Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 28 - EDUCATION
Part IV - Student Financial Assistance-Higher Education Scholarship and Grant Programs
Chapter 9 - TOPS Teacher Award
Section IV-911 - Discharge of Obligation
Universal Citation: LA Admin Code IV-911
Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. The loan may be discharged by teaching for the required period of obligation, by monetary repayment or by cancellation.
B. Discharging the loan by teaching fulfillment is accomplished by:
1. within two
years of the date of certification as a teacher, perform service as a full-time
classroom teacher in a Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
(BESE) -approved, provisionally-approved, or probationally-approved elementary
or secondary school;
2. each year
of full-time service as a teacher will fulfill an equivalent period of funding.
However, if teaching in an elementary or secondary school which is located in
an economically disadvantaged region of the state, as defined by the U.S.
Department of Education, one year of teaching will fulfill two years of
funding;
3. the first two full
semesters of full-time teaching will be applied toward the earliest dated
disbursement not previously paid under
§911 C, the second two full semesters the
next earliest dated disbursement, and continuing until all disbursements have
been fulfilled;
4. teaching to
discharge the loan must be completed within six years from the date of
certification as a teacher.
C. Discharging the Loan by Monetary Repayment. Recipients who elect not to discharge the obligation by teaching and who are not eligible for discharge by cancellation must repay the loan principal plus accrued interest and any collection costs incurred according to the following terms and conditions:
1.
interest will accrue on the outstanding principal at the rate of 8 percent per
annum;
2. interest on each
disbursement will accrue from the date of entering repayment status until
repaid, canceled or fulfilled;
3.
repayment status. The recipient enters repayment status the first of the month
following:
a. determination by the board that
the recipient cannot discharge the loan by teaching within the required time
period;
b. the date the recipient
notifies the board that monetary repayment is desired; or
c. six months after the board determines that
the recipient is no longer pursuing a degree program or course of study leading
to a degree in education or alternative program leading to regular
certification as a teacher at the elementary or secondary school
level;
4. unless the
recipient qualifies for reduced payments as provided in
§2105 H, the amount to be repaid annually
will be the greater of:
a. the amount
necessary to repay the capitalized loan principal within 10 years; or
b. $1,200 per year or the unpaid balance,
whichever is less;
5.
recipients in repayment status may have their payments deferred in accordance
with §2105 B, deferment
of repayment obligation;
6. during
the period of time a recipient is in deferment status, a recipient is not
required to make repayments and interest does not accrue;
7. the period of time for completion of
repayment will be extended by a period of time equal to the length of time the
recipient is in deferment status.
D. Cancellation
1. The obligation to repay any remaining
unpaid balance of the TOPS Teacher Award shall be canceled in the event either
of the following occurs:
a. upon submission
to the board of a sworn affidavit from a qualified physician that the recipient
is precluded from gainful employment because of a complete and permanent
medical disability or condition; or
b. upon submission to the board of a death
certificate or other evidence conclusive under state law, that the recipient is
deceased.
2. The
obligation to repay any remaining unpaid balance of the TOPS Teacher Award may
be canceled in the event the remaining unpaid balance is $25 or less.
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:3021-3031, R.S. 17:3042.1 and R.S. 17:5001 et seq.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
