CHAPTER 34
REGISTERED NURSE AND NURSE EDUCATOR LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM
283—34.1(261) Registered nurse and nurse educator loan forgiveness program. The registered nurse and nurse educator loan forgiveness program is a state-supported and state-administered forgivable loan program established for nurse educators teaching at eligible Iowa colleges and universities or registered nurses employed in Iowa.
283—34.2(261) Definitions. As used in this chapter:
“Nurse educator” means a registered nurse who holds a master’s or doctorate degree and is employed as a faculty member who teaches nursing as provided in 655—2.6(152) at an eligible college or university.
“Registered nurse” means a nurse who meets the requirements provided in 655—6.2(152).
283—34.3(261) Eligibility requirements.
	34.3(1) Applicants must be:
	a. 	Registered nurses employed as nurses in Iowa; or
	b. 	Registered nurses who hold bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, or doctorate degrees who are employed as teachers by eligible colleges or universities.
	34.3(2) Applicants must complete and file annual applications for the registered nurse and nurse educator loan forgiveness program by the deadline established by the commission. If funds remain available after the application deadline, the commission will continue to accept applications.
	34.3(3) Applicants must annually complete and return to the commission affidavits of practice verifying that they are employed as registered nurses in Iowa or as nurse educators at eligible Iowa colleges or universities.
	34.3(4) Applicants must begin their first registered nurse or nurse educator positions in Iowa on or after July 1, 2007.
	34.3(5) Rescinded IAB 2/23/11, effective 3/30/11.
[ARC 9392B, IAB 2/23/11, effective 3/30/11]
283—34.4(261) Awarding of funds.
	34.4(1) Selection criteria. All applications received on or before the published deadline will be considered for funding. In the event that all applications for the program cannot be funded with the available appropriations, criteria for selection of recipients will be prioritized as follows:
	a. 	Nurse educators. All nurse educators will receive priority funding. If all applications for nurse educators cannot be funded, criteria for selection of recipients will be prioritized as follows:
	(1)	Applicant renewal status,
	(2)	Full-time employment status,
	(3)	Iowa residency status,
	(4)	Part-time employment status, and
	(5)	Date of application.
	b. 	Registered nurses. Registered nurses will receive awards if funding remains after all eligible nurse educator applications have been funded. If all applications for registered nurses cannot be funded, criteria for selection of recipients will be prioritized as follows:
	(1)	Applicant renewal status,
	(2)	Full-time employment status,
	(3)	Iowa residency status,
	(4)	Part-time employment status, and
	(5)	Date of application.
	34.4(2) Annual award.
	a. 	The maximum annual award to an eligible registered nurse shall be the lesser of:
	(1)	The average resident tuition rate established for students attending universities governed by the Iowa board of regents for the first year following the registered nurse’s graduation from a nursing education program approved by the Iowa board of nursing pursuant to Iowa Code section 152.5, or
	(2)	Twenty percent of the registered nurse’s total federally guaranteed Stafford loan balance, including principal and interest, under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) or the Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP). Eligible loans include subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans and consolidated loans. Only the outstanding portion of a Federal Consolidation Loan that was used to repay an eligible subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan, an eligible Direct Subsidized Loan, or an eligible Direct Unsubsidized Loan qualifies for loan forgiveness.
	b. 	The maximum annual award to an eligible nurse educator shall be the lesser of:
	(1)	The average resident graduate tuition rate established for students attending universities governed by the Iowa board of regents for the first year following the nurse educator’s graduation from an advanced formal academic nursing education program approved by the Iowa board of nursing pursuant to Iowa Code section 152.5, or
	(2)	Twenty percent of the nurse educator’s total federally guaranteed Stafford loan balance, including principal and interest, under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) or the Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP). Eligible loans include subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans and consolidated loans. Only the outstanding portion of a Federal Consolidation Loan that was used to repay an eligible subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan, an eligible Direct Subsidized Loan, or an eligible Direct Unsubsidized Loan qualifies for loan forgiveness.
	34.4(3) Extent of forgiveness. Recipients may receive loan forgiveness for no more than five consecutive years. Recipients who fail to complete five consecutive years as nurse educators or registered nurses will not be considered for subsequent years of forgiveness.
	34.4(4) Disbursement of loan forgiveness funds.
	a. 	Loan payments will be disbursed upon completion of the year for which forgiveness was approved and upon certification from the employer that the nurse educator or registered nurse was employed during the entire year and completed the year in good standing.
	b. 	Loan proceeds will be distributed to the recipient’s student loan holder and applied directly to eligible loans. Unless otherwise instructed by the recipient, the holder will be instructed to apply the proceeds of the loan forgiveness program first to any outstanding unsubsidized Stafford loan balances, next to any outstanding subsidized Stafford loan balances, then to any eligible outstanding consolidation loan balances.
283—34.5(261) Loan forgiveness cancellation.
	34.5(1) Within 30 days following termination of employment as a registered nurse or as a nurse educator, the registered nurse or nurse educator shall notify the commission of the nature of the registered nurse’s or nurse educator’s employment status.
	34.5(2) The registered nurse or nurse educator is responsible for notifying the commission immediately of a change in name, place of employment, or home address.
283—34.6(261) Restrictions. A registered nurse or nurse educator who is in default on a Federal Stafford Loan, SLS Loan, Perkins/National Direct/National Defense Student Loan, Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL), or Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) or who owes a repayment on any Title IV grant assistance or state award shall be ineligible for loan forgiveness benefits. Eligibility for state aid may be reinstated upon payment in full of the delinquent obligation or by commission ruling on the basis of adequate extenuating evidence presented in appeal under the procedures set forth in 283—Chapters 4 and 5.
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code section 261.23 as amended by 2007 Iowa Acts, Senate File 588.
[Filed 1/20/06, Notice 10/26/05—published 2/15/06, effective 3/22/06]
[Filed emergency 6/14/07—published 7/4/07, effective 6/14/07]
[Filed 9/21/07, Notice 7/4/07—published 10/10/07, effective 11/14/07]
[Filed ARC 9392B (Notice ARC 9272B, IAB 12/15/10), IAB 2/23/11, effective 3/30/11]