Eligible Licensed Provider Types:

• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
• General, child and adolescent or geriatric Psychiatrists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers
• Licensed Professional Counselor 
• Licensed Marriage or Family Therapists

Eligible licensed providers (see above) who work in a clinic-based outpatient setting are encouraged to apply to the Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment program.

Eligible Pre-Licensed Provider Types:

• Clinical Social Workers
• Counseling or Clinical Psychologists
• Professional Counselors
• Marriage and Family Counselors

Eligible Associate, Bachelor, and/or Master’s Level Provider Types:

• Qualified Mental Health Associate
• Qualified Mental Health Professional

QMHAs and QMHPs must meet the definition and standards established by OAR 409-036-0000 (27) (28)

To qualify, a site must:

• Be a rural hospital as defined in ORS 442.470 serving Medicaid and Medicare patients in no less than the same proportion of such patients in the county in which the hospital is located; OR
• Be a federally certified Rural Health Clinic serving Medicaid and Medicare patients in no less than the same proportion of such patients in the county in which the clinic is located; OR
• Be a federally qualified Community Health Center serving Medicaid and Medicare patients in no less than the same proportion of such patients in the county in which the clinic is located; OR
• Provide essential health care services to patients in an area approved as a medical, dental or mental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) as defined by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration or ranking below the Areas of Unmet Health Care Need median as determined by ORH and serve Medicaid and Medicare patients in no less than the same proportion of such patients in the county; OR
• Be a Community Based, Residential or Day treatment settings that serve Medicaid and/or uninsured patients; OR
• Provide essential health care services to an underserved population, as determined by the Authority.

In exchange for service at a qualified practice site, participants receive funds to repay qualifying loan debt. Awards are calculated based on the balance owed on qualifying loans upon application to Health Care Provider Incentive Loan Repayment . 

Full-time service providers must commit to a 3-year minimum service obligation in exchange for a tax-free award of 70% of their qualifying educational loan debt balance, up to $50,000 per obligation year. Full-time providers with less than $29,000 in qualifying loan debt are eligible to receive up to 100% of qualifying loan debt, not to exceed the lesser of their total qualifying loan amount or $20,000, in exchange for a 3-year service obligation. 

Part-time service providers must commit to a 3-year minimum service obligation in exchange for a tax-free award of 35% of their qualifying educational loan debt balance, up to $25,000 per obligation year. Part time providers with less than $15,000 in qualifying loan debt are eligible to receive up to 100% of qualifying loan debt, not to exceed the lesser of their total qualifying loan amount or $10,000, in exchange for a 3 year service obligation. 

Please read our FAQs before filling out an application.

Provider Application

The Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program application will be posted here at Noon on July 11, 2024. 

Application Deadline

The Oregon Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program provider application will be posted here at Noon on July 11, 2024

Completed Oregon Health Care Provider Loan Repayment applications, and all required attachments, must be submitted no later than 12 p.m. (Pacific Time) on September 26, 2024. Applications received after 12 p.m. (Pacific Time) on September 26, 2024, or applications that are deemed to be incomplete on that date, will be rolled over to the next review cycle. 

Eligible providers are highly encouraged to apply as early in the cycle as possible to allow time for information requests from ORH. The next review cycle opens September 27, 2024, and closes at Noon (Pacific Time) on January 9, 2025. 

If a provider applies to a cycle and is not chosen for an award they may request their application to be rolled over to the next review cycle. Providers wishing to roll over their application to the next review cycle are required to email ORH Workforce Services with their request along with updated educational loan documentation dated within 30 days of the request, as well as any updates to FTE status, practice site location, duties, or employment contract language.