[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR62.8]

[Page 352-353]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
    CHAPTER I--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 
                                SERVICES
 
PART 62--NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS--Table of Contents
 
      Subpart A--National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program
 
Sec. 62.8  What does an individual have to do in return for the scholarship program award?

    (a) General. Except as provided in paragraphs (d), (f), and (g) of 
this section, each participant is obligated to (1) become a member of 
the National Health Service Corps employed as a Commissioned Officer in 
the Regular or Reserve Corps of the Service or as a Federal civilian in 
the full-time clinical practice of the participant's profession and (2) 
serve in the health manpower shortage area to which the participant is 
assigned by the National Health Service Corps.
    (b) Beginning of service. (1) The period of obligated service will 
begin when the Scholarship Program participant begins to provide 
services in the health manpower shortage area to which he or she is 
assigned by the Secretary. Except for those participants who receive a 
deferral under Sec. 62.9 (a) or (b), this assignment will be made by the 
Secretary as soon as possible following: (i) the completion of the 
participant's course of study leading to a degree in medicine, 
osteopathy, dentistry, or an equivalent credential for a particular 
health profession, and (ii) appointment of the participant as a 
Commissioned Officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps of the Service or 
as a civilian member of the National Health Service Corps.
    (2) For purposes of this paragraph, ``appointment'' means only those 
appointments as Commissioned Officers in the Regular or Reserve Corps of 
the Service or as civilian members of the National Health Service Corps 
made specifically for the purpose of serving a participant's period of 
obligated service.
    (c) Duration of service. Except as provided in Sec. 62.14(b)(1), the 
period for which the Scholarship Program participant is obligated to 
serve is equal to 1 year for each school year for which the participant 
receives a scholarship award under this part, or 2 years, whichever is 
greater.
    (d) Service by detail. If the Secretary determines that there is no 
need in a health manpower shortage area for a member of the profession 
in which the Scholarship Program participant is obligated to provide 
service, the Scholarship Program participant may be detailed to serve 
the period of obligated service as a full-time member of the profession 
for which the participant has been trained, in any unit of the 
Department of Health and Human Services as the Secretary may determine.
    (e) Creditability of approved graduate training. Except as provided 
in Sec. 62.14(b)(2), no period of approved graduate training will be 
credited toward satisfying the period of obligated service incurred 
under the Scholarship Program.
    (f) Service under the National Research Service Award Program. (1) A 
Scholarship Program participant who demonstrates exceptional promise for 
medical research may perform the period of obligated service owed under 
this section by participating in the National

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Research Service Award Program for individual postdoctoral fellows 
authorized under section 472 of the Act.
    (2) Exceptional promise for medical research will be demonstrated if 
the participant applies for a National Research Service Award for 
individual postdoctoral fellows, is selected to participate in this 
research program, and accepts the offer of participation. A Scholarship 
Program participant in the National Research Service Award Program will 
receive credit toward satisfying the period of obligated service 
incurred under this section for any period of time he or she is engaged 
in activities which meet the service requirements of the National 
Research Service Award Program.
    (3) If the time served under the National Research Service Award 
Program is less than the total period of obligated service owed under 
the Scholarship Program, the participant will serve the remainder of the 
Scholarship Program service obligation (i) in activities which meet the 
criteria for service under the National Research Service Award Program, 
as approved by the Secretary or (ii) as a member of the National Health 
Service Corps providing health services in the full-time clinical 
practice of his or her health profession. A participant who fails to 
begin or complete the service requirements under the National Research 
Service Award Program may be subject to the default penalty under 
Sec. 62.10(c) of this part and the default penalties under the National 
Research Service Award Program.
    (g) Release from service obligation to engage in private practice. 
The Secretary will release a participant from all or part of the service 
obligation if the participant applies for a release under section 753 of 
the Act and agrees in writing to engage for a period equal to the 
remaining period of the participant's service obligation in the full-
time private clinical practice of the participant's health profession, 
under the requirements of section 753 of the Act.