19 Tex. Admin. Code § 23.96 - Applicant Eligibility

(a) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, an applicant must:

(1) submit a completed application to the Coordinating Board by the established deadline, which will be posted on the program web page;

(2) be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident and have no license restrictions;

(3) currently be employed as one of the following eligible practice specialties:

(A) a psychiatrist;

(B) a psychologist, as defined by § 501.002, Texas Occupations Code;

(C) a licensed professional counselor, as defined by § 503.002, Texas Occupations Code;

(D) an advanced practice registered nurse, as defined by § 301.152, Texas Occupations Code, who holds a nationally recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental health nursing;

(E) a licensed clinical social worker, as defined by § 505.002, Texas Occupations Code;

(F) a licensed specialist in school psychology, as defined by § 501.002, Texas Occupations Code;

(G) a licensed chemical dependency counselor, as defined by § 504.001, Texas Occupations Code; or

(H) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as defined by § 502.002, Texas Occupations Code; and

(4) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods:

(A) in an MHPSA, providing direct patient care to:

(i) Medicaid enrollees;

(ii) CHIP enrollees, if the practice serves children;

(iii) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or its successor; or

(iv) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or its successor;

(B) in a state hospital, providing mental health services to patients; or

(C) providing mental health services to individuals receiving community-based mental health services from a local mental health authority, as defined in Texas Health and Safety Code, § 531.002.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(4) of this section, to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a specialist in school psychology as outlined under subsection (a)(3)(F) of this section, the applicant must:

(1) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods of employment in:

(A) a school district which is located partially or completely in a MHPSA;

(B) an open-enrollment charter school located in a MHPSA; or

(C) a Texas public school that receives federal funding under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq.); and

(2) have provided mental health services to students enrolled in that district or school during that time of employment.

Notes

19 Tex. Admin. Code § 23.96

Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 45, November 6, 2015, TexReg 7818, eff. 11/12/2015; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 08, February 19, 2016, TexReg 1232, eff. 2/22/2016; transferred from 21.493 Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 48, November 25, 2016, TexReg 9341, eff. 12/15/2016; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 44, Number 20, May 17, 2019, TexReg 2456, eff. 5/22/2019; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 47, Number 45, November 11, 2022, TexReg 7556, eff. 11/16/2022; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 06, February 9, 2024, TexReg 0692, eff. 2/15/2024; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 45, November 8, 2024, TexReg 8906, eff. 11/14/2024