§ 71-5668 — Loan repayment recipient agreement; contents; funding; limitation

Each loan repayment recipient shall execute an agreement with the department and a local entity. Such agreement shall be exempt from the requirements of the State Procurement Act and shall include, at a minimum, the following terms:
(1) The loan repayment recipient agrees to practice his or her profession, and a physician, psychiatrist, dentist, nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, dietitian nutritionist, or physician assistant also agrees to practice an approved specialty, in a designated health profession shortage area for at least three years, or the period required by subdivision (4)(c) of section 71-5663 , and to accept medicaid patients in his or her practice;
(2) In consideration of the agreement by the recipient, the State of Nebraska and a local entity within the designated health profession shortage area will provide equal funding for the repayment of the recipient's qualified educational debts except as provided in subdivision (5) of this section, in amounts up to thirty thousand dollars per year per recipient for physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, and psychologists and up to fifteen thousand dollars per year per recipient for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitian nutritionists, and mental health practitioners toward qualified educational debts for up to three years or a longer period as required by subdivision (4)(c) of section 71-5663 . The department shall make payments directly to the recipient;
(3) If the loan repayment recipient discontinues practice in the shortage area prior to completion of the three-year requirement or the period required by subdivision (4)(c) of section 71-5663 , as applicable, the recipient shall repay to the state one hundred fifty percent of the total amount of funds provided to the recipient for loan repayment with interest at a rate of eight percent simple interest per year from the date of default. Upon repayment by the recipient to the department, the department shall reimburse the local entity its share of the funds which shall not be more than the local entity's share paid to the loan repayment recipient;
(4) Any practice or payment obligation incurred by the loan repayment recipient under the loan repayment program is canceled in the event of the loan repayment recipient's total and permanent disability or death;
(5) For a loan repayment recipient seeking benefits under subdivision (4)(c) of section 71-5663 , the recipient agrees to such other terms as the department deems appropriate; and
(6) Beginning on July 1, 2022, any agreements entered into by December 31, 2024, shall first use federal funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the purposes of repaying qualified educational debts prior to using any state or local funds. Agreements using federal funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 shall not require equal funding from a local entity. Any federal funds from the act committed to agreements during this time period shall be used by December 31, 2026.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1991, LB 400, § 19; Laws 1993, LB 536, § 101; Laws 1994, LB 1223, § 64; Laws 1996, LB 1155, § 56; Laws 1997, LB 577, § 5; Laws 2000, LB 1115, § 84; Laws 2001, LB 214, § 5; Laws 2004, LB 1005, § 108; Laws 2006, LB 962, § 3; Laws 2008, LB797, § 22; Laws 2009, LB196, § 3; Laws 2012, LB858, § 3; Laws 2015, LB196, § 9; Laws 2022, LB1007, § 1; Laws 2023, LB50, § 41; Laws 2024, LB461, § 28; Laws 2025, LB312, § 4. Effective Date: September 3, 2025 Cross References: State Procurement Act, see section 73-801.