Sec. 30. The award of grants.

366 words·~2 min read·/il/chapter-110/act-948/30

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)Under the program, for each year that a qualified applicant practices full time in this State in a designated shortage area as a dentist or dental specialist, the Department shall, subject to appropriation, award a grant to that person in an amount equal to the amount in educational loans that the person must repay that year. However, the total amount in grants that a person may be awarded under the program must not exceed $25,000 per year for a 4-year period.

The grant award for a dental hygienist shall be set by rule of the Department.

(b)The Department shall require recipients to use the grants to pay off their educational loans.

(c)The initial grant awarded to a dentist or dental specialist under this Act shall be for a 2-year period. Based on the successful completion of the initial 2-year grant, the grantees may be awarded up to 2 subsequent one-year grants. Grantees are eligible to receive grant funds for no more than a 4-year period. Previous grant recipients shall be given priority for years 3 and 4 grant funding, provided that the grantee continues to meet the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 25 of this Act. Grantees shall practice full time in a designated shortage area for the period of each grant awarded.

The grant award for a dental hygienist shall be for a maximum of 2 years.

(d)Successful applicants shall be eligible for a grant award upon execution of the grant agreement and shall then begin to receive grant award payments on a quarterly basis.

(e)The Department shall award grants to otherwise eligible dental applicants by using the following criteria:

(1)Dental specialist willing to practice in any designated shortage area.

(2)Dentist willing to practice in a designated shortage area with the highest Health

Professional Shortage Area

(HPSA)score.

(3)Dentist willing to practice in a designated shortage area with the highest HPSA

score and agreeing to allocate the highest percentage of patient appointments to those that are covered by Article V of the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Act, or the Children's Health Insurance Program Act.