Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 52, December 27, 2024
a)
Preference shall be given to qualified applicants enrolled at an Illinois
institution of higher learning.
b)
A completed application for the Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness program
must submitted to ISAC on or before March 1 immediately preceding the regular
school year for which the forgivable loan is being requested, in order to
receive priority consideration.
1)
Applications are available from qualified institutions of higher learning,
ISAC's Web site, Illinois State legislative and Illinois Congressional offices,
ISAC (Springfield, Deerfield, and Chicago offices), as well as DCFS;
2) ISAC will make renewal applications
available to all qualified students who were previously awarded forgivable
loans but have not yet exceeded the two-year maximum rule (see subsection
(c));
3) If the application is
incomplete, ISAC will notify the applicant. The applicant will then have an
opportunity to furnish the missing information; however, the application will
only be considered for processing as of the date when the application is
complete and received at ISAC's Deerfield office.
c) Benefits under this program are limited to
a maximum of two academic years. The total number of forgivable loans in a
given fiscal year is contingent upon available funding.
1) An undergraduate applicant may be awarded
a forgivable loan of no more than $4,000 per academic year for a maximum of two
academic years.
2) A graduate
applicant may be awarded a forgivable loan of no more than $8,000 per academic
year for a maximum of two academic years.
d) Prior to receiving loan funds under this
Part, the qualified applicant must sign a Program Agreement/Promissory Note
that is submitted to ISAC. The Program Agreement/Promissory Note shall include
the following stipulations:
1) the recipient
agrees to work for DCFS or a contracting agency on a full-time basis, one year
for each year a forgivable loan is received;
2) any recipient who fails to work at DCFS or
a contracting agency is responsible for repaying the loan, plus accrued
interest, at 8% annually and, if applicable, reasonable collection
costs;
3) the recipient agrees to
begin working within one year following the completion of the degree program
for which the recipient received a forgivable loan under this Part, and shall
work on a continuous basis for the required period of time;
4) the recipient agrees to provide ISAC with
evidence of compliance with program requirements if not provided by DCFS or a
contracting agency; and
5) the
recipient promises to use the proceeds of the loan for
educational expenses.
e) A recipient of a forgivable loan awarded
under this Part shall not be in violation of the agreement entered into
pursuant to subsection (d) during periods in which the recipient:
1) is enrolled on a full-time basis as a
graduate student in a course of study related to the study of human/social
services;
2) serves, for not more
than three years, as a member of the United States Armed Forces;
3) is temporarily totally disabled, for not
more than three years, as
established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed
physician;
4) is actively
seeking but unable to find full-time employment with DCFS or a contracting
agency for one continuous period not to exceed two years, and is able to
provide evidence of that fact; or
5) is taking additional courses, on at least
a half-time basis, needed to obtain a degree that will allow the recipient the
opportunity to satisfy his or her obligation under this program.
f) If a recipient is required to
repay any portion of the forgivable loan, the repayment period shall be
completed within ten years after repayment begins. This ten-year period may be
extended if the recipient:
1) serves, for not
more than three years, as a member of the United States Armed Forces;
2) is temporarily disabled, for not more than
three years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed
physician;
3) is actively seeking
but unable to find full-time employment, for one continuous period not to
exceed two years, and is able to provide evidence of that fact;
4) withdraws from a course of study leading
to a degree in the field of social/human services, but is enrolled full-time in
another academic discipline; or
5)
is pursuing a graduate course of study and is enrolled on a full-time basis for
one continuous period of time not to exceed three years.
g) During the time a recipient qualifies for
any of the extensions listed in subsection (f), he or she shall not be required
to make payments and interest shall not accrue.
h) A recipient shall enter repayment status
on the earliest of the following dates:
1)
the first day of the first calendar month after the recipient has ceased to
pursue a course of study leading to a degree that allows the recipient the
right to be employed as a human/social services employee for DCFS or a
contracting agency, but not before six months have elapsed after the conclusion
of at least half-time enrollment in the course of study;
2) the date the recipient or DCFS informs
ISAC that the recipient does not plan to fulfill the program's obligation;
or
3) the day after the latest date
upon which the recipient must have begun working after completing the
postsecondary education for which the loan was awarded.
i) A recipient shall not be required to repay
the amount of the loan received if he or she becomes permanently totally
disabled, as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician, or if
his or her representative provides ISAC with a death certificate or other
evidence that the recipient is deceased.