6 CAR Part 399 — Rules Governing Out-Of-State Veterinary Medical Education Loan Repayment Program

Chapter IV

Subchapter B

Subpart 1

6 CAR § 399-101 Organization and structure {#sec-6-car-399-101 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-101}

6 CAR § 399-101. Organization and structure.

(a)(1) The Division of Higher Education shall administer the Out-of-State Veterinary Medical Education Loan Repayment Program within the policies set by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(2) All formal communications shall be addressed to or signed by the Director of the Division of Higher Education or his or her designee.

(b) When functioning under Acts 2011, No. 881, and any subsequent legislation, the division shall follow provisions of the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, Arkansas Code § 25-15-201 et seq.

6 CAR § 399-102 Program definitions {#sec-6-car-399-102 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-102}

6 CAR § 399-102. Program definitions.

The following definitions are used in this part:

(1)(A) “Arkansas resident” means an applicant has been an Arkansas resident for twelve (12) months prior to the application deadline for the financial aid program.

(B) Further, the recipient may be asked to provide evidence of a permanent connection with the State of Arkansas.

(C) The Division of Higher Education will look to one (1) or more of the following to determine residency in those cases:

(i) Valid Arkansas driver’s license;

(ii) Proof of payment for Arkansas personal and/or real taxes for the previous year;

(iii) Proof of Arkansas vehicle registration;

(iv) Proof of Arkansas voter registration; and

(v) Other forms of proof of Arkansas residency;

(2) “Award year” means one (1) year beginning on July 1 of one (1) calendar year, and extending to June 30 of the next calendar year;

(3) “Food animal” means a:

(A) Bovine;

(B) Porcine;

(C) Ovine;

(D) Camelid;

(E) Cervid;

(F) Poultry; and

(G) Any other species determined by the State Veterinarian;

(4) “Food supply veterinary medicine” means all aspects of veterinary medicine’s involvement in food supply systems, from traditional agricultural production to consumption;

(5)(A) “Lawful permanent resident” means an individual who can provide documentation from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service that he or she is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a citizen or permanent resident.

(B) Valid documentation is an I-551, I-151, I-181, I-94, or passport stamped with the notation "Processed for I-551, Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence".

(C) A completed Form G-641 can also be used to document permanent resident status;

(6) “Loan repayment” means a payment made to a federal loan holder on a recipient’s behalf after the completion of the yearly requirements by the recipient;

(7) “Participating institution” means Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine;

(8) “Practice of food supply veterinary medicine” means a corporate or private veterinary practice with a minimum of thirty percent (30%) of the practice devoted to food animal medicine or mixed animal medicine located in rural areas;

(9) “United States citizen” means persons born or who have become naturalized citizens of:

(A) The fifty (50) states;

(B) The District of Columbia;

(C) Puerto Rico;

(D) The Virgin Islands;

(E) Guam;

(F) The Northern Mariana Islands; and

(G) Trust Territory-Palau;

(10) "United States national" includes citizens of:

(A) American Samoa; or

(B) Swain's Island.

History

• Codification Notes: The Immigration and Naturalization Service was abolished by 6 U.S.C. § 291. Authority: Arkansas Code § 6-81-1105

6 CAR § 399-103 Eligibility criteria {#sec-6-car-399-103 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-103}

6 CAR § 399-103. Eligibility criteria.

(a) Eligibility criteria. Applicants must:

(1) Be bona fide Arkansas residents, as defined by the Division of Higher Education, for at least twelve (12) months prior to the application deadline;

(2) Be a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident;

(3) Have graduated from a veterinary medicine program from the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Program after April 2022;

(4) Have outstanding federal student loans;

(5) Hold a valid Arkansas veterinary license;

(6) Practice food supply veterinary medicine;

(7) Begin practicing food supply veterinary medicine in Arkansas within ninety (90) days after the completion of:

(A) The professional degree program for which the loan was made;

(B) An internship program; or

(C) The professional degree program for which the loan was made and an internship program; and

(8) Have graduated from an Arkansas:

(A) Public, private, or home school; or

(B) GED program.

(b) Continued eligibility.

(1) Recipients shall notify the division annually with documentation that proves his or her continuation to meet the eligibility criteria set forth above.

(2) A recipient may receive an annual award for a maximum of five (5) consecutive years.

(3) However, if a recipient fails to practice the minimum amount of food supply veterinary medicine for even one (1) year out of the five-consecutive-year period, he or she will not receive loan repayment.

6 CAR § 399-104 Selection process {#sec-6-car-399-104 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-104}

6 CAR § 399-104. Selection process.

(a) Application.

(1) Students must submit an application for the Out-of-State Veterinary Medical Education Loan Program to the Division of Higher Education.

(2) The application is available online at the scholarship website.

(b) Submission of application and application deadline.

(1) The application deadline shall be July 1 of the calendar year in which a student graduates and begins practicing food supply veterinary medicine in Arkansas.

(2) At its discretion, the division may extend the deadline, provided sufficient notice is provided to the public.

(3) The student is responsible for submitting the application and all supporting documentation in a timely manner.

(c)(1) Upon receipt by the division, applications are reviewed to ensure that all pertinent data is included.

(2) Each applicant will receive confirmation of the receipt and completeness of the application.

(3) For those whose application is either incomplete or ineligible, a notification will be made identifying the reason for the incompleteness or ineligibility.

(4) The applicant will then have the opportunity to provide the missing information or correct any inaccurate information.

(5) Before an applicant can be considered for an award, the corrected/missing information must be received by the division by the deadline indicated in the incomplete/ineligible notice.

(d) Selection and notification of recipients.

(1) The division shall review applicants and select recipients based on the eligibility criteria for the program.

(2) Selected recipients will receive award notices stating their eligibility for the program and the conditions of their award.

(3) Awards will be provided based on available funding.

(4) Awards will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis.

(e) Disbursement of award.

(1) The award will be disbursed in one (1) disbursement to the federal student loan holder indicated by the applicant.

(2) If the award amount is larger than the outstanding loan balance, the award amount will be reduced to the amount of the loan balance.

6 CAR § 399-106 Recipient’s responsibility {#sec-6-car-399-106 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-106}

6 CAR § 399-106. Recipient’s responsibility.

(a) It is the recipient's responsibility to notify the Division of Higher Education of any change in status within twenty-one (21) days.

(b) This will include:

(1) Change in name; or

(2) Change in residence.

(c) Failure to notify the division of a change in status will affect future eligibility or collection status.

6 CAR § 399-107 Deferment of practice {#sec-6-car-399-107 omnilex-key=us-ar-regs-official--title-6-part-399--6 CAR § 399-107}

6 CAR § 399-107. Deferment of practice.

(a) The obligation to engage in the practice of food supply veterinary medicine for a five-consecutive-year period shall be postponed during any:

(1) Period of temporary medical disability if the recipient is unable to practice veterinary medicine;

(2) Period of military service under Arkansas Code § 6-61-112; or

(3) Other period of postponement agreed to by the Division of Higher Education.

(b)(1) To qualify for a deferment, a recipient must notify the division of their claim for the deferment and provide supporting documentation on a request-for-deferment form that will be supplied by the division upon request.

(2) The request-for-deferment form must be completed and returned to the division by the recipient.

(3) The recipient will be notified within ten (10) days of approval or disapproval of any application for a deferment.