NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program

NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program is sponsored by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Loan repayment for health professionals committing to serve in rural community health centers.

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Rural Community LRP is for providers working to combat the opioid epidemic in the nation’s rural communities. The NHSC Rural Community LRP will make loan repayment awards in coordination with theRural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).

This will provide evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, assist in recovery, and prevent overdose deaths across the nation. In exchange for loan repayment, you must serve three years at an NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility in aHealth Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).

### Maternity Care Target Areas In addition to awarding loan repayment program participants who serve in HPSAs, we also will use designated Maternity Care Target Area (MCTA) scores to distribute maternity care health professionals. MCTAs are specific areas located within primary care HPSAs that have a higher need for maternity care services.

We award maternity care health providers using either the primary care HPSA or the MCTA score of their site, whichever is higher. Maternity care health professionals are obstetricians/gynecologists, family medicine physicians who practice obstetrics on a regular basis, and certified nurse midwives. Maternity care health professionals serving exclusively in mental HPSAs are not eligible to apply to the NHSC Rural Community LRP.

**Which loan repayment program fits me best? ** Compare ourNHSC loan repayment programs— then choose the right one for you.

* Determine your eligibility * NHSC-approved SUD treatment facilities * Review the sections of the application * Understand your contract and service obligation Award enhancement for Spanish-language proficiency For the 2026 NHSC Rural Community LRP application cycle, we aim to address language access barriers to health care.

To support this effort, we will provide **a one-time enhancement award of up to $5,000** for a total loan repayment award of: * **Up to $105,000** for full-time participants. * **Up to $55,000** for half-time participants. Award amounts are based on the outstanding balance of an applicant’s qualifying educational loans.

Participants must complete the three-year service obligation regardless of the amount of their award. ### Who is eligible for the enhancement? If you indicated that you have proficiency in Spanish, and your site affirms you provide services in Spanish to patients with limited English proficiency, after the application closes you will receive an email containing a link to schedule a Spanish-language competency assessment.

This assessment will be conducted by a vendor approved by the General Services Administration. To be eligible for the award enhancement, you must score at least three (3) on the assessment. **Note**: If your loans are less than the maximum $100,000 (full-time) or $50,000 (half-time) award amounts, you will not receive the award enhancement even if you are eligible under the other criteria.

Determine your eligibility ### Do I qualify for the NHSC Rural Community LRP? Yes, you qualify if you are: * A United States citizen (U.S. born or naturalized) or the United States national. * A provider (or eligible to participate as a provider) in the Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, as appropriate.

* Fully trained and licensed to practice in the discipline and state in which you are applying to serve. This page lists eligible disciplines for primary care medical, mental/behavioral health and maternity care. * A health professional in an eligible discipline with qualified student loan debt for education that led to your degree.

* Working, or have accepted a position, at a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility by the application deadline. (Facilities that have received RCORP funding will receive preference). * Using either your rural* NHSC-approved facility’s mental or primary care HPSA score.

*Use the Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer to find out what NHSC-approved SUD treatment facilities we consider rural. _*If you use assistive technology, you may not be able to access information in these files. For help, contact us at 800-221-9393.

_ **New**: You can now check your eligibility in My BHW. After you select Applying for the NHSC LRP on the main portal page, see the Eligibility box at the top of the page. ### Are military reservists eligible?

Yes. Find out about specificguidelines and requirements for military reservists. ### Which disciplines and specialties are eligible?

We offer awards to providers who use evidence-based treatment models to treat substance use disorders. Evidence-based SUD treatment helps fight this epidemic through specific eligibility. You must be trained and licensed to provide SUD treatment at rural NHSC-approved evidenced-based SUD treatment facilities.

What is an NHSC-approved site? An NHSC-approved site is a health care facility that: * Provides complete outpatient services to people living in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) * Meets NHSC site eligibility requirements and qualifications. ### What is a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility?

A facility must meet the following requirements: * NHSC Site Agreement(PDF - 255 KB) * NHSC Site Reference Guide(PDF - 676 KB) * SUD/Opioid Expansion New Site Application Instructions(PDF) We guide you through the application and award process: * Application Process, Requirements, and Guidance To apply for the NHSC Rural Community LRP, you must understand and follow our requirements.

**It takes up to three weeks to complete an application. **This includes all required and supplemental documents and access to a credit report. Failure or refusal to unfreeze/unlock your credit report will disqualify your application**.

** * Provide answers in your application that match your supporting documents. If they don’t, we’ll reject your application. * You must submit a **legible**, complete online application by the deadline.

* Save each document as a**PDF** file before uploading to your application. Do not attempt to upload files larger than 5 MB, or files saved as TIFF, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TXT. ### How can my application receive priority?

You will receive priority if you: * Serve at an Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Consortium Member facility; * Have specialized training to provide SUD treatment (for example, Licensure/Certification); * Have a license or certification in substance use disorder interventions, such as master's-level substance use disorder counselors. ### What makes an application complete?

* Required supporting documents; and * Additional supplemental documentation (if applicable). The following provides an overview of the application requirements. Find our complete set of requirements and instructions in the application and program guidance.

After you submit your online application, you’ll see a receipt of submission. ### How can I view my application and its status? Log into your My BHW account to view your application status.

You can download a copy of your application, supporting documents, and completed EVs. ### Can I make edits after I submit my application? After you submit the online application, you can make edits and upload new documents.

You must make all edits, certify, and resubmit your final, complete application by the application deadline. We will not consider applications in an "In Progress" status for an award. ### Can I withdraw my application?

Yes, you may withdraw your application any time before the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), or their designee, signs the contract. ### How do you evaluate me? We review all applications after the application deadline closes.

We use selection factors and funding priorities to evaluate each application and make award decisions. Additionally, the NHSC Rural Community LRP has Tiering for Funding Priorities. Notifying award finalists If you become an award finalist, we will email by September 30.

You must log into your My BHW account to confirm: * Your continued interest in receiving an award. * That your loan and employment information is valid. * That you have read and understand the LRP contract.

You will e-sign confirmation of receipt and provide your direct deposit banking information. If awarded, we will use this information for award funds disbursement. **Note:**_You must respond by the deadline we provide in the Confirmation of Interest email.

_ ### What if I don’t respond in time? If you miss the deadline for the Confirmation of Interest process, we may not consider your application. If you still wish to participate in the program, you will need to submit a new application during a future NHSC Rural Community LRP application cycle for first-time applicants.

You will be considered along with other applicants based on that cycle’s program requirements. ### Who makes award determinations? Only the HHS Secretary or their designee can make an NHSC Rural Community LRP award.

### When will you notify me of an award? You will receive final notification of an award, including your service obligation dates, no later than September 30. ### Will you notify me if you don't select me for an award?

Yes. If we don't select you for an award, we will email you no later than September 30. NHSC Loan Repayment contract and service obligation ### When does my service obligation begin?

Your NHSC Rural Community LRP service obligation begins on the date that the HHS Secretary or their designee countersigns your contract. ### Can I terminate my contract? Yes, however, you must review the Application and Program Guidance and your contract to understand the timeline requirements and any limitations for termination.

If you terminate, you will be required to repay all funds received under the contract. _*If you use assistive technology, you may not be able to access information in these files. For help, contact us at__800-221-9393__.

_