19 Tex. Admin. Code § 23.96 – Applicant Eligibility

(a) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, an applicant 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;
  8. (H) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as defined by §502.002, Texas Occupations Code;
  9. (I) a licensed master social worker, as defined by §505.002, Texas Occupations Code;
  10. (J) a licensed professional counselor associate, as indicated by holding a licensed professional counselor associate license issued by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors;
  11. (K) a licensed marriage and family therapist associate, as defined by §502.002, Texas Occupations Code; or
  12. (L) a school counselor certified under Texas Education Code, chapter 21, subchapter B, who has earned at least a master's degree relating to counseling from any public or accredited private institution of higher education; and
5. (5) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods:
  1. (A) in an MHPSA in Texas, providing mental health services 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;
  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; or
  4. (D) providing mental health services to students enrolled in a public school.
(b) Notwithstanding the number of consecutive service periods that qualify an applicant for eligibility described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, an otherwise eligible applicant who receives repayment assistance under this subchapter for three consecutive service periods is eligible to receive repayment assistance for a fourth and fifth consecutive service period in an amount described by §23.100(f) of this subchapter (relating to Amount of Repayment Assistance) and subject to the limitations established in §23.101 of this subchapter (relating to Limitations). An applicant who establishes eligibility under this subsection is not considered a renewal applicant for the purposes of §23.97 of this subchapter (relating to Applicant Ranking Priorities).

Source Note:The provisions of this §23.96 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 May 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 2456; amended to be effective November 16, 2022, 47 TexReg 7556; amended to be effective February 15, 2024, 49 TexReg 692; amended to be effective November 14, 2024, 49 TexReg 8906; amended to be effective November 13, 2025, 50 TexReg 7270; amended to be effective May 13, 2026, 51 TexReg 3110.