The County Medical Services Program (CMSP) Loan Repayment Program assists with the repayment of qualified educational loans for primary care healthcare professionals who provide healthcare services at an approved site located in the 35 CMSP counties.
County Medical Services Program Loan Repayment Program (CMSP LRP)
Application Cycles
Application Cycle Dates
Opens: January 30, 2019
Closes: March 30, 2019
Note: All completed applications must be submitted by March 30, 2019. Incomplete applications will not be considered for award.
Eligibility Requirements
Provider Eligibility
Participating CMSP Counties
Service Commitment and Awards
Frequently Asked Questions
If a provider is awarded by CMSP LRP, what are his/her agreement obligations?
What are the maximum award amounts for CMSP LRP?
Can a provider apply for more than one scholarship or loan repayment program at once?
How many applicants are awarded each cycle by CMSP LRP?
What types of loans qualify as eligible educational debt under CMSP LRP?
What types of service obligations are available under CMSP LRP?
How does a facility become eligible for participation in CMSP LRP?
Does CMSP LRP staff aid with job placement at CMSP Practice Sites?
How does a provider submit an application to be considered for CMSP LRP?
When does the annual application cycle take place?
When does a current CMSP LRP provider apply for an extension agreement?
What criteria are used to select award recipients for CMSP LRP?
When will applicants be notified about their award statuses?
How soon are payments disbursed to awardees following the start of their agreements?
Are CMSP LRP awards considered to be taxable income?
Must an awardee apply all award funds to loan debt immediately upon receiving them?
What happens if loans are consolidated during a provider’s CMSP LRP agreement term?
What happens if an awardee needs to move to another site during his/her service dates?
What happens if an awardee needs additional time off (maternity/paternity leave, emergency medical leave, FMLA, etc.)?
What happens if an awardee is unable to fulfill the terms of his/her agreement?
If an applicant has been working in a qualified facility for several years already, can credit be received for time already served if s/he is awarded?
If an applicant is selected to be a CMSP LRP awardee, how many times can s/he reapply?
Do applicants need to submit entirely new applications each time they apply for CMSP LRP, or can materials from previous submissions be reused?
If a provider is awarded by CMSP LRP, what are his/her agreement obligations?
- Awardee must meet the weekly hour requirements for his/her commitment
- Awardee must apply entire award amount to student loan debt during the awardee’s service dates
- Awardee must supply official lender statements, at the end of his/her service obligation,to enable verification that the entire award was applied to qualifying student debt
What are the maximum award amounts for CMSP LRP?
Below are the maximum award amounts offered to CMSP LRP awardees:
Awardees may receive maximum award amounts, but smaller awards are frequently offered.
Can a provider apply for more than one scholarship or loan repayment program at once?
A provider is free to apply for more than one scholarship/loan repayment program at a time.However, a provider, if awarded, can only contract for one service obligation at a time.
How many applicants are awarded each cycle by CMSP LRP?
The number of applicants awarded each year by CMSP LRP varies, depending upon the number of applications received. CMSP LRP aims to award as many applicants as possible, but is limited to the amount granted by the CMSP Governing Board.
What types of loans qualify as eligible educational debt under CMSP LRP?
Government and commercial loans incurred for the pursuit of a health profession education qualify for the program. Qualifying commercial lending institutions are those subject to examination and supervision by an agency of the United States, or by the State in which the institutions have their place of business. CMSP LRP does not include interest on educational loans as eligible sources of loan repayment. The following types of debt are not considered eligible under the program: loans that are in default, credit card debt, Primary Care Loans, personal lines of credit, and loans repaid in full. Eligible educational loans consolidated with loans owed by any other person, such as a spouse, are ineligible for repayment. For loans to remain eligible, applicant/participants must keep their eligible educational loans segregated from other debts.
What types of service obligations are available under CMSP LRP?
CMSP LRP offers both full-time and half-time commitments. Full-time service requires a minimum of 40 hours per week; at least 32 of those hours must be spent providing direct patient care in an outpatient setting, during regular business hours. Half-time service requires a minimum of 20 hours per week, with at least 16 hours being spent providing qualifying direct patient care. All providers are allotted 35 days off per service year. Clinicians who exclusively provide OB/GYN, mental health, geriatric, or pediatric dental care have fewer required outpatient care hours.
How does a facility become eligible for participation in CMSP LRP?
In order to become a CMSP Practice Site, a site must:
- Be located in one of 35 participating designated counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.
- Have a fully executed contract with the County Medical Services Program Governing Board.
- Be on the CMSP approved list.
Does CMSP LRP staff aid with job placement at CMSP Practice Sites?
No. CMSP LRP staff does not provide job placement assistance. However, a list of CMSP Practice Sites is available online at http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/hwdd/cmsplrp.html. To secure employment, applicants should contact sites to discuss employment opportunities.
How does a provider submit an application to be considered for CMSP LRP?
A provider can submit an application by visiting https://calreach.oshpd.ca.gov/, creating an account, and providing all required information during CMSP LRP’s application cycle.
When does the annual application cycle take place?
The CMSP LRP application cycle varies slightly from year to year, but usually begins at the beginning of each year; visit http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/hwdd/cmsplrp.html for current information regarding the application cycles.
When does a current CMSP LRP provider apply for an extension agreement?
A current CMSP LRP provider may apply for an extension agreement during the regular annual application cycle. However, an awardee may be unable to apply for an extension if his/her current service dates overlap with the dates set for the new agreements.
What criteria are used to select award recipients for CMSP LRP?
Application scores depend on the following: applicant work experience with medically underserved communities, cultural and linguistic competence, and career goals. Although applicants are not required to be bilingual, bilingual applicants are favored. CMSP LRP also favors extension agreements from compliant awardees.
When will applicants be notified about their award statuses?
Applicants will be notified about their award statuses after the application cycle has closed and all applications have been scored. The application cycle lasts 60 days, and the scoring process time can vary depending upon the number of applications received.
How soon are payments disbursed to awardees following the start of their agreements?
CMSP LRP award payment plans vary from year to year. The disbursement of the first CMSP LRP check will depend upon the awardee’s agreement dates and terms.
Are CMSP LRP awards considered to be taxable income?
Payments made under the County Medical Services Program Loan Repayment Program may be tax exempt.
OSHPD does not provide tax advice and this section may not be construed as tax advice from OSHPD. Grantee should seek advice from an independent tax consultant regarding the financial implication(s) of any financial incentive award.
Must an awardee apply all award funds to loan debt immediately upon receiving them?
No. An awardee is required to apply all CMSP LRP award funds to student loan debt by the end of his/her service obligation. S/he can choose to allocate those funds however s/he wishes (e.g. in one lump sum or by monthly payments). Regardless of how an awardee allocates his/her award funds, it is the provider’s sole responsibility to ensure that s/he makes the required monthly payments to lenders; provider must remain current on all payment schedules required by his/her lender(s).
What happens if loans are consolidated during a provider’s CMSP LRP agreement term?
If an awardee’s loans are consolidated during his/her CMSP LRP agreement term, s/he must notify CMSP LRP immediately, and provide all of the new corresponding loan information.
What happens if an awardee needs to move to another site during his/her service dates?
An awardee may move to another CMSP Practice Site during his/her agreement dates. S/he must notify CMSP LRP at least 30 days prior to leaving his/her original site.
What happens if an awardee needs additional time off (maternity/paternity leave, emergency medical leave, FMLA, etc.)?
If an awardee needs additional time off (other than that provided under the agreement), the awardee must contact CMSP LRP immediately; awardees’ requests can be accommodated, by extending agreement end dates to ensure that the original service obligation is still met.
What happens if an awardee is unable to fulfill the terms of his/her agreement?
An awardee that breaches his/her agreement with CMSP LRP will be responsible for repaying an amount equal to the sum of the following:
- Total of the amounts paid by CMSP LRP to, or on behalf of, the awardee for any portion of the service obligation not actually completed.
- $2,306.25 for each month of full-time service not completed under the agreement
- $1,153.13 for each month of half-time service not completed under the agreement
If an applicant has been working in a qualified facility for several years already, can credit be received for time already served if s/he is awarded?
No. An awardee will only receive credit for time served after a service obligation has begun.
If an applicant is selected to be a CMSP LRP awardee, how many times can s/he reapply?
An awardee is eligible to participate in CMSP LRP for as long as s/he has student loan debt. CMSP LRP favors retention at our CMSP Practice Sites, so extension agreements are encouraged.
Do applicants need to submit entirely new applications each time they apply for CMSP LRP, or can materials from previous submissions be reused?
Yes. Applicants are required to submit entirely new applications every time they apply for a new agreement or extension agreement with CMSP LRP.