Section 127929 Of Article 2.5. California Medical And Dental Student Loan Repayment Program From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 107. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.5.
127929
. (a) The office shall administer the California Medical and
Dental Student Loan Repayment Program of 2002. Any individual
enrolled in an institution of postsecondary education participating
in the program set forth in this article may be eligible to receive a
conditional warrant for loan repayment, to be redeemed upon becoming
employed as a physician or dentist in a medically underserved area
or a dentally underserved area serving primarily medically or
dentally underserved populations. In order to be eligible to receive
a conditional loan repayment warrant, an applicant shall satisfy all
of the following conditions:
(1) The applicant has been judged by his or her postsecondary
institution to have outstanding ability on the basis of criteria that
may include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
(A) Grade point average.
(B) Test scores.
(C) Faculty evaluations.
(D) Interviews.
(E) Other recommendations.
(2) In order to meet the costs associated with obtaining a medical
or dental degree, the applicant has received, or is approved to
receive, a loan under one or more of the following designated loan
programs:
(A) The Federal Family Education Loan Program (10 U.S.C. Sec. 1071
et seq.).
(B) Any loan program approved by the Student Aid Commission.
(3) The applicant has agreed to provide services as a licensed
physician for up to three consecutive years, after obtaining a
license from the Medical Board of California in a medically
underserved area, or the applicant has agreed to provide services as
a licensed dentist for up to three consecutive years, after obtaining
a license from the Dental Board of California in a dentally
underserved area.
(4) The applicant has agreed to work in a setting where the
applicant will primarily serve medically or dentally underserved
populations.
(b) The office shall ensure that priority consideration be given
to applicants who are best suited to meet the cultural and linguistic
needs and demands of medically and dentally underserved populations
and who meet one or more of the following criteria:
(1) Speak a Medi-Cal threshold language.
(2) Come from an economically disadvantaged background.
(3) Have received significant training in cultural and
linguistically appropriate service delivery.
(4) Have done a medical rotation serving medically underserved
populations or provided dental services to members of a dentally
underserved population.
(c) A person participating in the program pursuant to this section
shall not receive more than one warrant.
(d) The office shall adopt rules and regulations regarding the
reallocation of warrants if a participating institution is unable to
utilize its allocated warrants or is unable to distribute them within
a reasonable time period.