Colorado § 23-31-1006 - Program applicant eligibility - criteria.

§ 23-31-1006. Program applicant eligibility - criteria.

(1) Each year, the council shall select up to six qualified veterinarian applicants to participate in the program. The number of applicants that the council may choose in a given year is dependent on the amount of money available in that year for the council to award under the program.

(2) To be eligible for repayment under the program, an applicant must:

(a) Be a licensed veterinarian who:

(I) Agrees, in the form and manner determined by the council, to practice veterinary medicine in a veterinary shortage area, as designated by the council pursuant to section 23-31-1007.

(II) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2023.)

(b) Currently live in Colorado or, at some point, have lived in Colorado for at least three years; and

(c) Have an outstanding education loan:

(I) That was incurred in relation to the applicant's attendance at an accredited doctor of veterinary medicine school located in the United States;

(II) For which the applicant is not in default; and

(III) That has not been consolidated with any loans incurred by a spouse.

(3) An applicant selected for loan repayment under the program:

(a) Is eligible for an amount:

(I) Up to ninety thousand dollars pursuant to the maximum yearly repayment amounts set forth in section 23-31-1009; and

(II) That correlates to the applicant's outstanding veterinary education loans;

(b) Shall contract with the council to provide veterinary medical services in one or more designated veterinary shortage areas for a period up to four years.

(4) In establishing the applicant eligibility criteria for loan repayment under the program, the council shall consider the following factors with respect to the applicant's compatibility with a designated veterinary shortage area:

(a) An applicant's training with respect to, ability to provide, and willingness to engage in, food animal veterinary medicine and the extent to which the designated veterinary shortage area needs food animal veterinary medical services;

(b) An applicant's commitment to practice veterinary medicine in the designated veterinary shortage area;

(c) An applicant's date of availability to practice veterinary medicine in the designated veterinary shortage area; and

(d) An applicant's competence, as determined by the state board of veterinary medicine created in section 12-315-106, and ability to fulfill the duties identified in the application.

(5) The council shall give priority to eligible applicants who:

(a) Have graduated from Colorado state university's college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences; and

(b) With respect to a designated veterinary shortage area:

(I) Have lived in the veterinary shortage area or a nearby area;

(II) Have family in the veterinary shortage area or a nearby area; or

(III) Live, or have lived, in a substantially similar rural area of the state.

Source: L. 2017: Entire part added, (HB 17-1282), ch. 322, p. 1737, § 1, effective August 9. L. 2019: (4)(d) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1685, § 122, effective October 1. L. 2023: (1), (2)(a), and (3)(a)(I) amended, (SB 23-044), ch. 318, p. 1922, § 1, effective August 7.