Section 21-22I-5 - Awards; criteria; contract termsA. Prior to receiving an award, the public service worker shall file an application with the department that meets the criteria established by rule of the department.B. The following debts are not eligible for repayment pursuant to the Children, Youth and Families Worker Loan Repayment Act: (1) amounts incurred as a result of participation in state loan-for-service programs or other state programs whose purpose states that service be provided in exchange for financial assistance;(2) scholarships that have a service component or obligation;(3) personal loans from friends or relatives;(4) loans that exceed individual standard school expense levels; and(5) loans that are eligible for another state or federal loan repayment program.C. Award criteria shall provide that: (1) the applicant has satisfactorily completed at least one year of service with the children, youth and families department as a public service worker;(2) the percentage of repayment directly relates to years of service completed as a public service worker;(3) the highest priority shall be given to public service workers who work in geographic areas or division positions where vacancies are difficult to fill as determined by the secretary of children, youth and families;(4) award amounts may be modified based on available funding or other special circumstances; and(5) an award for each public service worker shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or the loan indebtedness of the worker, whichever is less.D. Every loan repayment award shall be evidenced by a contract between the public service worker and the department working on behalf of the state. The contract shall provide for the payment by the state of a stated sum to the public service worker's federal government or commercial lender and shall state the obligations of the public service worker under the program as established by the department.E. The contract between a public service worker and the department shall provide that, if the public service worker does not comply with the terms of the contract, the public service worker shall reimburse the department for all loan payments made on the public service worker's behalf, plus reasonable interest at a rate to be determined by the department, unless the department finds acceptable extenuating circumstances for why the public service worker cannot serve or comply with the terms of the contract.F. Loan repayment awards shall be in the form of payments from the fund directly to the federal government or commercial lender of a public service worker who has received the award and shall be considered a payment on behalf of the public service worker pursuant to the contract between the department and the public service worker. A loan repayment award shall not obligate the state or the department to a public service worker's lender for any other payment and shall not be considered to create any privity of contract between the state or the department and the lender.G. The department, after consulting with the children, youth and families department, shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of the Children, Youth and Families Worker Loan Repayment Act. The rules: (1) shall provide a procedure for determining the amount of a loan that will be repaid; and(2) may provide for the disbursement of loan repayment awards to the lender in annual or other periodic installments.Added by 2015, c. 16,s. 5, eff. 7/1/2015.