§11803. Agreement of state contract student

1.  Agreement.  State contract students commencing their professional education between September 1, 1977, and June 30, 1981, shall, as a condition precedent to the commencement of that education, enter into an agreement with the State under which the student shall agree:

A. To pay tuition to the institution;   [PL 1981, c. 693, §§5, 8 (NEW).]

B. That, on the conclusion of the student's professional education, including internship, residency and obligated public health service and Armed Forces' service, the student shall pay the State or authority an amount of money equal to the state capitation payment for the student position that the student occupied. The authority may adopt or amend rules to define the conclusion of professional education; and   [PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 698, §76 (AFF).]

C. The payments are payable at 6% simple annual interest over a period not to exceed 10 years; however, students may extend the repayment period by one to 10 years with the approval of the chief executive officer for a total repayment period not to exceed 20 years.   [PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 698, §76 (AFF).]

[PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 698, §76 (AFF).]

2.  Forgiveness of indebtedness.  The agreement must provide that 1/4 of the indebtedness is forgiven for each year in which the state contract student practices the student's profession within the State in primary care or other specialized areas as determined by the chief executive officer, with the advice of the Advisory Committee on Medical Education. For other state contract students returning to practice their profession in Maine, 1/4 of their indebtedness is forgiven for each of the first 2 years of practice.

[PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 698, §76 (AFF).]

3.  Deferment.  Contract students under this section who, during the repayment period, either return to a Maine practice and then leave the State or who initially remain outside the State and then return to a Maine practice may seek a deferment of the annual principal and interest payments while outside the State for a period of time not to exceed 3 years. Interest must be assessed during this time and the student's total debt to the State, including principal and interest, must be repaid either through return service or cash payments as established by the chief executive officer. Requests for deferments must be made to the chief executive officer who shall make a determination on a case-by-case basis. The decision of the chief executive officer is final.

[PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 698, §76 (AFF).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1981, c. 693, §§5,8 (NEW). PL 1983, c. 806, §§85,86 (AMD). PL 1985, c. 286, §1 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 698, §17 (AMD).