Ohio § 5907.17

§ 5907.17.

(A) As used in this section, “ clinician ” means any of the following: (1) An advanced practice registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, physician, physician's

assistant, or registered nurse as defined in section 4723.01 of the Revised Code ; (2) An individual registered in the state nurse aide registry pursuant to section 3721.32 of the Revised Code ; (3) Any Ohio veterans' home employee who is a licensed medical professional in this state

and is not exempt from a student loan repayment program under a union contract or

other law. (B) The department of veterans services may establish a clinician recruitment program

under which the department agrees to repay all or part of the principal and interest

of a governmental or other educational loan incurred by a clinician who agrees to

provide services to institutions under the department's administration. (C) A clinician is eligible to participate in the recruitment program if the clinician

meets all of the following requirements: (1) The clinician is licensed in this state by the appropriate licensing authority and

works in that discipline at an Ohio veterans' home; (2) The clinician has worked at an Ohio veterans' home for at least one year; (3) The clinician has not been subject to formal discipline while employed by an Ohio

veterans' home; (4) The clinician provides evidence sufficient for the director of veterans services,

or the director's designee, to determine that the clinician attended a school or medical

program accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization; (5) The clinician agrees to the contract terms subject to division (D) of this section

and any rules adopted under division (E) of this section. (D) The department and each clinician it recruits shall enter into a contract that includes

all of the following terms: (1) The clinician agrees to maintain appropriate licensure and provide a specified scope

of health care services for a specified number of hours per week and for a specified

number of years of one or more years to residents of the Ohio veterans' homes. (2) The department agrees to repay all or a specified portion of the principal and interest

of a governmental or other educational loan taken by the clinician for the following

expenses if the clinician meets the service obligation agreed to and the expenses

were incurred while the clinician was enrolled in, for up to a maximum of four years,

a school or medical program accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization: (a) Tuition; (b) Other educational expenses for specific purposes, including fees, books, and laboratory

expenses, in amounts determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules adopted

under division (E) of this section; (c) Room and board, in an amount determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules

adopted under division (E) of this section. (3) The clinician agrees to pay the department a specified amount, which shall be not

less than the amount already paid by the department pursuant to its agreement, as

damages if the clinician fails to complete the service obligation agreed to or fails

to comply with other specified terms of the contract.  The contract may vary the amount of damages based on the portion of the clinician's

service obligation that remains uncompleted as determined by the department. (4) Other terms agreed upon by the parties. (E) The department shall adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that establish

all of the following: (1) Criteria for designating institutions for which clinicians will be recruited; (2) Criteria for selecting clinicians for participation in the program; (3) Criteria for determining the portion of a clinician's loan that the department will

agree to repay; (4) Criteria for determining reasonable amounts of the expenses described in divisions

(D)(2)(b) and (c) of this section; (5) Procedures for monitoring compliance by clinicians with the terms of their contracts;

 and (6) Any other criteria or procedures necessary to implement the program. (F) The director or the director's designee may allocate funds among clinicians recruited

under the program for any purpose the director or director's designee considers necessary

to best serve clinician staffing needs, including department eligibility for benefits

from incentive programs from federal or other entities, in consideration of maximizing

the overall benefit to the Ohio veterans' homes.