Section 582.115  Application Review Process

a)         The Department will perform a technical review to ensure that all required materials are submitted and comply with submission requirements.  During the review, the Department may contact the applicant for additional information.

b)         In determining which applications will be accepted, the Department will apply the following criteria (if the applicant is a medical facility, it shall provide this information on behalf of the health care professional):

1)         Applicant Criteria

A)        A current recipient of loan repayment assistance will receive priority for a new award if the recipient continues to meet all of the applicable criteria in Sections 582.100, 582.110, 582.125, 582.145 and 582.150;

B)        The extent to which an individual's training is in a health profession or specialty determined by the Department to be needed in Illinois;

C)        The individual's commitment to serve in a medical facility in an HPSA in Illinois;

D)        The availability of the individual for service, with highest consideration given to individuals who will be available for service at the earliest date; and

E)        The length of the individual's proposed service obligation, with greatest consideration given to persons who agree to serve for longer periods of time.

2)         When all other selection criteria are essentially equal among a group of applicants, preference will be given to the applicant with the greater educational indebtedness.

c)         The Department will not accept more than two complete applications from a medical facility in a funding year.

d)         Applicants will be notified as to whether the application is approved or denied.  The notice will be made by regular mail or other communication.

e)         If the amount of funds available is insufficient to award the maximum amount of loan repayment funds requested to each approved applicant, the Department may divide the funds equally among the qualified applicants; rank order the applicants and prorate the award of funds based on the rank order; or choose another method of allocating funds.  In determining how to award funds, the Department will consider, but is not limited to, the amount of funds available, the number of approved applicants, the requirements of the program, and statutory requirements.

f)         No more than 50% of an SLRP award may come from federal sources.  The remainder of funds for an SLRP award may come from the Department, the medical facility or other non-federal sources.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 13300, effective August 29, 2023)