[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: 42CFR68a.2] [Page 403-405] TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH CHAPTER I--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PART 68a--NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) CLINICAL RESEARCH LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS (CR-LRP)--Table of Contents Sec. 68a.2 Definitions. As used in this part: Act means the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.). Applicant means an individual who applies to, and meets the eligibility criteria for the CR-LRP. Approved clinical research means clinical research approved by the Clinical Research Loan Repayment Committee. Clinical privileges means the delineation of privileges for patient care granted to qualified health professionals by the NIH Medical Executive Committee or other appropriate credentialing board. Clinical research means activities which qualify for inclusion as clinical research in the CR-LRP as determined by the Clinical Research Loan Repayment Committee. Clinical Research Loan Repayment Committee (CR-LRC) means the scientific board assembled to review, rank, and approve or disapprove Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program applications. The CR-LRC is composed of NIH scientific staff and co-chaired by the Associate Director for Clinical Research, NIH, and the Associate Director for Research on Minority Health, NIH. Members are nominated by the Deputy Director, Intramural Research, NIH, and the co-chairs, and appointed by the Director, NIH. Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (CR-LRP or Program) means the NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds authorized by section 487E of the Act, as amended. Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program (CR-LRP or Program) contract refers to the agreement, which is signed by an applicant and the Secretary, wherein the applicant from a disadvantaged background agrees to engage in clinical research as an employee of the NIH and the Secretary agrees to repay qualified educational loans for a prescribed period as specified in this part. Clinical researcher means an NIH employee with clinical privileges who is conducting approved clinical research. Commercial loans means loans made by banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, not-for-profit organizations, insurance companies, schools, and other financial or credit institutions which are subject to examination and supervision in their capacity as lending institutions by an agency of the United States or of the State in which the lender has its principal place of business. Current payment status means that a qualified educational loan is not past due in its payment schedule as determined by the lending institution. Debt threshold refers to the minimum amount of qualified educational debt an individual must have, on his/her program eligibility date, in order to be eligible for Program benefits and, for purposes of eligibility under this part, debt threshold means that the qualified educational debt must equal or exceed 20 percent of an individual's annual NIH salary on his/her program eligibility date. [[Page 404]] Educational expenses means the cost of the health professional's education, including the tuition expenses and other educational expenses such as fees, books, supplies, educational equipment and materials, and laboratory expenses. Government loans means loans made by Federal, State, county, or city agencies which are authorized by law to make such loans. Individual from disadvantaged background means an individual who: (1) Comes from an environment that inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill and ability required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school; or (2) Comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary for use in all health professions programs. The Secretary periodically publishes these income levels in the Federal Register. Institute, Center, or Agency (ICA) means an institute, center, or agency of the National Institutes of Health. Living expenses means the reasonable cost of room and board, transportation and commuting costs, and other reasonable costs incurred during an individual's attendance at an educational institution. Participant means an individual whose application to the CR-LRP has been approved and whose Program contract has been executed by the Secretary. Program means the NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds. Program eligibility date means the date on which an individual's Program contract is executed by the Secretary and that individual is engaged in approved clinical research as an employee of the NIH. Qualified educational loans and interest/debt include Government and commercial educational loans and interest for: (1) Undergraduate, graduate, and health professional school tuition expenses; (2) Other reasonable educational expenses required by the school(s) attended, including fees, books, supplies, educational equipment and materials, and laboratory expenses; and (3) reasonable living expenses, including the cost of room and board, transportation and commuting costs, and other reasonable living expenses incurred. Reasonable educational and living expenses means those educational and living expenses which are equal to or less than the sum of the school's estimated standard student budget for educational and living expenses for the degree program and for the year(s) during which the participant was enrolled in school. If there is no standard budget available from the school or if the participant requests repayment for educational and living expenses which exceed the standard student budget, reasonableness of educational and living expenses incurred must be substantiated by additional contemporaneous documentation, as determined by the Secretary. Repayable debt means the portion, as established by the Secretary, of an individual's total qualified educational debt relative to the NIH salary, which can be paid by the CR-LRP. Specifically, qualifying educational debt amounts in excess of 50 percent of the debt threshold will be considered for repayment. Salary means base pay plus quarters, subsistence, and variable housing allowances, if applicable. School means undergraduate, graduate, and health professions schools which are accredited by a body or bodies recognized for accreditation purposes by the Secretary of Education. Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services and any other officer or employee of the Department of Health and Human Services to whom the authority involved has been delegated. Service means the Public Health Service. State means one of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern [[Page 405]] Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau). Withdrawal means a request by a participant, prior to the Program making payments on his or her behalf, for withdrawal from Program participation. A withdrawal is without penalty to the participant and without obligation to the Program.