1. (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 and have no license restrictions;

   3. (3) 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

   4. (4) 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 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)(3)(F) of this section, the applicant 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.

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.