To enact sections 4783.01 to 4783.09 of the Revised Code to require the Director of Health to establish the Ohio Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program.

Section 1.  That sections 4783.01, 4783.02, 4783.03, 4783.04, 4783.05, 4783.06, 4783.07, 4783.08, and 4783.09 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 4783.01.  The director of health shall establish and administer the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program, which shall be modeled on the national health services corps loan repayment program. To the extent funds are available, the program shall provide grants to health care professionals to assist in repayment of qualifying educational loans.

The program shall be in addition to and administered separately from the physician loan repayment program established under sections 3702.71 to 3702.81 of the Revised Code and the dentist loan repayment program established under sections 3702.85 to 3702.95 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4783.02.  As used in sections 4783.01 to 4783.09 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Primary care specialty" means all of the following:

(1) In the case of a physician or physician assistant, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, general internal medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, and psychiatry;

(2) In the case of a certified nurse practitioner, adult practice, family practice, pediatrics, psychiatric-mental health, geriatrics, and women's health;

(3) In the case of a dentist, general dentistry and pediatric dentistry.

(B) "Qualifying educational loans" means outstanding government or commercial loans for undergraduate or graduate education that are obtained and used solely for tuition and other reasonable educational expenses and for reasonable living expenses.

Sec. 4783.03.  The director of health may solicit and accept gifts and grants to be used for the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program. Any gifts or grants, application fees, amounts received due to failure to complete service obligations, and amounts appropriated by the general assembly shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the health care professional loan repayment program fund, which is hereby created.

Sec. 4783.04.  The director of health shall adopt such rules as the director considers appropriate for the administration of the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program.

The rules shall establish grants to be made to participants, service obligations required of participants, and monetary penalties for failure to complete service obligations. The rules may provide for varying grant amounts based on the length of service obligations and whether the service is to be full time or part time.

The rules shall specify the information and supporting documentation that must be provided by applicants for participation in the program and may establish application fees.

All rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4783.05.  The director of health may designate as a health service site for the purposes of the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program any health care facility that provides outpatient primary health services to persons residing in urban or rural health shortage areas designated under section 3702.76 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4783.06.  The director of health shall accept and consider an application for the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program from any of the following health care professionals who are authorized to practice in this state:

(A) A physician who practices a primary care specialty and has one of the following qualifications:

(1) Certification in a primary care specialty from a specialty board approved by the American board of medical specialties or the American osteopathic association;

(2) Has completed, or will complete prior to commencing service, a residency program approved by the accreditation council for graduate medical education or the American osteopathic association in a primary care specialty.

(B) A physician assistant who practices under the supervision of a physician who practices a primary care specialty;

(C) A certified nurse practitioner who practices a primary care specialty;

(D) A certified nurse-midwife;

(E) A clinical nurse specialist who specializes in psychiatric or mental health services;

(F) A dentist who practices a primary care specialty;

(G) A dental hygienist;

(H) An independent marriage and family therapist;

(I) A professional clinical counselor;

(J) A licensed independent social worker;

(K) A psychologist who has passed the examination for professional practice of psychology.

Sec. 4783.07.  To be eligible to participate in the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program, a health care professional must meet all of the following requirements:

(A) Be a citizen or national of the United States by birth or naturalization;

(B) Participate or be eligible to participate as a provider in one or more of the following: medicare, medicaid, and the children's health insurance program;

(C) Have accepted a position at a health service site designated by the director of health under section 4783.05 of the Revised Code;

(D) Not have any outstanding service obligation for a health professional or other service to the federal government or another entity that will not be completed before participation in the program begins;

(E) Not be in breach of a health professional service obligation to the federal government or a state or local government;

(F) Not be excluded, debarred, suspended, or disqualified by a federal agency for misconduct.

Sec. 4783.08.  Application for the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program shall be made on a form developed and provided by the Ohio department of health. An application is complete only if it includes all information and supporting documentation required by rules adopted under section 4783.04 of the Revised Code. The application must be accompanied by any fee required by those rules.

Sec. 4783.09.  The director of health shall consider each qualified applicant for the Ohio health care professional loan repayment program on the basis of the applicant's ability and commitment to service to the medically underserved in health shortage areas. The director shall select the program's participants. The director shall determine the amount of each grant and each participant's service obligation in accordance with rules adopted under section 4783.04 of the Revised Code.

A health care professional who accepts a grant from the program shall fulfill the service obligation specified by the director. A health care professional who fails to fulfill a service obligation without good cause shall repay the amount accepted and pay the monetary penalty specified in rules adopted under section 4783.04 of the Revised Code. The director shall determine whether there is good cause for failure to complete a service obligation. The director's decision is final.