§ 5907.17 — Clinician recruitment program

Ohio § 5907.17

• Jurisdiction: Ohio
• Title 59: Veterans-Military Affairs
• Ch. 5907: Veterans' Homes

Text

(A) As used in this section, "clinician" means any of the following:

(1) An advanced practice registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, physician, physician's assistant, or registered nurse as defined in section4723.01of the Revised Code;

(2) An individual registered in the state nurse aide registry pursuant to section3721.32of the Revised Code;

(3) Any Ohio veterans' home employee who is a licensed medical professional in this state and is not exempt from a student loan repayment program under a union contract or other law.

(B) The department of veterans services may establish a clinician recruitment program under which the department agrees to repay all or part of the principal and interest of a governmental or other educational loan incurred by a clinician who agrees to provide services to institutions under the department's administration.

(C) A clinician is eligible to participate in the recruitment program if the clinician meets all of the following requirements:

(1) The clinician is licensed in this state by the appropriate licensing authority and works in that discipline at an Ohio veterans' home;

(2) The clinician has worked at an Ohio veterans' home for at least one year;

(3) The clinician has not been subject to formal discipline while employed by an Ohio veterans' home;

(4) The clinician provides evidence sufficient for the director of veterans services, or the director's designee, to determine that the clinician attended a school or medical program accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization;

(5) The clinician agrees to the contract terms subject to division (D) of this section and any rules adopted under division (E) of this section.

(D) The department and each clinician it recruits shall enter into a contract that includes all of the following terms:

(1) The clinician agrees to maintain appropriate licensure and provide a specified scope of health care services for a specified number of hours per week and for a specified number of years of one or more years to residents of the Ohio veterans' homes.

(2) The department agrees to repay all or a specified portion of the principal and interest of a governmental or other educational loan taken by the clinician for the following expenses if the clinician meets the service obligation agreed to and the expenses were incurred while the clinician was enrolled in, for up to a maximum of four years, a school or medical program accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization:

(a) Tuition;

(b) Other educational expenses for specific purposes, including fees, books, and laboratory expenses, in amounts determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules adopted under division (E) of this section;

(c) Room and board, in an amount determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules adopted under division (E) of this section.

(3) The clinician agrees to pay the department a specified amount, which shall be not less than the amount already paid by the department pursuant to its agreement, as damages if the clinician fails to complete the service obligation agreed to or fails to comply with other specified terms of the contract. The contract may vary the amount of damages based on the portion of the clinician's service obligation that remains uncompleted as determined by the department.

(4) Other terms agreed upon by the parties.

(E) The department shall adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that establish all of the following:

(1) Criteria for designating institutions for which clinicians will be recruited;

(2) Criteria for selecting clinicians for participation in the program;

(3) Criteria for determining the portion of a clinician's loan that the department will agree to repay;

(4) Criteria for determining reasonable amounts of the expenses described in divisions (D)(2)(b) and (c) of this section;

(5) Procedures for monitoring compliance by clinicians with the terms of their contracts; and

(6) Any other criteria or procedures necessary to implement the program.

(F) The director or the director's designee may allocate funds among clinicians recruited under the program for any purpose the director or director's designee considers necessary to best serve clinician staffing needs, including department eligibility for benefits from incentive programs from federal or other entities, in consideration of maximizing the overall benefit to the Ohio veterans' homes.

Last updated August 27, 2025 at 2:43 PM

Legislative History

Effective: September 30, 2025 | Latest Legislation: House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly