Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
164.740,
164.7891
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
164.7891(9) requires the
authority to promulgate administrative regulations for administration of the
Osteopathic Medicine Scholarship Program. This administrative regulation
establishes conditions for deferment of the repayment obligation under the
Osteopathic Medicine Scholarship Program.
Section
1. Definitions.
(1) "Authority"
is defined in
KRS
164.740(1).
(2) "Default" means the status of an
obligation under this program that has entered repayment and upon which no
payment has been made for a cumulative period of 180 days following the
repayment begin date for the obligation.
(3) "Deferment" means a temporary waiver of
the obligation of an osteopathic medicine scholarship recipient to make
payments to the authority pursuant to one (1) or more promissory notes,
executed between the recipient and the authority, which is granted by the
authority, for a specified period of time, upon a showing of cause by the
recipient.
(4) "Full-time practice
in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a licensed doctor of osteopathy for a
majority of the calendar year" means practicing in a qualified field for at
least 2000 hours per calendar year.
(5) "Qualified field" means family practice,
general practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, general
obstetrics or gynecology.
(6)
"Qualified service" is defined in
KRS
164.7891(3)(c).
Section 2. Request for Deferment.
(1) The osteopathic medicine scholarship
recipient shall request a deferment in writing by submitting to the authority
complete and accurate information verifying the recipient's circumstances that
qualify for deferment in accordance with this administrative
regulation.
(2) The recipient's
submission of a request for deferment shall constitute authorization for the
authority to request and receive from a third-party verification of facts
represented by the recipient.
Section
3. Effect on Repayment.
(1)
During a deferment:
(a) A principal or
interest repayment shall not be required; and
(b) Interest shall continue to accrue on the
unpaid principal balance owed by the recipient during the period specified in
Section 4(4) of this administrative regulation.
(2) The authority shall not grant a deferment
if a deferment would legally impair the ultimate recovery of the principal and
accrued interest otherwise owed by the recipient.
(3) A promissory note for which repayment is
deferred in accordance with this administrative regulation shall subsequently
be cancelled in accordance with
KRS
164.7891(5) if the
osteo-pathic medicine scholarship recipient resumes full-time enrollment in an
accredited program of study at a school of osteopathic medicine located in the
Commonwealth or renders qualified service.
Section 4. Types of Deferments. Except as
provided in subsection (5) of this section, the authority shall grant deferment
of repayment for a period of twelve (12) months, not to exceed an aggregate of
thirty-six (36) months, excluding military service deferment or an internship
and residency deferment, for the circumstances described in this section.
(1) Disability deferment.
(a) A deferment may be granted to an
osteopathic medicine scholarship recipient who is:
1. Temporarily totally disabled and,
therefore, unable to attend school or perform qualified service; or
2. Unable to attend school or perform
qualified service due to the temporary, total disability of the osteopathic
medicine scholarship recipient's spouse who requires continuous (twenty-four
(24) hour) nursing or similar care by the recipient.
(b) For purposes of this deferment, an
osteopathic medicine scholarship recipient, or the spouse of a recipient, shall
be considered temporarily totally disabled if he suffers an injury or illness
which necessitates an extended or indefinite period of recovery which can be
expected to preclude school attendance or employment and, in case of a
recipient's spouse, he is not confined to a hospital, nursing home,
intermediate care facility, or similar institution.
(c) The recipient shall provide to the
authority a statement from a licensed physician (other than the osteopathic
medicine scholarship recipient) certifying that the recipient or spouse is
temporarily totally disabled in accordance with the requirements established in
paragraph (b) of this subsection. The recipient shall be solely responsible for
securing the physician's certification and ensuring that it is received by the
authority.
(d) If the deferment is
granted for a period of less than one (1) year at a time, the deferment shall
be subject to periodic review of a physician's certification every six (6)
months.
(e) After the third year of
a recipient's deferment, pursuant to this subsection, the authority shall
cancel the debt if it reasonably appears to the authority based on the
certification of a licensed physician other than the scholarship recipient that
the scholarship recipient is totally disabled and the disability is expected to
be permanent and continue to preclude the scholarship recipient's school
attendance and employment for an indefinite time.
(2) Hardship deferment.
(a) The authority shall determine that a
hardship exists and grant a hardship deferment if:
1. Enrollment in an accredited program at a
school of osteopathic medicine located in the Commonwealth or performance of
qualified service is temporarily interrupted due to circumstances beyond the
recipient's control, including natural disaster or death in the family, after
which the recipient intends to resume the enrollment or qualified service
position; or
2. The recipient is
insolvent due to circumstances beyond his control, including natural disaster,
involuntary unemployment, or unforeseen medical expenses.
(b) This deferment shall:
1. Be granted for a period of less than one
(1) year; and
2. Be subject to
periodic review of documentation every six (6) months.
(3) Military service deferment.
The authority shall grant a military service deferment to a recipient upon
proof of current active duty status in the United States Armed Forces, subject
to annual review and verification by the authority.
(4) Internship and residency deferment.
(a)
1. An
osteopathic medicine scholarship recipient shall receive a deferment during the
normal term of service in a single American Osteopathic Association approved
rotating internship in osteopathic medicine prior to beginning practice in
osteopathic medicine.
2. An
osteopathic medicine scholarship recipient shall receive a deferment during the
normal term of service in:
a. A single
American Osteopathic Association approved residency program in a qualified
field; or
b. The Family Practice
plus One year Neuromuscular Medicine (FP+1) residency
program.
(b)
The recipient shall submit to the authority verification that he is enrolled in
the internship or residency program, the start date, and anticipated end date
of the internship or residency from the hospital, clinic, or other institution
where the internship or residency is being performed.
(c) This verification shall contain the
following information:
1. The recipient's
name, Social Security number, current home address, and telephone
number;
2. The name and address of
the hospital, clinic, or other institution where the internship or residency is
being performed;
3. The name,
title, address, telephone number, and signature on a statement of certification
or verification of the person supervising the recipient's internship or
residency program; and
4. The
expected date that the internship or residency program will be
completed.
(d) A
recipient whose period of obligated service has been deferred under this
subsection shall begin full-time practice in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a
licensed doctor of osteopathy for a majority of the calendar year in a
qualified field immediately following the completion of the initial residency
period and licensure to practice osteopathic medicine in the Commonwealth of
Kentucky.
(5) Upon
default of a repayment obligation under this program, a recipient shall be
permanently barred from eligibility for all other deferments provided for in
this administrative regulation.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
164.7891(9)