Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 195 - GEORGIA BOARD FOR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE
Chapter 195-15 - PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (PA) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM
Rule 195-15-.01 - General Definitions

(1) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce" means the organization and its office created under O.C.G.A. 49-10.

(2) "Loan" refers to the service repayable grant awarded by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to applicants who are desirous of becoming physician assistants practicing in rural areas of Georgia.

(3) "Loan Repayment" refers to repayment of all or a portion of recipient's outstanding physician assistant education loan debt. Qualifying debt is held by an established lending institution, identifiable as originating from the debt incurred to obtain a physician assistants education and fully disclosed at the time of application.

(4) "Physician assistant" means a skilled person who is licensed to a supervising physician and who is qualified by academic and practical training to provide patients' services not necessarily within the physical presence but under the personal direction or supervision of the supervising physician.

(5) "Qualified Debt" is any debt incurred to obtain an education as a physician assistant, fully disclosed at the time of application, and is currently not in default. Even if a creditor now considers the defaulted loan to be in good standing, such debt shall not be considered Qualified Debt.

(6) "Physician Assistant Education Loan Debt" refers to loans incurred by the applicant to finance his/her Physician Assistant education that remains unpaid during the contract period.

(7) "Eligible and Qualified Applicant" refers to, as minimum qualifications, a physician assistant with outstanding medical education loan debt, licensed to practice as a physician assistant in the State of Georgia who desires to serve in a Board-approved, rural area of Georgia.

(8) "Physician Assistant Program" means an institution of medical education that received accreditation or provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) or National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants on a program in medical education designed to qualify the graduate for licensure by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.

(9) "Recipient" means any person who receives any amount of funding from Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce Physician Assistants for Rural Areas Assistance Program of the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce.

(10) "Service Repayment" means the period of service earned by the physician assistant, as approved by the Board, toward repayment of the service cancelable loan physician assistant services rendered by the recipient and as required under the provisions of the loan contract.

(11) "Credit" means that amount of time credited to the recipient for services rendered in compliance with the provisions of the contract. Credit is applied one year of funding for each year of service rendered in compliance with the repayment provisions of the contract, but may be prorated at the Board's discretion and determination.

(12) "Rural and Underserved Area" is defined as a Board approved rural county in Georgia of 50,000 population or less according to the United States decennial census of 2010 or any future such census or at any hospital or facility operated directly by of the Department of Public Health, Department of Community Health, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Department of Human Resources, Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice. Facilities falling under the direct jurisdiction of the mentioned state agencies must include physician assistant employment by approved agency or, in case of contracted employment, the PA must be treating patients of the approved agency with equal provisions given to that agency's missions.

(13) "Contract Renewal" means the yearly renewal of the loan repayment contract between the recipient and the Board. The contract period shall be renewable on a one-year basis for a period not exceeding four years and a total amount not exceeding $40,000.00,

(14) "Award Amount" refers to the annual amount obligated to a loan repayment recipient. The award amount shall be determined by the Board. At its annual meeting, the Board may, within its discretion, set the award amount for new loans within the limit of the appropriated funds for the budget year. Said amount shall be set forth in the official minutes of the Board.

(15) "Default" means breach of contract by the recipient in failing to begin or failing to complete the contractual service obligation of the Physician Assistants for Rural Areas Assistance Program.

(16) "Ad Damnum or Double Damages" refers to the penalty resulting from a loan repayment recipient defaulting on their contractual obligations. Default requires immediate repayment of double the total principal amount received less any pro-rated amount for repaid service as provided in the contract.

(17) "Cancellation of Contract" refers to the discretionary power of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to cancel any contract for cause deemed sufficient by the Board, provided such authority is not exercised unreasonably or arbitrarily.

(18) "Full Time" refers to 40 hours of work required per week to fulfill service obligations. Full time is considered at least 32 clinical hours providing direct patient care during normal clinic hours at the approved practice site. Remaining hours must be spent providing practice-related administrative activities. On-call hours are not considered part of the full time requirement. No more than 7 weeks (35 workdays) per year can be spent away from the practice for vacation, holidays, continuing professional education, illness or any other reason. Absences greater than 7 weeks a year will extend the service commitment. The practice time requirement can be split between two or more counties, provided that none of the practice location counties exceeds the 50,000 population limit.

(19) "Compelling Reasons" refers to conditions such as a life threatening illness or loss of ability to perform the duties of a PA or to be gainfully employed due to illness or accident. The Board may consent to a lesser measure of damages for compelling reasons.