Resource Shortage Loan Guidelines

Purpose:

The veterinary student loan repayment program was developed to provide reimbursement for tuition and other educational expenses and/or room and board up to $20,000 in exchange for the veterinarian signing a letter of intent to provide large animal veterinary services or to protect public health in a veterinary resource shortage area. Interested applicants can review Section 4741.40 through 44 of the Revised Code and Rules 4741-3-01 through 05 of the Administrative Code available at www.ovmlb.ohio.gov/pdfs/Rules 4741-3.pdf

Eligibility:

To qualify for consideration, applicants must

1. Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident;
2. Be enrolled or have graduated within three years of application from a veterinary college approved by the Board;
3. Be eligible for Ohio licensure as a veterinarian;
4. Intend to practice in a veterinary resource shortage area:
   1. In large animal veterinary medicine;
   2. In veterinary services necessary to implement or enforce the law; or
   3. In veterinary services necessary to protect public health.
   5. Not have received student loan repayment assistance pursuant to federal law.

Ten dollars from every veterinarian's license renewal fee is deposited in the veterinary student loan repayment program fund. Loan funds are disbursed by the Ohio Board of Regents with the maximum amount permitted by law of $10,000 per year with a maximum of $20,000. The selected individual will be required to sign a contract once placement/employment is agreed upon between the applicant and the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board. The number of applicants is dependent upon the amount of funds available for distribution.
Process

The applicant must:

1. Complete the loan repayment program application found at under Student Loans at www.ovmlb.ohio.gov
2. Provide a biographic and personal statement and any other documents which might be helpful such as supporting letters from public officials, governmental agencies, etc.
3. Provide verification of the student loan
4. If licensed in another state, provide a Letter of Good Standing
   Return to: Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, 77 So. High St., 16th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 or via email to Jacob.Bell@ovmlb.ohio.gov by May 1st.
   Application: www.ovmlb.ohio.gov/forms/slapp.pdf

Charitable Services Student Loan
[This loan is distributed only in the odd year]

Purpose:

The Veterinary Student Debt Assistance Program was developed to provide reimbursement for tuition and other educational expenses in exchange for the veterinarian signing a letter of intent to provide charitable veterinary medical services. Interested applicants should review sections 4741.50 through 4741.56 of the Ohio Revised Code and Rules 4741-3-06 through 4741-3-09 of the Ohio Administrative Code found on the Board web site under Law and Rules.

Eligibility

To qualify for consideration, the applicants must:

1. The veterinarian is a citizen of the United States, a national of the United States, or a permanent resident of the United States.
2. The veterinarian is licensed under this chapter and has been engaged in the practice or instruction of veterinary medicine in this state for more than six months prior to submitting an application for veterinarian student debt assistance.
3. The veterinarian has taken out an educational loan.
4. The educational loan was used for educational expenses that were incurred while the veterinarian was enrolled in a veterinary college.
5. The veterinarian has performed charitable veterinarian services in accordance with rules adopted under section 4741.51 of the Revised Code.
6. The veterinarian is not a member of the state veterinary medical licensing board at the time the application was submitted under division (B) of this section.
7. The veterinarian is not under contract with the Board under section 4741.54 of the Revised Code and has not been under contract with the board under that section within one year prior to submitting an application.

Process

The applicant must complete the loan application found under the student loan section on www.ovmlb.ohio.gov. Upon selection of a veterinarian, the board shall notify and enter into discussions with the veterinarian. The object of the discussions is to determine if the veterinarian agrees to both of the following: (1) Perform 12 hours of charitable veterinarian services per year of the contract in Ohio and (2) Reside in Ohio for the duration of the service contract. If the veterinarian agrees, the veterinarian shall prepare, sign and deliver to the board a letter of intent stipulating to the agreed to terms.

After signing a letter of intent under section 4741.53 of the Revised Code, a veterinarian and the state veterinary medical licensing board may enter into a contract, for not more than two years, for the veterinarian's participation in the veterinary student debt assistance program. A lending institution also may be a party to the contract.

The contract shall include all of the following obligations:

1. The veterinarian agrees to perform charitable veterinarian services in this state in a manner and for a time and duration specified in the contract.
2. The veterinarian agrees to continue to reside in this state for a duration of time specified in the contract.
3. The board agrees to repay, so long as the veterinarian performs the obligations agreed to under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section, all or part of an educational loan taken by the veterinarian in an amount and under terms specified in the contract.
4. The veterinarian agrees to pay the board damages in an amount specified in the contract, up to the amount the board awarded the veterinarian, if the veterinarian fails to complete the obligations agreed to under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section.
5. An assignment to the board of the veterinarian's duty to pay the principal and interest of a government or other educational loan taken by the veterinarian for expenses described in section 4741.50 of the Revised Code;
6. The terms of the assignment under division (B)(5) of this section, which shall set forth the total amount of principal and interest to be paid, an amortization schedule, and the amount of each payment to be made under the schedule.
   (C) The contract may include any other terms agreed to by the parties.
   (D) Not later than the thirty-first day of January each year, the board shall cause to be mailed to each veterinarian to whom or on whose behalf veterinary student debt assistance is provided a statement showing the amount of principal and interest repaid by the board in the preceding year pursuant to the contract. The board shall send the statement by ordinary mail with address correction and forwarding requested in the manner prescribed by the United States postal service.
   Application link: Debt Assistance Application

Please submit the completed application by March 1st of the odd-numbered years to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board via email to Theresa.stir@ovmlb.state.oh.us or via US mail to 77 So. High St., 16th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215