Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
18A.190,
40.320,
314.011
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
40.325(2) authorizes state
veterans' nursing homes.
KRS
40.327(1) and (5) requires
the Department of Veterans' Affairs (KDVA) and the Kentucky Higher Education
Assistance Authority (KHEAA) to create a Veterans' Affairs Nurse Loan Repayment
Program (VANLRPP) for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses within
the Department's employ.
KRS
40.327(6) requires
administrative regulations necessary to operate this program. This
administrative regulation establishes the eligibility requirements, the
application process, the selection criteria, and the award process for the
Nurse Loan Repayment Program.
Section
1. Definitions.
(1) "Full time"
means working at least a forty (40) hour work week every week of the year,
except for authorized and approved leave and holidays as established in
KRS
18A.190.
(2) "Licensed practical nurse" is defined by
KRS
314.011(9).
(3) "Registered nurse" is defined by:
(a)
KRS
314.011(5); and
(b) Does not include nurse
practitioners.
(4)
"Satisfactory employment" means employment in which the applicant does not have
disciplinary or corrective actions during the year being certified and in which
the applicant is not currently on a performance improvement plan at the time
the application is submitted.
Section
2. Eligibility Requirements. To be eligible to apply for the
program, an applicant shall:
(1) Have a
current Kentucky license as a registered nurse (RN) or as a licensed practical
nurse (LPN);
(2) Be currently
employed as an RN or LPN on a full-time basis at a Kentucky Department of
Veterans Affairs' state veteran nursing home;
(3) Be a classified employee with status
under KRS Chapter 18A; and
(4) Have
completed at least one (1) year of full-time, satisfactory employment
performance as an RN or LPN at a KDVA's state veteran nursing home in the year
preceding the application; and
(5)
If applying for loan repayment more than once, each application shall be
consecutive to the prior application up to a maximum of four (4) consecutive
applications and up to a maximum loan repayment for four (4) successful,
consecutive applications of no more than $40,000.
(6) An applicant shall not have other
unsatisfied contractual service obligations upon completing the Contract
Between Nurse Loan Repayment Applicant and the Kentucky Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(7) An applicant shall not
have an active military obligation.
Section 3. Application Process. Each eligible
applicant shall complete a Veterans Affairs Nurse Loan Repayment Program
(VANLRP) Application and submit:
(1) The
Veterans Affairs Nurse Loan Repayment (VANLRP) Application between January 1
and March 31;
(2) Documentation
required to be attached to the Veterans Affairs Nurse Loan Repayment (VANLRP)
application, including:
(a) A professional
experience narrative;
(b)
Educational loan debt information; and
(c) A copy of a current, valid Kentucky
Nursing License;
(3) One
(1) copy of the KRS Chapter 18A annual performance evaluation, if any, which
the applicant received for the immediate prior calendar year.
Section 4. Selection Process.
(1) The selection panel shall consist of the
executive director of the Office of Kentucky Veterans Centers (OKVC), the
deputy executive director of OKVC, and the administrator of the state veterans
nursing home where the applicant is employed.
(2) Criteria for selection shall include:
(a) Availability of funding;
(b) The work performance of the applicant
compared to other applicants; and
(c) The needs for additional nurses at the
applicant's state veteran nursing home compared to the needs of the other state
veterans nursing homes.
Section 5. Award Process.
(1) Upon the selection panel awarding an
applicant a loan repayment, the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of
Veterans Affairs shall issue an Award Letter to the applicant.
(2) The Award Letter shall state the amount
of loan repayment of up to twenty-five (25) percent of the applicant's loan
balance up to a maximum of $10,000 per application year.
(3) KDVA and the applicant shall enter into a
binding contract stating the terms of the loan repayment on the Contract
Between Nurse Loan Repayment Applicant and the Kentucky Department of Veterans
Affairs document.
(4) OKVC shall
notify the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to implement the
repayment and the Personnel Cabinet to process the taxable amount through
employee payroll.
Section
6. Appeals. Denial by the selection panel shall not be considered
a sanction and shall not be appealable.
Section
7. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) The following material is incorporated by
reference:
(a) "Contract Between Nurse Loan
Repayment Applicant and the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs",
2020;
(b) "Veterans Affairs Nurse
Loan Repayment Program (VANLRP) Application", 2020; and
(c) "Award Letter", 2020.
(2) This material may be
inspected, copied, or obtained at the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs,
1111B Louisville Road, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
40.325(2),
40.327