Individuals must have

• Completed graduate education within two years
• U.S. citizenship authorization to work in the U.S. for the period of loan repayment or a j-1Visa.
• Completed a residency program (for advanced-degree practitioners)

Hospitals or practices must:

• Accept Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP Reimbursements
• Participate in the Department of Health and Social Services Voluntary Initiative Program (VIP), administered by the Medical Society of Delaware

Applicants are ineligible if they have competing contractual obligations for health care services; federal judgment liens; breached service obligations, even if subsequently satisfied; past/present defaults for federal payment obligations or debt write-offs, uncollectable, waiver, or otherwise; convictions, admission of guilt, or disciplines issued by a certificate/licensing authority; or felony convictions.

For questions about eligibility, email DHCC@delaware.gov.

Awarded clinicians will be asked to commit to an initial contract term of two years with the state of Delaware to receive loan repayment. Those who receive loan repayment must agree to practice in ambulatory and outpatient settings in an underserved area of need, which could include a hospital primary care practice, a private practice, a Federally Qualified Health Center, a community outpatient or mental health facility, or a free medical clinic.

Full-Time

• 40 hours per week is mandatory for full-time health care professionals.
• A minimum of 45 weeks constitutes a full year of service – prior approval needed.
• Compressed schedules are limited to four days per week, with no more than 12 hours of work in any 24-hour period.
• Travel or on-call time is not included in the required work hours.

Part-Time

• 20 to 39 hours per week is mandatory for part-time health professionals.
• A minimum of 20 hours per week, prorated to FT at 40 hours per week

Applicants need to submit a three (3) part application:

• Part A – Employer Application (submit by email)
• Part B – Healthcare Practitioner Application (submit by email)
• Part C – Loan Information and Verification(submit by mail/email/fax)

Award amounts are prioritized according to six criteria: geographic location, underrepresentation in medical environments, number of years residing in Delaware, graduation with an advanced degree from a Delaware-affiliated medical school and/or Delaware-based residency program, multilingual fluency, and continuing participation in the program. The priority areas are calculated based on responses submitted in the applications.

Weighted scoring metrics are tabulated to quantify award distribution per year as follows:

Applicants practicing at hospital sites are eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match by the hospital. The match must be coordinated with the Delaware Health Care Commission. Should one or more of the health systems fail to provide matching funds within 30 calendar days of signing a valid contractual agreement, the Delaware Health Care Commission will initiate steps to terminate the agreement.

When to Apply

The DHCC continuously accepts applications for this program. However, there are application deadlines for contracts to be issued every September and March. Additional contract

start dates may be added based on funding and eligible participants.