National Institutes of Health Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Research Loan Repayment Program
Published on AidPage by
IDILOGIC on Jun 24, 2005
Purpose of this program:
To help assure an adequate supply of trained researchers (physicians, registered nurses and scientists) with respect to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by providing for the repayment of educational loans for participants who agree, by written contract, to primarily engage in AIDS research as employees of the NIH.
Possible uses and use restrictions...
This program will provide partial repayment of educational loans incurred by physicians, registered nurses and scientists engaged, as employees of the NIH, in AIDS research. Recipients must agree by written contract to engage in such research, initially, for a minimum of 2 years; individuals who have conflicting service obligations may not participate in this program until those obligations are satisfied or have been deferred during the period of program service. Continuation contracts are available, dependent upon the level of debt and continued involvement in AIDS research, and are issued for one-year periods. Maximum program benefit is $35,000 per year in loan repayments and $13,650 per year in Federal tax reimbursements. Recipients must have qualified educational debt in excess of 20 percent of their annual NIH salary, which is referred to as their "debt threshold." An amount equal to half of this "debt threshold" will not be repaid by NIH and must be paid by the Program participants.
Who is eligible to apply...
Eligible applicants must: (1) Be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States; (2) possess a M.D., Ph.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.P.M., A.D.N., B.S.N., or equivalent degree; 3) have educational debt, which results from governmental or commercial loans obtained to support their undergraduate and/or graduate education in excess of 20 percent of their annual NIH salary (exclusive of special allowances of any kind) on the program eligibility date; 4) be appointed under any temporary or permanent employment mechanism in the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, so long as their employment has the potential to last a minimum of 2 years; 5) not have an existing service obligation to Federal, State, or other entities, unless deferred during period of program service; 6) submit an application to participate in the Loan Repayment Program; and 7) submit to the Secretary for Health and Human Services, at the time of application, a signed contract agreeing to engage in AIDS research at the NIH for a minimum of 2 years.
Credentials/Documentation
Applicants must submit documentation of the following, as appropriate: 1) Copies of loan applications and agreements from governmental or commercial educational loans that are being considered for repayment; 2) copies of the standard student budget from schools attended during period when debt was incurred; and 3) other documentation as required by law.
Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:
This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy.
For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree,
3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible.
Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they
must satisfy.
Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications
are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs,
the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.
How to apply...
Application Procedure:
Applicants must access and submit the Loan Repayment Program application electronically via the website www.lrp.nih.gov; seek qualified employment with a sponsoring Institute or Center (IC) of the NIH. Once an application has been submitted, the Loan Repayment Committee reviews it at a regularly scheduled review meeting and a determination of loan repayment recipients is made.
Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.
Award Procedure:
The NIH Loan Repayment Committee (LRC) will review, rank, and approve or disapprove applications recommended for program participation by each IC. Applications approved for program participation by the LRC will be notified by the Program Director. The Secretary, or her/his designee, will sign the service contract of program participants, provide a copy to the participant, and notice of the amount of approved loan repayment.
Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check.
Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office,
or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by
intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.
Deadlines and process...
Deadlines
Review the Loan Repayment Program website www.lrp.nih.gov, or contact the Headquarters Office listed below for the application deadlines.
Note:
When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will
be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received.
When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
The approximate time for approval/disapproval is three months.
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Note:
This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units
prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.
Appeals
Employees of the NIH who are not approved as a result of this process may ask for reconsideration through the standard appeal procedures available to NIH employees.
Note:
In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission
of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or
applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Renewals
At the conclusion of the initial two-year contract, participants may apply and be recommended for subsequent one-year continuation contracts under the application and approval procedures specified above.
Note:
In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.
Who can benefit...
AIDS researchers who have unpaid educational loans will benefit from this program.
Beneficiaries
About this section:
This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.
What types of assistance...
Project Grants
The funding, for fixed or known periods, of specific projects. Project grants can include fellowships, scholarships, research grants, training grants, traineeships, experimental and demonstration grants, evaluation grants, planning grants, technical assistance grants, survey grants, and construction grants.
How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Dollar assistance range is estimated to be from a low of $9,797 in loan repayments and $5,047 in tax reimbursements to a maximum of $70,000 and $27,300 in loan repayments and tax reimbursements, respectively. Average dollar assistance per contract is estimated to be $38,656 in loan repayments and $19,911 in tax reimbursements.
Note:
This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.
Obligations
(Loan Repayments) FY 03 $1,150,000; FY 04 est $1,600,000; and FY 05 est $1,600,000.
Note:
The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.
Account Identification
75-0846-0-1-552.
Note:
Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program.
This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.
Examples of funded projects...
Studies on the effects of gp120, TAT, and TNF-alpha on cell activation and gene expression in human endothelial cells in primary culture. Identification and characterization of cellular subtypes that comprise the immune system both in healthy human subjects and in subjects with diseases such as HIV infection. Development of murine models related to T-cell regeneration; and treatment of HIV patients infected with multi-drug resistant TB.
About this section
This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.
Program accomplishments...
Ten awards were made in fiscal year 2003. NIH projects that 10 awards will be made in fiscal year 2004 and 10 awards are projected in fiscal year 2005.
Criteria for selecting proposals...
Applicants are approved for participation in the NIH Loan Repayment Program for AIDS Research after the LRC determines that the applicant will conduct qualified AIDS research. LRC approval, in part, is based upon the appropriateness of the research assignment to qualified AIDS research, the scientific merit of the research, and the credentials of the applicant as they relate to performing qualified AIDS research.
Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Assistance is available for a minimum 2-year period. One-year, continuation contracts are available for individuals whose educational debt exceeds that maximum repayable amount for 2-years. Payments are made directly to lenders, following each quarter of the participant's satisfactory service, unless otherwise agreed upon by the participant and Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.
Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.
Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.
In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.
Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.
Post assistance requirements...
Reports
Program participants must be certified quarterly as to having satisfactorily performed their research assignments.
Note:
This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.
Audits
None.
Note:
This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency.
The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133.
These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year,
as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period,
rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records
The NIH will maintain applicant records for 3 years after rejection and participant records for 6 years after completion of final service obligation.
Note:
This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require.
Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office.
For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C.
For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.
Regulations...
Authorization
Public Health Service Act, Part 68, Section 487A, Public Law 100-607, as amended; Public Law 103-43, 42 U.S.C. 288-l, 102 Stat. 3148, as amended, Public Law 105-392.
Note:
This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).
Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature
Pertinent information is contained in Public Law 100-607, Public Law 103-43, Public Law 105-392; Federal Register, Volume 54, No. 215, November 8, 1989; NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23, No. 24, June 24, 1994; Federal Register, Volume 56, No. 150, August 5, 1991; Section 487A of Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288-l). Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is pending.