This section contains information, requirements and procedures providers and employers will use once participating in the Michigan State Loan Repayment Program (MSLRP). Providers also will need to understand the content of this section in order to pass their telephone interviews once selected for the final phase of the application process.
Per their MSLRP agreements, providers and employers must read, understand, and comply with all requirements and procedures in this section. Participants should read this section before contacting the MSLRP Office regarding questions about the program. If questions remain after reading this and other relevant sections of the MSLRP website, they should contact Brittany Brookshire at BrookshireB1@michigan.gov. Those not familiar with this material will be asked to complete their reading.
Table of Contents:
1. Change of Personal Information Reporting Requirements
2. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Registration on SIGMA Vendor Self Service (VSS)
3. Employer/Provider Relationship
5. Requesting Approval for Practice Sites
8. Service Obligation and Default Penalty
Name and Home Address Instructions: Providers must notify the MSLRP Office of name and home address changes and change their profiles on SIGMA Vendor Self Service (VSS) no less than 10 calendar days before they occur. Your name and home address must be the same at the MSLRP Office and on SIGMA VSS to receive MSLRP payments.
MSLRP Office: Providers must contact Brittany Brookshire at BrookshireB1@michigan.gov, to change their name and/or home address at the MSLRP Office.
SIGMA VSS: Providers must also change their name and/or home address on SIGMA VSS.
Phone Numbers and Email Address Instructions: Providers must contact Brittany Brookshire at BrookshireB1@michigan.gov, to report phone number and email address changes to the MSLRP Office no more than 10 calendar days after they occur.
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All providers (vendors) selected for the final phase of the application process or already participating in the Michigan State Loan Repayment Program must immediately register for electronic funds transfer (EFT) on SIGMA VSS. This will allow MSLRP payments to be electronically deposited into your personal checking or savings account.
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Employer Responsibilities to Providers:
Employers must employ providers throughout their MSLRP service obligations. Employers applying to MSLRP are agreeing to employ the providers they sponsor throughout their service obligations to the program. Employers uncertain about continuing to employ providers should not sponsor them or sign their Revenue Agreements during the current application period. They should wait until issues with providers are resolved or sponsor other providers. Employers who terminate their MSLRP participant’s employment during their service obligations without good cause are in breach of their agreements and will receive a Non-Compliance Assessment. This means the sponsoring agency will not be eligible to participate in the next application period by sponsoring providers applying to the program for the first time as their employees. They will, however, be able to continue sponsoring those who are reapplying to the program as their employees. Loan repayment must not offset provider salaries.
The salaries of MSLRP participants must be based on prevailing rates for their disciplines and experience in their respective practice areas. Loan repayment is meant to be funds participants receive in addition to their normal salaries and benefits. Federal requirements do not allow MSLRP loan repayment agreements to be used as salary or benefit offsets. Providers who believe their salaries or benefits have been reduced because of loan repayment should discuss this with their employers and then, if necessary, with Brittany Brookshire at BrookshireB1@michigan.gov.
Provider Responsibilities to Employers:
Providers must complete service obligations with their original employers. Providers applying to MSLRP are agreeing to stay with their employers during their two- year service obligations. Providers uncertain about remaining with their current employers during their entire two-year MSLRP service obligations should not apply during the current application period. They should wait until issues with their current employers are resolved or start with other employers before applying. Once providers sign and return their Personal Service Agreements, they are committed to starting and completing their two-year service obligations with their current employers. Participant- initiated transfers to new employer practice sites with employment start dates other than the first day of their next MSLRP loan repayment agreements, if awarded, are breaches of their agreements.
Participants who initiate transfers to the practice sites of new employers with employment start dates other than the first day of their next loan repayment agreements will receive Non-Compliance Assessments. This means they will not be eligible to participate in the next application period during which they would normally apply for their next loan repayment agreements. Providers will not receive Non-Compliance Assessments when initiating transfers to new employer practice sites to complete current service obligations because their employment has been terminated by their original employers.
Participants who chose to leave their original employers or are terminated must complete their service obligation at the eligible practice sites of other employers. Participants who breach their loan repayment agreements by not completing their service obligations are subject to the default penalty described below under Service Obligation and Default Penalty.
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It’s important for participants to understand how and when they will be paid. Participants will be paid twice during their 2-year service obligation period. Participants will receive one payment after 12 months (1 year) of their service obligation has been completed. They will receive their second payment at the end of their 2-year service obligation period for a total of 2 payments. Providers complete twelve months of their service obligations beginning with the October 1 start date of their MSLRP agreements and then initiate their first twelve-month payment. Providers initiate their twelve-month payment cycles at the end of their yearly service obligation period by submitting their properly dated Work Verification Forms (WVFs) to their employers. Providers must also submit their Workdays Away from Practice Site (WDA) forms to their employers with their final WVFs.
Providers receive their fully executed MSLRP agreements, WVFs, and Workdays Away Forms attached to emails announcing their fully executed MSLRP agreement packages. WVFs are dated with the year and month during which they must be submitted to employers. Again, providers must initiate the process for each of their MSLRP payments by providing their employers with the appropriate forms.
Providers must save the electronic version of their MSLRP Agreements, WVFs and Workdays Away Forms, print them, and keep the copies in a safe place because the MSLRP Office does not provide duplicates. Providers should also mark their calendars to remind themselves when their next WVF is due, because failing to submit WVFs on time will delay participants’ payments.
Employers have until the end of each October to do the following:
Each WVF submitted by participants to their employers will include complete instructions on how to mail required forms and checks to:
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Cashier/Accounting Office
320 South Walnut, P.O. Box 30437
Lansing, MI 48913
Once MDHHS receives employer contributions, WVFs and Workdays Away Forms for final payments, it will credit participants with twelve months of completed service obligation and process their annual MSLRP payments.
Providers should receive their payments within eight weeks following the later of the:
1. End of the month during which their WVFs were due, or
2. Date their WVFs, employer contributions, and Workdays Away from Practice Sites Forms, when required, were received by the Department.
Providers who do not receive their payments within that eight-week period should contact Brittany Brookshire, MSLRP Coordinator at BrookshireB1@michigan.gov.
Special Requirement for Final Payment: Workdays Away from Practice Sites Form
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requires MSLRP participants to be away from their approved practice sites no more than 35 workdays per agreement year without making up days in excess of the limit at the end of their agreements. MSLRP agreement years begin each October 1 and end each September 30. The Workdays Away from Practice Sites Form is designed to ensure program compliance with this requirement.
Employer Requirements: Employers must complete, sign and date the Workdays Away from Practice Sites Forms forwarded to them by MSLRP participants along with their final Work Verification Forms (WFVs). Employers must:
Participants will not receive their final payments until their Workdays Away from Practice Site Forms are completed and submitted. Employers must complete the Workdays Away Forms. Providers may not complete their own Workdays Away Forms.
Counting Workdays Away: When counting workdays away from approved practice sites, employers should not include normal days off during each work week. For example, if a participant works five eight-hour days, Monday through Friday, employers should not count Saturdays or Sundays as workdays away from their practice sites. Similarly, if a participant works four ten-hour days, Monday through Thursday, then Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays should not be counted. Employers must, however, count all other days that participants are away from their approved practice sites, including:
Extended Leaves of Absence from Practice Sites: Employers must record the number of participants’ workdays away from their practice sites during extended leaves of absence on their Workdays Away Forms, which are submitted with their final Work Verification Forms. Providers and employers are not required to contact the MSLRP office prior to or during extended leaves of absence for certain reasons, including:
However, providers or employers must notify the MSLRP Office of extended leaves of absence for other reasons. Once employers submit Workdays Away forms for providers with extended leaves, along with their final Work Verification Forms, the MSLRP office will review them and determine the number of days in excess of the 35- workday limit per agreement year and the date on which final payments will be approved. As discussed below, excess days will be either:
Extending the End Date of Current Agreements: Excess days will be added to the original end dates of current loan repayment agreements of providers who have not been awarded new contracts. Upon review of their Workdays Away forms, providers will receive an email stating the:
Transferring Excess Days to Next Agreement: When excess workdays away from approved practice sites occur to participants in good standing with the program, they may be transferred into their next loan repayment agreements, if awarded. This allows providers to participate in the program for up to four consecutive years before their extended agreement end dates make them ineligible for the following application period. However, the Department reserves the right to not award new loan repayment agreements or transfer excess workdays away into new agreements if the number and nature of those excess days, or other issues, cause concern about a participants' ability to complete an additional two-year service obligation. When excess workdays are transferred into a new agreement, a provider will receive an email stating that:
Extending End Date of Second Consecutive Agreement Will Delay Reapplication Eligibility: The extended end date of a second two-year consecutive agreement will be determined once the program receives the Workdays Away from Practice Site Form, along with the final WVF for the second two-year agreement. This will allow the program to determine the number of excess workdays incurred during the second agreement and add them to those transferred from the initial agreement to determine the end date of the second two-year agreement. Providers will be notified of their extended end dates once they have been determined.
When the end date of a participant's second two-year agreement is extended because of excess days transferred from their initial agreement, it will prevent them from reapplying for their third consecutive two-year agreement during the application period in which they would normally do so. This occurs because any days added to their second agreement will overlap with new agreements starting on October 1 following their normal September 30 agreement end date. As a result, providers will need to wait until the following application period to reapply.
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Providers and employers initially request approval for practice sites on their application forms. Please note that the applications of those who request approval of additional practice sites after submitting their applications but before October 1 following the application period, will be screened out. Starting October 1 following the application period, providers and employers may request approval of additional sites at any time by emailing the MSLRP Office.
1. When applying, list practice sites on Provider Application, Part A and Practice Site Application:
2. After applying but before October 1 following the application period, approval of additional practice sites may not be requested.
3. Starting October 1 following the application period employers and providers may request approval of additional practice sites at any time.
4. Discounted/Sliding Fee schedule and Discount Fee Policy Required for All Practice Sites. Employers must submit Sliding Fee Schedule (SFS) charts and policies that meet NHSC guidelines, unless their practice site types appear in the list of those exempt in the Practice Site Application Instructions.
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Transfers to Practice Sites of Current Employers: MSLRP participants may transfer to practice sites already approved on their current loan repayment agreements. They do not need to request approval again from the MSLRP Office. Approval must be requested, however, for transfers to employer practice sites not included in loan repayment agreements. These requests may not be made before the start of the providers service obligation on October 1, following the application period. See the Requesting Approval for Practice Sites section for details.
Provider Transfers Among their Community Health Center’s Practice Sites: In recognition of the unique circumstances of Community Health Centers (CHCs), prior approval is not required for provider transfers among practice sites within the scope of their CHC. CHCs must meet rigorous federal requirements and receive Health Professional Shortage Area facility designations for primary medical, mental health and dental services. Because a CHC’s facility HPSA designations extend to all practice sites within its scope, there is no need for MSLRP approval of a participant’s transfers among their CHC’s practice sites. This policy affects only CHCs. All other types of sponsoring agencies must continue to receive prior approval for transfers to practice sites not included on their loan repayment agreements.
Provider Transfers to Practice Sites of New Employers: Providers applying to MSLRP are agreeing to stay with their employers during their two-year service obligations. Participants who initiate transfers to the practice sites of new employers with employment start dates other than the first day of their next loan repayment agreements are in breach of their agreements and will receive a Non-Compliance Assessment. This means they will not be eligible to participate in the next application period during which they would normally apply for their next loan repayment agreements. Providers will not receive Non-Compliance Assessments when initiating transfers to new employer practice sites to complete current service obligations because their original employers have terminated their employment. Participants must follow the process described below when transferring to practice sites of new employers.
Transfer Process:
Providers are responsible for reaching an agreement with their current and new employers on which employer is going to pay what portion of the employer contribution required for their next MSLRP payment. The MSLRP Office strongly encourages participants to carefully plan transfers to become effective on the first day of their next six-month MSLRP payment cycle, either April 1 or October 1. Participants who plan transfers on these days will avoid complications regarding the portion of the of the next employer contribution that will be paid by each employer.
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Under current legislation, providers may participate in MSLRP for up to ten years and receive up to $300,000 in loan repayment. Participants with sufficient educational debt may continue to compete for additional two-year loan repayment agreements during every other annual application period.
Participants will NOT receive reminders and are encouraged to mark their calendars to remind themselves when to reapply.
MSLRP loan repayment agreements require two-year service obligations and begin October 1 following each application period. Only participants’ final agreements may be for one year if they have insufficient debt to support a minimum $20,000 two-year agreement. Final one-year agreements may range from $10,000 to $19,000.
Required Forms: To reapply, providers must submit the updated versions of the forms they submitted when they applied for their initial agreements, including an updated:
Providers should follow the instructions found on this website under Application Periods, Forms and Process. Because those reapplying must meet all current requirements, they are urged to read the entire updated website, including the MSLRP Application Period Update, the Common Mistakes sections under Application Periods, Forms and Process, as well as instructions for all updated application forms.
Loan Repayment Documentation (LRD): Those reapplying must also provide Loan Repayment Documentation (LRD) as part of their application package to show they have paid down loans listed on their Provider, Part B forms by an amount at least equal to that described under Required Amount of LRD below. Applicants, who have never received MSLRP payments are not required to submit loan repayment documentation.
Providers who have not met their LRD requirements should not reapply to MSLRP until after their LRD requirements have been met. When reapplying for MSLRP, those not meeting their LRD requirements will be notified that they have been screened out of the current application period and will be encouraged to reapply during a future application period once their LRD requirements have been met. Due to increased application volume, providers are no longer able to submit additional documentation to meet their LRD requirements during the same application period.
PLEASE NOTE: The Provider Application, Part B form is designed to collect information on current eligible loan balances and on providers’ repayment of those loans while participating in MSLRP. Current participants reapplying to the program, as well as those who have participated in the past, are required to submit Loan Repayment Documentation (LRD) to show they have paid down the loans included on their Part B forms by an amount at least equal to that described under Required Amount of LRD below. Those reapplying should check the Total Borrower Repayments column of the Part B forms returned to them by their loan servicers to make sure the information provided meets their LRD requirements. The amount of LRD must add up to the required amount, as described below under Required Amount of LRD, or the application will be screened out. Additional LRD requirements:
Required Amount of LRD: Applicants must provide documentation of all payments made on their loans beginning with the start date of the loan repayment agreement indicated below up to the time they reapply to the program. Their LRD total must equal or exceed the sum of all MSLRP payments received since that agreement start date. Applicants should first determine their MSLRP status, then follow the instructions for their status type.
1. You are applying for your first MSLRP loan repayment agreement.
2. Your current and first agreement started 10/1/24 and you are now reapplying for your second agreement that will start on 10/1/26.
3. Neither status type number 1 nor 2 above describes your MSLRP status.
LRD must show that participants have paid down the loans listed on their Provider Application Part B forms by an amount at least equal to that described under Required Amount of LRD above. When loan servicers do not provide LRD or provide insufficient LRD on applicants’ Part B forms, applicants must provide LRD by printing their loan repayment histories from loan servicers’ websites. When required to be printed from the loan servicer's website, LRD must include:
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Service Obligation: Providers awarded MSLRP agreements enter into service obligations that correspond to the start and end dates of their loan repayment agreements. MSLRP service obligations are legal responsibilities that should be taken seriously. Applicants should carefully read their MSLRP agreements before signing them and understand that participants who fail to start or complete their service obligations face significant default penalties. Once a participant signs and returns their MSLRP loan repayment agreement, their two-year service obligation goes into effect as of October 1 following the application period and must be completed.
Providers must complete their service obligations even if they are no longer working for the same employer at their originally approved practice sites. This means participants no longer working for their original employers will need to find new employers with HPSA-eligible practice sites at which to complete the remainder of their service obligations. New employers must also be willing to make the required employer contributions remaining on participants’ agreements. Applicants with concerns about their current employment situations should not apply or sign MSLRP loan repayment agreements. This is especially true for those who believe they might have to move to find another eligible practice site at which to complete their service obligations.
Providers should read the entire Practice Site Transfers section, above, to understand the implications of transfers they may be considering.
Default Penalty: Severe federal penalties, mandated by the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), will be imposed on healthcare providers who default on MSLRP agreements. Participants who chose to leave their original employers, or are terminated, must complete their service obligation at another eligible practice site. Participants who default on their loan repayment agreements by not completing their service obligations are subject to the default penalty described below.
Upon default of the MSLRP agreement by not completing their service obligation in addition to forfeiting the right to any future MSLRP payments, they will owe the Department an amount equal to the sum of the following:
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Employer Non-Compliance Assessments: When employers receive a Non- Compliance Assessment, their sponsoring agencies will be ineligible to participate in the next MSLRP application period by sponsoring providers applying to the program for the first time as their employees. They will, however, be able to continue sponsoring employees who are reapplying to the program as their employees.
Provider Non-Compliance Assessments: Providers who receive Non-Compliance Assessments are ineligible to participate in the application period during which they would normally reapply for their next loan repayment agreements.
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