Rule 195-27-.01 - General Definitions(1) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce" means the organization and its office created under O.C.G.A. § 49-10-1.(2) "Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program (GBHPLRP)" refers to that program of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce authorized under O.C.G.A. § 49-10-7, which awards service cancelable financial loan repayment to mental health or substance use professionals who desire to practice in unserved geographic areas or communities in Georgia as defined by the Board.(3) "Loans" refers to a four (4) year service repayable grant awarded by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to applicants who are desirous of providing mental health or substance use services in unserved geographic areas or communities in Georgia as defined by the Board.(4) "Loans Repayment" refers to the repayment of all or a portion of the recipient's outstanding loan debt for education to become a mental health or substance use professional.(5) "Qualifying debt" is any debt held by an established lending institution, identifiable by a promissory note as origination from the debt incurred to obtain an education to become a mental health or substance use professional, fully disclosed at the time of application, and is currently not in default even if the creditor now considers the defaulted loan to be in good standing.(6) "Mental Health or Substance Use Professional Education Loan Debt" refers to loans incurred by the applicant to finance his/her education and training to become a mental health or substance use professional that remain unpaid during the contract period.(7) "Eligible and Qualified Applicant" is defined as a legal resident of the State of Georgia who is a mental health or substance use professional with education and training loan debt, holding a current, unrestricted license to practice in the State of Georgia, who desires to serve in a Board-approved, unserved geographic or community in Georgia.(8) "Mental Health or Substance Use Professional" means a psychiatrist, psychologists, professional counselor, social worker, marriage and family therapist, clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health, or other licensed mental or behavioral health clinician or specialist.(9) "Recipient" means any person who receives any amount of funding from the Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program administered by the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce.(10) "Service Repayment" means the period of service earned by the recipient, as approved by the Board, toward repayment of the service cancelable loan in professional services rendered by the recipient and as required under the provisions of the loan contract.(11) "Credit" means the amount of time credited to the recipient for services rendered in compliance with the provisions of the contract. Credit is typically applied with one year of funding for each year of service rendered in compliance with the repayment provisions of the contract.(12) "Unserved Geographic Areas or Communities" means a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) in Mental Health as identified by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a department of the U.S. Health and Human Services.(13) "Board Certification" means the process of examining and certifying the qualifications of a physician or other professional by a board of specialists in the field.(14) "Award Amount" refers to the total award amount obligated to a loan repayment recipient over a 4-year period. The following maximum total award amounts apply to mental health and substance use professionals. If the verified loan balance is less than the maximum award amounts below, the applicant will be awarded a lower amount of 25% of the loan balance each year for 4 years. Psychiatrists: $150,000 Psychologists, Psychiatric/Mental Health nurse practitioners/Doctoral nurse practitioners (PMHCNP/DNP), licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and licensed marriage and family therapists who hold doctoral degrees in behavioral health: $80,000 Clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health (non-doctoral nurse practitioners): $40,000 Licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed specialist in school psychology, and licensed marriage and family therapists who do not hold doctoral degrees: $40,000 Licensed chemical dependency counselors who hold associate degrees or any other behavioral health licensee not listed above: $10,000 (15) "Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce" means that the agency of Georgia State Government, created under O.C.G.A. § 49-10-1, is responsible for monitoring Georgia's healthcare workforce needs and identifying areas of need by provider and geographic area.(16) "Default" means breach of contract by the recipient in failing to begin of failing to complete the contractual service obligation of the Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program.(17) "Ad Damnum or Double Damages" refers to the penalty resulting from a loan repayment recipient defaulting on their contractual obligations. Default requires immediate repayment of double the award amount for the unfulfilled service period as outlined in 195-27-.01(14) less any pro-rated amount for repaid service as provided in the contract.(18) "Cancellation of Contract" refers to the discretionary power of the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to cancel any contract for cause deemed sufficient by the Board provided such authority is not exercised unreasonably or arbitrarily.(19) "Full Time" refers to the minimum number of hours of work required per week to fulfill service obligations. Full-time is considered a minimum of 32 clinical hours, providing direct patient care during normal clinic hours at the approved practice site or other location required by the practitioner to provide care effectively. The remaining hours must be spent providing care to patients and/or in practice-related administrative activities. On-call hours are not considered part of the full-time requirement. For all providers employed under state jurisdiction, the full-time equivalent recognized by the respective state agency is acceptable. No more than 7 weeks (35 workdays) per year can be spent away from the practice for vacation, holidays, continuing professional education, illness, or any other reason. Absences greater than 7 weeks in a service year will extend the service commitment.(20) "Legal Resident of Georgia" an application must submit documentation showing they are a legal resident of the state of Georgia. The applicant must submit three of the following six proofs listed below:(a) A current and valid Driver's License issued to applicant by the State of Georgia.(b) A copy of the first page of the applicant's 1040 federal income tax return for the most recent filing year showing the Georgia address.(c) A copy of the first page of the Georgia tax return for the most recent filing year showing the Georgia address.(d) A copy of real estate or personal property tax paid to Georgia by the applicant for the most recent year.(e) A copy of a utility bill in Georgia that is in the applicant's name and dated within 60 days.(f) A copy of a vehicle titled in Georgia in the applicant's name.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 195-27-.01
O.C.G.A. §§ 49-10-7, 31-34-1, 31-34-3.
Original Rule entitled "General Definitions" adopted. F. Nov. 4, 2024; eff. Nov. 24, 2024.