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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Loan Repayment Assistance for Dentists Act | ||||||
| 5 | is amended by changing Sections 10, 15, 25, and 30 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (110 ILCS 948/10)
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| 7 | Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, unless the context | ||||||
| 8 | otherwise requires: | ||||||
| 9 | "Dental payments" means compensation provided to dentists | ||||||
| 10 | and dental specialists for services rendered under Article V of | ||||||
| 11 | the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Covering ALL KIDS Health | ||||||
| 12 | Insurance Act, or the Children's Health Insurance Program Act. | ||||||
| 13 | "Dental specialist" means a person who has received a | ||||||
| 14 | license as a dentist in this State and who is trained and | ||||||
| 15 | qualified to practice in one or more of the following | ||||||
| 16 | specialties of dentistry: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial | ||||||
| 17 | surgery, orthodontics, pedodontics, periodontics, and | ||||||
| 18 | prosthodontics. | ||||||
| 19 | "Dentist" means a person who has received a general license | ||||||
| 20 | pursuant to paragraph (a) of Section 11 of the Illinois Dental | ||||||
| 21 | Practice Act, who may perform any intraoral and extraoral | ||||||
| 22 | procedure required in the practice of dentistry, and to whom is | ||||||
| 23 | reserved the responsibilities specified in Section 17 of the | ||||||
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| 1 | Illinois Dental Practice Act. | ||||||
| 2 | "Department" means the Department of Public Health. | ||||||
| 3 | "Designated shortage area" means a medically underserved | ||||||
| 4 | area or health manpower shortage area as defined by the United | ||||||
| 5 | States Department of Health and Human Services or as otherwise | ||||||
| 6 | designated by the Department of Public Health. | ||||||
| 7 | "Educational loans" means higher education student loans | ||||||
| 8 | that a person has incurred in attending a registered | ||||||
| 9 | professional dental education program in this State. | ||||||
| 10 | "Program" means the educational loan repayment assistance | ||||||
| 11 | program for dentists and dental specialists established by the | ||||||
| 12 | Department under this Act.
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| 13 | (Source: P.A. 95-297, eff. 8-20-07.) | ||||||
| 14 | (110 ILCS 948/15)
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| 15 | Sec. 15. Establishment of program. The Department shall | ||||||
| 16 | establish an educational loan repayment assistance program for | ||||||
| 17 | dentists and dental specialists who practice in designated | ||||||
| 18 | shortage areas in this State and who accept certain dental | ||||||
| 19 | payments as defined under this Act. The Department shall | ||||||
| 20 | administer the program and make all necessary and proper rules | ||||||
| 21 | not inconsistent with this Act for the program's effective | ||||||
| 22 | implementation. Assistance under the program shall commence | ||||||
| 23 | once the dentist or dental specialist begins (i) practicing in | ||||||
| 24 | a designated shortage area and (ii) accepting dental payments. | ||||||
| 25 | The Department may use up to 5% of the appropriation for this | ||||||
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| 1 | program for administration and promotion of dentist and dental | ||||||
| 2 | specialist incentive programs.
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| 3 | (Source: P.A. 95-297, eff. 8-20-07.) | ||||||
| 4 | (110 ILCS 948/25)
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| 5 | Sec. 25. Eligibility. To be eligible for assistance under | ||||||
| 6 | the program, an applicant must meet all of the following | ||||||
| 7 | qualifications: | ||||||
| 8 | (1) He or she must be a citizen or permanent resident
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| 9 | of the United States.
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| 10 | (2) He or she must be a resident of this State. | ||||||
| 11 | (3) He or she must be practicing full time in
this | ||||||
| 12 | State as a dentist or dental specialist.
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| 13 | (4) He or she must currently be repaying educational
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| 14 | loans.
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| 15 | (5) He or she must accept dental payments as defined in | ||||||
| 16 | this Act. The Department may not set a minimum amount of | ||||||
| 17 | dental payments as a condition of eligibility. | ||||||
| 18 | (6) He or she must commit to continue full-time | ||||||
| 19 | practice in this State in a designated shortage area for a | ||||||
| 20 | minimum of 2 years.
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| 21 | (Source: P.A. 95-297, eff. 8-20-07.) | ||||||
| 22 | (110 ILCS 948/30)
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| 23 | Sec. 30. The award of grants. Under the program, for each | ||||||
| 24 | year that a qualified applicant practices full time in this | ||||||
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| 1 | State in a designated shortage area as a dentist or dental | ||||||
| 2 | specialist, the Department shall, subject to appropriation, | ||||||
| 3 | award a grant to that person in an amount equal to the amount | ||||||
| 4 | in educational loans that the person must repay that year. | ||||||
| 5 | However, the total amount in grants that a person may be | ||||||
| 6 | awarded under the program must not exceed $25,000 per year for | ||||||
| 7 | each year of eligibility. No person may receive grants for more | ||||||
| 8 | than 4 years a 4-year period. The Department shall require | ||||||
| 9 | recipients to use the grants to pay off their educational | ||||||
| 10 | loans.
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| 11 | (Source: P.A. 95-297, eff. 8-20-07.)
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| 12 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 13 | becoming law.
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