(a) Loan repayment awards will be disbursed directly to lenders on behalf of eligible mental health professionals.
(b) Repayment assistance for each year of full-time service for mental health professionals who first established eligibility for the program before September 1, 2023, will be in an amount determined by applying the following applicable percentage to the maximum total amount of assistance allowed for the professional:
  (1) for the first year, 10 percent;
  (2) for the second year, 15 percent;
  (3) for the third year, 20 percent;
  (4) for the fourth year, 25 percent; and
  (5) for the fifth year, 30 percent.
(c) Repayment assistance for each year of full-time service for mental health professionals who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, will be in an amount determined by applying the following applicable percentage to the maximum total amount of assistance allowed for the professional:
  (1) for the first year, 33.33 percent;
  (2) for the second year, 33.33 percent; and
  (3) for the third year, 33.34 percent.
(d) The total amount of state appropriated repayment assistance received by a mental health professional under this subchapter may not exceed:
  (1) $160,000, for a psychiatrist;
  (2) $80,000, for:
    (A) a psychologist;
    (B) a licensed clinical social worker, if the social worker has received a doctoral degree related to social work;
    (C) a licensed professional counselor, if the counselor has received a doctoral degree related to counseling; or
    (D) a licensed marriage and family therapist, if the marriage and family therapist had received a doctoral degree related to marriage and family therapy;
  (3) $60,000, for an advanced practice registered nurse;
  (4) $40,000, for a licensed specialist in school psychology, a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed marriage and family therapist, or a licensed professional counselor who has not received a doctoral degree related to social work or counseling; and
  (5) $10,000, for assistance received by a licensed chemical dependency counselor, if the chemical dependency counselor has received an associate degree related to chemical dependency counseling or behavioral science.
(e) If a mental health provider's total student loan indebtedness is less than the total amount of repayment assistance allowed for the provider's practice specialty, the annual loan repayment award amounts based on full-time service will be the following percentages of the student loan debt owed at the time of application for enrollment in the program:
  (1) For mental health professionals who first established eligibility for the program before September 1, 2023, amounts are 10% for year one, 15% for year two, 20% for year three, 25% for year four, and 30% for year five.
  (2) For mental health professionals who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, amounts are 33.33% for year one, 33.33% for year two, and 33.34% for year three.
(f) An eligible professional may receive prorated loan repayment assistance based on the percentage of full-time service provided for each service period, for a minimum of 20 hours per week.
(g) Failure to meet the program requirements will result in non-payment for the applicable service period(s) and, except under circumstances determined by the Board staff to constitute good cause, removal from the program.

Source Note: The provisions of this §23.100 adopted to be effective November 12, 2015, 40 TexReg 7818; amended to be effective February 22, 2016, 41 TexReg 1232; transferred effective December 15, 2016, as published in the Texas Register November 25, 2016, 41 TexReg 9341; amended to be effective February 28, 2018, 43 TexReg 1088; amended to be effective May 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 2456; amended to be effective February 15, 2024, 49 TexReg 692