Guam § 52107 - Program Benefits and Service Obligation.

§ 52107. Program Benefits and Service Obligation.

(a) Benefits. Participants accepted into the Program shall receive up

to Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000) to pay for eligible

expenses and loan indebtedness incurred in medical education and

training.

(b) Service Obligation. Physicians receiving debt repayment

assistance shall enter into a contract with the Board verifying the

physician’s understanding of the obligation to serve pursuant to this

Subsection, or repay the Program according to the terms of the signed

contract. The term of the contract shall not be less than two (2) years, and

not be more than eight (8) years. Participants shall receive an annual

payment from the Program in the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand

Dollars ($25,000) only for the purpose of repaying educational loans

secured while attending a program of health professional training which

led to credentialing as a health professional, and for no other purposes.

The contract shall automatically expire once the recipient ceases to have

any student loan debt. The contract shall include, but not be limited to,

the following terms and conditions:

(1) The physician shall agree to actively practice in Guam

within three (3) months immediately following acceptance to the

Program, unless extended by the Board for extenuating

circumstances.

(2) The physician shall agree to actively practice in Guam for

a term of not less than two (2) years, and not more than eight (8)

years in the Program, with the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand

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Dollars ($25,000) to be paid to the recipient for each year under

contract.

(3) The physician shall agree to work a minimum of twenty

(20) hours a month pro bono, while in the program, at a Department

of Public Health and Social Services clinic to service those patients

that do not have the ability to pay, and patients under the Medically

Indigent Program.

(4) The physician shall permit the Board to monitor

compliance with the service requirement in order to verify the terms

of the agreement have been met for each payment period.

(5) If the physician’s license to practice is suspended or

revoked, the Board shall have the authority to terminate the

physician’s participation in the Program and require repayment of

all debt repayments rendered to date.

(6) A physician who fails to complete the obligations

contracted shall reimburse the Program for all amounts received

under this Act, which shall be subject to interest at the annual rate of

ten percent (10%) retroactive to the date the initial award was

received by the recipient, to be repaid over a period not to exceed

ten (10) years from the date of termination of the contract. Both the

physician and the Board shall make every effort to resolve conflicts

in order to prevent a breach of contract.

(7) In the event of default, the balance due in monetary terms

shall be the amount of award provided, less the amount repaid

through service credit.

(8) The Board may, subject to the terms and conditions of a

Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Revenue

and Taxation, garnish the tax refunds due to any participant of this

Program, and/or the participant’s co-signer(s), who has defaulted on

the repayment of such award and a judgment has issued. Such

garnishment shall not exceed the judgment amount.

(9) Student loans from both government and private sources

may be repaid by the Program. Participants shall agree to allow the

Board access to loan records and to acquire information from

lenders necessary to verify eligibility and to determine payments.

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Financial debts or service obligations which do not qualify for

payment include, but are not limited to, the Public Health and

National Health Service Corps scholarship training program, the

National Health Service Corps scholarship program, and armed

forces.