HF 4479

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 02/29/2024 02:57pm

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a rural dental professional loan forgiveness program;
appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
144.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [144.1916] RURAL DENTAL PROFESSIONAL LOAN FORGIVENESS
PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.
new text end

new text begin (b) "Advanced dental therapist" has the meaning given in section 150A.01, subdivision
1a.
new text end

new text begin (c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of health.
new text end

new text begin (d) "Dental assistant" has the meaning given in section 150A.01, subdivision 5.
new text end

new text begin (e) "Dental hygienist" has the meaning given in section 150A.01, subdivision 4.
new text end

new text begin (f) "Dental professional" means an advanced dental therapist, dental assistant, dental
hygienist, dentist, or pediatric dentist.
new text end

new text begin (g) "Dentist" has the meaning given in section 150A.01, subdivision 6.
new text end

new text begin (h) "Pediatric dentist" means a dentist who specializes in providing primary and
comprehensive oral health care for infants, children, and adolescents.
new text end

new text begin (i) "Qualified educational loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation loan
for the actual costs paid for tuition, reasonable education expenses, and reasonable living
expenses related to the graduate or undergraduate education of a dental professional.
new text end

new text begin (j) "Rural critical access dental provider" means a dental clinic, dental office, or other
dental provider:
new text end

new text begin (1) that is located outside the seven-county metropolitan area and outside the cities of
Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud; and
new text end

new text begin (2) at which at least 50 percent of the dental provider's yearly patient encounters are
with patients who are uninsured or covered by medical assistance or MinnesotaCare.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin The commissioner must administer a rural dental professional
loan forgiveness program to support rural critical access dental providers in recruiting and
retaining dental professional employees to provide dental care to patients in rural parts of
the state. Under the program, the commissioner must issue grants to rural critical access
dental providers, and a rural critical access dental provider that receives a grant must use
the grant funds to provide annual loan forgiveness payments to dental professionals employed
by the rural critical access dental provider.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Application. new text end

new text begin A rural critical access dental provider seeking to participate in
the loan forgiveness program must apply to the commissioner for a grant in a form and
manner specified by the commissioner. An application for a grant under this section must
include a complete description of the provider's loan forgiveness program, the amount of
funding sought for the loan forgiveness program, and a proposed budget for the loan
forgiveness program, including the number and types of dental professionals to whom the
provider plans to provide loan forgiveness payments.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Eligibility for loan forgiveness payments. new text end

new text begin To be eligible for loan forgiveness
payments from a rural critical access dental provider, an individual must:
new text end

new text begin (1) be employed by the rural critical access dental provider as an advanced dental
therapist, dental assistant, dental hygienist, dentist, or pediatric dentist; and
new text end

new text begin (2) agree to a minimum five-year service commitment with the rural critical access dental
provider.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Loan forgiveness. new text end

new text begin (a) A rural critical access dental provider receiving a grant
under this section must use the grant funds to provide loan forgiveness payments to eligible
employees of the provider. Each year an employee meets the eligibility requirements in
subdivision 4, up to a maximum of five years unless extended according to paragraph (c),
the provider must make a loan forgiveness payment to the employee for the employee to
use to repay the employee's qualified educational loans. Subject to the limitation in paragraph
(b), the amounts for the annual loan forgiveness payments are as follows:
new text end

new text begin (1) for an advanced dental therapist, $14,000;
new text end

new text begin (2) for a dental assistant, $2,400;
new text end

new text begin (3) for a dental hygienist, $6,000;
new text end

new text begin (4) for a dentist, $40,000; and
new text end

new text begin (5) for a pediatric dentist, $60,000.
new text end

new text begin (b) The total amount paid to an employee in loan forgiveness payments must not exceed
the balance of the employee's qualified educational loans.
new text end

new text begin (c) Upon application from a rural critical access dental provider, the commissioner may
extend the maximum time period for which an employee may receive loan forgiveness
payments for a sixth year if emergency circumstances experienced by the employee make
such an extension appropriate.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Penalty for nonfulfillment. new text end

new text begin (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), if an
employee receiving loan forgiveness payments under this section does not fulfill the eligibility
requirements under subdivision 4, the employee must repay to the rural critical access dental
provider that provided the loan forgiveness payments, the entire amount of the loan
forgiveness payments paid to the employee under this section plus interest at a rate established
according to section 270C.40. A rural critical access dental provider that receives a repayment
under this subdivision must either use the amount repaid to provide loan forgiveness
payments to another eligible employee or return the amount repaid to the commissioner.
The commissioner must use any amounts returned to the commissioner under this subdivision
to provide additional grants to rural critical access dental providers under this section.
new text end

new text begin (b) Upon application from a rural critical access dental provider, the commissioner may
waive all or part of the repayment required under paragraph (a) if emergency circumstances
prevented the employee from fulfilling the minimum service commitment.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Reporting and evaluation. new text end

new text begin A rural critical access dental provider that receives
a grant under this section must report to the commissioner on the use of the grant funds in
a form and manner specified by the commissioner. The commissioner must use the
information reported to evaluate the program and ensure the provider continues to be eligible
for a grant under this section.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; RURAL DENTAL PROFESSIONAL LOAN
FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2025 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
health for the rural dental professional loan forgiveness program under Minnesota Statutes,
section 144.1916.
new text end