LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — On Tuesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced that registered nurses are now eligible for up to $100,000 in student loan relief under the existing Nebraska State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP).
To qualify, nurses must have a bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN), be verified to be working in an area that is considered a federally designated "qualifying shortage area" for two to four years and must have a contact who can verify the nurse applicant's employment on a quarterly basis.
Those that qualify must also work at least 80 hours per month to receive a partial award and 160 hours for the full award amount at a nonprofit or National Health Service Corps site. Applicants must be active or will soon be actively working for the organization that they list and cannot be an employee of the State of Nebraska.
The Nebraska DHHS website provides a map with the federally designated shortage areas by county. The RN page only includes federal designations, but other medical professionals including dentists, doctors, mental health providers and pharmacists — who are also eligible to apply for loan repayment — have varying categories of consideration. The closest shortage area to Douglas County is Cass County, but nine other counties are listed across Nebraska.
“I strongly feel that the rural loan repayment program is a vital asset to small communities in the recruitment and retention of present and future health care providers," said Darian Nordhues, APRN-NP with the Valley County Health System in Ord, in a press release. "It has given my family and me an abundance of student loan relief, which we are as grateful for as we are to be living in and giving back to small-town rural Nebraska."
For those worried that the loan relief will affect their income, worry no more: the funds are not taxable as income. And, according to the Nebraska DHHS website, "Loan repayment is intended to be an additional incentive for health professionals who practice in a rural or underserved area. Their salary should not be decreased as a result of receiving loan repayment."
Applicants must also provide documentation from lenders regarding their loan status and other financial information including a W9 and ACH enrollment form.
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