts will be executed to cover a two-
year service period. Following conclusion of this initial contract,
participants may be considered for one-year renewal contracts, subject
to approval of the Panel, for up to two additional years. Graduate
students must maintain full-time enrollment (as determined by the
academic institution of study), and be in good academic standing (as
determined by the academic institution of study) while participating in
the CIR-LRP.
Program Benefits for Participants
The CIR-LRP will pay up to $20,000 of the principal and interest of
a participant's preexisting, nondelinquent qualified (see below)
educational (graduate and/or undergraduate) loan balance for each year
of obligated service that is fulfilled by the applicant.
The CIR-LRP's payments to lenders on behalf of the participants
represent taxable income to the participant. The CIR-LRP reports each
year to the Internal Revenue Service the payments it makes to all
participants. Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
2541-1), incorporated by reference in section 487B, provides,
[[Page 20210]]
however, that in addition to the loan payments made to lenders, the
CIR-LRP will also pay to the participants an amount equal to 39 percent
of the total amount of the loan repayments made for the taxable year.
Participants should note that this payment is also considered taxable
income by the Internal Revenue Service and many State and local taxing
authorities.
The CIR-LRP will make quarterly payments to the lenders. Payment is
made by a U.S. Treasury check shortly after the end of each full
quarter of satisfactory service. Since the first payment to lenders
will not be made until after the end of the first quarter of obligated
service, participants should continue to make monthly loan payments for
the first three months of his/her service to avoid defaulting on his/
her loans and affecting his/her credit ratings.
Loan Documentation and Qualification
A copy of the promissory note for each outstanding loan must be
submitted with the application. (This usually may be obtained upon
request to the lenders.) the CIR-LRP will determine if the loans were
reasonably necessary to meet the costs of education, in terms of each
individual loan and in terms of each applicant's total educational loan
debts. Loans qualifying for repayment include preexisting loans
obtained by the participant for:
(1) Undergraduate and graduate tuition expenses;
(2) All other reasonable educational expenses including fees,
books, supplies, educational equipment and materials required by the
school, and laboratory expenses; and
(3) Reasonable living expenses including the costs of room and
board, transportation, commuting and other costs incurred during an
individual's attendance at school as determined by the Secretary.
Applicants must complete a lender verification form for each loan.
The most current balance of each loan--principal plus interest plus
loan expenses (such as the required insurance premiums on the unpaid
balances of some loans)--should be determined as accurately as possible
and reported by the applicant on each form. This enables the CIR-LRP to
reserve adequate funds for loan repayments under the contract should
the applicant become a CIR-LRP participant. The CIR-LRP will send the
loan verification forms to each lender for verification. If the CIR-LRP
is unable to obtain adequate loan verification from the lender, the
applicant may be asked to submit other document, such as copies of the
original loan application, to document that the loan (or a stated
portion of the loan) was obtained for the education purposes stated
previously.
Financial obligations not qualifying for repayment include:
(1) Physician Shortage Area Scholarship Program;
(2) Public Health Service and National Health Service Corps
Scholarship Programs;
(3) Armed Forces (Army, Navy or Air Force) Health Professions
Scholarship Programs;
(4) Indian Health Service Scholarship Program;
(5) National Research Service Award Program;
(6) Loans for which contemporaneous documentation is not available;
(7) Loans or ``scholarship'' arrangements which impose financial
obligations upon the applicant if service is not performed;
(8) Loans without a promissory note made when the loan was given;
(9) Loans that are delinquent, defaulted, or in any manner not in a
current payment status as determined by the lender;
(10) Loans, or those parts of loans, obtained for educational or
living expenses while at school, which exceed the ``reasonable'' level,
as determined by a review of the school's standard school budget or
additional contemporaneous documentation for the year in which the loan
was made, as determined by the CIR-LRP;
(11) Loans which have been paid in full;
(12) Loans not obtained from a Government entity or commercial or
other charter lending institution, such as loans from friends and
relatives or other private individuals;
(13) Loans for graduate studies obtained following entry into the
CIR-LRP.
Breach of the Loan Repayment Agreement
In the event that the participant fails to begin or complete the
two-year minimum period of obligatory participation in contraception or
infertility research at an NICHD intramural laboratory or eligible
NICHD-supported extramural site as set forth in the contract, and
payments have been rendered to the lenders on behalf of the individual,
he/she is in breach of the contractual agreement, and is liable to pay
monetary damages to the United States Government. Participants who
leave during the first year of the initial contract are liable for
amounts already paid by the Program plus an amount equal to $1,000
multiplied by the number of months of the original obligation.
Participants who leave during the second year of the contract are
liable for (a) the total of the amounts the Program paid the lenders,
plus (b) an ``unserved obligation penalty'' of $1,000 for each month
unserved. If a participant completed the two-year minimum obligatory
period, but cannot complete additional obligatory periods, no
obligation penalties will be levied, but the participant will owe the
United States for any payments the CIR-LRP made to the lenders for
which service by the participant was not performed unless, in the
opinion of the CIR-LRP Panel, they continue to participate in
contraception and/or infertility research during the additional
obligatory periods. If a participant must terminate employment/training
at an NICHD intramural laboratory of NICHD-supported extramural site
for reasons beyond his/her control, and transfers to a site other than
an NICHD intramural laboratory or eligible NICHD-supported extramural
site, payments will cease upon transfer. He/she may not be liable for
monetary damages as described above, if, in the judgement of the CIR-
LRP Panel, he/she continues to participate in contraception and/or
infertility research. However, if he/she transfers to another NICHD
intramural laboratory or eligible NICHD-supported extramural site and
participates in contraception and/or infertility research with the
approval of the Director, NICHD, the contract will be amended and the
participant will still be considered bound by the ongoing contract
obligations, and the lenders will continue to receive payments on
behalf of the participant according to schedule.
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 1995. 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 CIR-LRP.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for the CIR-
LRP is 93.209.
[[Page 20211]]
Dated: April 7, 1998.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 98-10872 Filed 4-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M
