New York State Healthcare Access Loan Repayment (HEALR) Program

This application is for the New York State HEALR Program administered by the Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP). 

The HEALR Program will provide student loan repayment assistance to providers in the eligible roles, listed below, who make a four-year commitment to maintain a personal practice panel or work at an organization where at least 30% of the patient panel are Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals, or that is contracted with a state-designated Social Care Network (SCN) and providing Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) screening, referrals, and/or services.

Eligible roles and awards are as follows:

• Psychiatrists - Up to $300,000 per awardee
• Primary Care Physicians - Up to $100,000 per awardee
• Dentists - Up to $100,000 per awardee
• Nurse Practitioners - Up to $50,000 per awardee
• Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialists - Up to $50,000 per awardee

Program guidelines are available on the NY HEALR Program website.

Prior to starting the application, please verify that your current employer (including self-employment), or employer for which you have an offer letter, is listed as an eligible organization on the 1115 Workforce Initiatives Service Commitment Sites website. If your organization is not listed, please ask an appropriate representative from your organization to fill out the attestation form in accordance with the process outlined below.

Eligibility Criteria: 

An eligible service commitment site, defined as an organization, facility, or practice:

• where at least 30% of the patient panel are Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals; OR
• that is contracted with a state-designated SCN and providing HRSN screening, referrals, and/or services.

Process for Attestation Form Submission:

Approval is granted at the individual site level. Health systems must submit a separate attestation for each of its locations.

1. Verify Facility Listing: Visit the 1115 Workforce Initiatives Service Commitment Site directory to confirm if your facility is already approved. 

If your facility is not listed: 

2. Check Eligibility: Facilities not found in the listing must first confirm they satisfy one or more of the eligibility criteria. Note: Applications submitted by employers prior to form verification of eligibility and approval by the Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) will not be processed until eligibility is verified.

3. Download the Form: Download the 1115 Workforce Initiatives Service Commitment Site attestation form.

4. Complete and Submit: Request that an authorized representative from your organization complete the form and submit it to HEALR@health.ny.gov.

5. Review and Notification of Outcome: The Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP) will review your submission and determine your facility's eligibility.

a. OHIP will send the result of their review to the email address used for submission. If you are not the party submitting the application and would like to be directly notified of eligibility decision, please ensure that you are cc'd on the attestation submission email. 

b. If approved, your facility will be added to the eligible list and may immediate submit up to five employee applications. You may submit applications upon receipt of eligibility verification and do not need to wait for your facility to appear on the public list.

If you have any questions prior to or while completing this application, please contact HEALR@health.ny.gov. 

This application will take approximately one hour to complete; it is not required that you complete it in one session. If you would like to save your progress and complete your application at another time, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click the save button. You will be directed to set up a Jotform account. After account setup, you will receive an email with a link to resume your application. 

All required fields are marked with an asterisk. To submit your application, these fields must be populated. Your application will be considered incomplete if you do not upload correct/complete documentation as requested. After completing your application, we recommend that you save a copy of the application, and all submitted materials for your records.  

This application should be completed by the person financially responsible for the student loans to be repaid (i.e., the person whose name is on the qualifying educational loans). Please answer all required questions below and have the following documents at hand to complete your application:

• Social Security Number (last four digits) 
• Relevant Qualifying Degree Information (relevant degree, institutions attended, and graduation date) 
• Employer Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) Number (if applicable)
• Employer Organization Federal Tax ID/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Supervisor Contact Information (if applicable) 
• Loan Servicer Information (legal name, account number, current loan balance, email, and phone number; all qualifying loans)  
• Loan Billing/Summary Statements (current-within 6 months; all qualifying loans)
• Government Issued ID
• Paystub (dated within the last 30 days), 2024 W-2, or 1099 form (for all current employers) OR Offer Letter (if applicable) 
• New York Professional License Number (if applicable) 
• National Provider Identification (NPI) Number
• MMIS or Provider Identification (PID) Number
• Name Change Documentation (if applicable)

All applications will go through a competitive review process based on federal and state requirements according to the 1115 Waiver Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) that govern the HEALR program. Applications will be evaluated based on factors such as New York State residency, provider type, and dedication to providing services to underserved communities and areas with health provider shortages.

Applications for the HEALR Program will close at 11:59 PM on February 15, 2026. 

Please provide your contact information as the applicant. You will serve as the primary point of contact for this application and will receive all notifications regarding the award decision.

Information provided in this section will be aggregated and anonymized for data analysis and reporting. 

Please answer the questions below to confirm your eligibility for the HEALR Program.

 

Please answer the seven questions below to verify your eligibility. Please note that you must meet all the eligibility criteria to be eligible for the New York State HEALR program. 

If you do not meet all eligibility criteria, you will be automatically taken to the last page of the application. If you continue with submission, the submission page will indicate that you are not eligible for the HEALR Program. 

 

Please visit the Federal Student Aid Website for the definition of United States citizen/eligible non-citizen. Note that if you are not a United States citizen/eligible non-citizen, you are not eligible for the HEALR program. 

Please note that if you are not currently licensed to practice in New York State you are still eligible to apply for the program. However, you must obtain New York State Professional Licensure prior to execution of the awardee contract, estimated for late spring 2026.

Please note that if you choose N/A you are still eligible to apply for the HEALR Program. However, your New York State Professional Licensure must be obtained AND in good standing prior to execution of the awardee contract, estimated for late spring 2026. 

Please note that if you have participated in any other student loan repayment program, excluding Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you are NOT eligible for the HEALR Program. These repayment programs refer to any program where loan repayment is made by anyone other than the individual associated with the loan. 

Obligation under another program leading to loan repayment disqualifies you from the HEALR Program. Additionally, enrolling in another state or federally-funded workforce loan repayment program, including an out-or-state program, with the exception of PSLF, may disqualify you from participation in the HEALR Program. 

Please note that if you are not currently employed (including maintaining a personal practice panel) or do not have an offer letter from an eligible organization you are still eligible to apply to the HEALR Program. However, you must be employed at an eligible organization prior to execution of the awardee contract, estimated for late spring 2026. 

The HEALR Program requires full-time employment (35 hours per week minimum). This can include individuals that have multiple part-time jobs at multiple eligible organizations. If this applies to you, please reach out to HEALR@health.ny.gov. 

Please review the eligibility criteria below before providing your electronic signature below. 

1. You are a United States citizen/eligible non-citizen (as defined on the Federal Student Aid website.)

2. You are currently licensed to practice as a Psychiatrist, Primary Care Physician, Dentist, Nurse Practitioner, or Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist in New York State or anticipate being licensed prior to the date of awardee contract execution (currently estimated late spring 2026). 

3. Your New York State Professional License as a Psychiatrist, Primary Care Physician, Dentist, Nurse Practitioner, or Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialistis in good standing (this will not apply if you are not currently licensed to practice in New York State). 

4. With the exception of PSLF, you are NOT obligated under a program leading to loan repayment including, but not limited to, New York State Regents Physicians’ Loan Forgiveness Award Program or Regents New York State Health Care Scholarship Program in Medicine. 

5. With the exception of PLSF, you have NOT received funds from another state or federally-funded loan repayment program including, but not limited to, Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program, Nurses Across New York Loan Repayment Program, Doctors Across New York Physician Loan Repayment Program or Physician Practice Support Program.

6. You are currently employed full-time (35 hours per week minimum) or anticipate being employed full-time by late spring 2026: with a personal practice panel that serves at least 30% Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals; OR at an organization where at least 30% of the patient panel are Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals; OR at an organization that is contracted with a state-designated SCN and providing HRSN screening, referrals, and/or services.

7. You have not been convicted of a felony. 

To complete this section, specify the details of your qualifying degree, i.e. the highest degree earned related to the healthcare profession you indicated on the previous page. For example, if you are a Doctor of Medicine (MD), provide the institution(s) attended for your MD degree along with the corresponding graduation date. You need only provide information related to the qualifying degree.

To complete this section, specify the details of your current eligible employer (including applicants with offer letters that include a start date preceding awardee contract execution - currently estimated late spring 2026). If you have questions about the full-time requirement for this program, please reach out to HEALR@health.ny.gov.

An eligible organization is defined as a personal practice panel that serves at least 30% Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals; OR an organization where at least 30% of the patient panel are Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals; OR an organization that is contracted with a state-designated SCN and providing HRSN screening, referrals, and/or services. A list of eligible organizations can be found on the 1115 Workforce Initiatives Service Commitment Sites website.

If your organization is not listed, please follow the instructions at the beginning of the application to submit the attestation form and ensure your organization is listed prior to completing this application.

If you are not currently employed at an eligible organization but are actively looking for a position with an eligible organization, please complete all application questions as they appear. Once you secure a position at an eligible organization, you will notify HEALR@health.ny.gov. 

If you are selected, it will be necessary to verify the details of your loan(s) before the award is paid out. All loan information provided in this section is collected and stored securely. 

Please note: Awards will be paid directly to the loan servicer. Only student loans for educational costs related to the program of study that led to the qualifying clinical title are eligible for repayment under this program. For example, if an applicant has student loans for their undergraduate course of study as well as for their MD program, only the loans used to pay for the MD program will qualify.  

The following types of debt are not eligible for loan repayment under the program:

• Loans in default
• Loans repaid in full
• Credit card debt
• State or Federal Primary Care Loans (e.g., National Health Service Corps Repayment (NHSC) or New York State Primary Care Service Corps (PCSC))
• Personal lines of credit
• Residency loans
• Eligible educational loans that have been consolidated with any other non-eligible educational loans
• Eligible educational loans consolidated with loans owed by any other person, such as a spouse or child 
• Eligible educational loans consolidated with any other type of debt (non-educational)
• Parent Plus Loans
• Loans from a family member or friend
• Loans not obtained from a government entity or commercial lending institution
• Loans from institutions outside the United States

Eligible education loans must have been obtained by the applicant in their own name. For loans to remain eligible, the applicant must keep their eligible educational loans separate from other debts.

Please provide/upload all the required information requested below. It is important to note that all information and documents provided in this section are collected and stored securely. 

I hereby affirm that the information provided in this application, along with all supporting documentation, is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that providing false or misleading information may result in the denial of award or the requirement to repay funds received. Misrepresentation on this application will be considered Medicaid fraud and could lead to your exclusion from Medicaid/Medicare. 

I understand that the funds to be provided under the HEALR Program are Medicaid funds which have been designated for supporting workforce initiatives intended to promote the increased availability of certain health care practitioners who serve Medicaid beneficiaries. HEALR Program and funds are subject to all applicable Medicaid program requirements. 

I understand that a change in my employment or circumstances which occurs after the date of the application may also result in a requirement that I repay my award. To remain eligible for loan forgiveness under the HEALR Program I must: 

• Maintain full-time employment at an eligible entity for the full four-year service committment 
• Maintain a valid New York State Professional License as a Psychiatrist, Primary Care Physician, Dentist, Nurse Practitioner, or Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist in good standing for the full four-year service commitment 
• Not enroll in another state or federally-funded workforce loan repayment program 

 

By signing below, I acknowledge my responsibility to notify New York State Department of Health Office of Health Insurance Programs at HEALR@health.ny.gov of any changes to the information provided and agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the program. 

If at any point you would like to withdrawal your application, as a result of changing your mind about participating in the program or if you have a change in circumstances, please reach out to HEALR@health.ny.gov. Withdrawal of your application must be completed after submission and before award disbursement.