1. (a) Notwithstanding §23.97 of this subchapter (relating to Applicant Eligibility), to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, an applicant who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, but before September 1, 2025, must:

   1. (1) submit a completed application to the Coordinating Board by the established deadline, which will be posted on the program web page;
   2. (2) be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident;
   3. (3) at the time of application, hold a full license with no restrictions from the state of Texas for the applicant's practice specialty;

   4. (4) currently be employed as one of the following eligible practice specialties:

      1. (A) a psychiatrist;
      2. (B) a psychologist, as defined by §501.002, Texas Occupations Code;
      3. (C) a licensed professional counselor, as defined by §503.002, Texas Occupations Code;
      4. (D) an advanced practice registered nurse, as defined by §301.152, Texas Occupations Code, who holds a nationally recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental health nursing;
      5. (E) a licensed clinical social worker, as defined by §505.002, Texas Occupations Code;
      6. (F) a licensed specialist in school psychology, as defined by §501.002, Texas Occupations Code;
      7. (G) a licensed chemical dependency counselor, as defined by §504.001, Texas Occupations Code; or
      8. (H) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as defined by §502.002, Texas Occupations Code; and

   5. (5) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods:

      1. (A) in an MHPSA, providing direct patient care to:

         1. (i) Medicaid enrollees;
         2. (ii) CHIP enrollees, if the practice serves children;
         3. (iii) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or its successor; or
         4. (iv) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or its successor;
      2. (B) in a state hospital, providing mental health services to patients; or
      3. (C) providing mental health services to individuals receiving community-based mental health services from a local mental health authority, as defined in Texas Health and Safety Code, §531.002.

2. (b) Notwithstanding §23.97 of this subchapter or subsection (a)(4) of this section, to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a specialist in school psychology as outlined under subsection (a)(4)(F) of this section, an applicant who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, but before September 1, 2025, must:

   1. (1) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods of employment in:

      1. (A) a school district which is located partially or completely in a MHPSA;
      2. (B) an open-enrollment charter school located in a MHPSA; or
      3. (C) a Texas public school that receives federal funding under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. §6301 et seq.); and
   2. (2) have provided mental health services to students enrolled in that district or school during that time of employment.

3. (c) Limitations. Notwithstanding §23.101(3) and (4) of this subchapter (relating to Limitations), and in addition to the limitations associated with eligible education loans established in §23.2 of this chapter (relating to Eligible Lender and Eligible Education Loan), the following limitations apply to providers who first established eligibility for the program on or after September 1, 2023, but before September 1, 2025.

   1. (1) The total amount of state appropriated repayment assistance received by a provider under this subchapter may not exceed:

      1. (A) $160,000, for a psychiatrist;

      2. (B) $80,000, for:

         1. (i) a psychologist;
         2. (ii) a licensed clinical social worker, if the social worker has received a doctoral degree related to social work;
         3. (iii) a licensed professional counselor, if the counselor has received a doctoral degree related to counseling; or
         4. (iv) a licensed marriage and family therapist, if the marriage and family therapist had received a doctoral degree related to marriage and family therapy;
      3. (C) $60,000, for an advanced practice registered nurse;
      4. (D) $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. (E) $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.
   2. (2) A provider's loan repayment assistance amount may not exceed the unpaid principal and interest owed on one or more eligible education loans, as described in §23.2 of this chapter (relating to Eligible Lender and Eligible Education Loan).

Source Note:The provisions of this §23.103 adopted to be effective November 13, 2025, 50 TexReg 7270.