Government and Federal Nursing Scholarships

Service requirements and eligible work sites after graduation.

Obtain a License

Yes, just graduating isn’t enough – You will need a nursing license prior to begging work at a critical shortage facility. This is the reason that you got the nursing scholarship in the first place. If you are a participant in the federal nursing scholarships program you must be permanently licensed within 6 months or should it be appropriate as an advanced practice nurse where you will be in service.

Here is a breakdown in requirements and an explanation of what happens.

Credit towards you completing your fulfillment of the scholarship service will not be given in the absence of a permanent license in the state of service.

• Advanced Practice Nurses must meet an expectation of passing a national certification examination for your particular specialty by a nationally recognized certification authority/ body.
• Make sure your communication with the NSP office is pristine to ensure that the NSP gives you credit. Credit begins on the Nursing Scholarships Program receiving documentation that licensing and certification requirements have been met. Here is the address that you should send the documents to.

ATTN: Division of Nursing and Public Health, Nursing Scholarship Program
Monitoring and Transition Team
Fax: 1-855-444-6032

You are responsible to obtaining the required state license or national certification exam where applicable prior to service date starting.
In the case of not obtaining your license, contact the certification office immediately to request a suspension.

Getting the Nursing Position at the Facility.

Nursing scholarships awardees have up to 6 months from graduation date to get a nursing license and accept and offer for employment from an NSP approved facility.

The awardees have upto 3 months to start working full time or in the case they have permission from secretary to work part time.
The nursing Scholarship program reserves the right to grant final approval for all service locations to ensure that all conditions and statutory requirements have been met.

On starting employment – employees are required to submit a verification of employment form every 6 months until the service obligation is complete.

Again all participants must submit a service verification form from their employer every 6 months. The form must be completed and signed by the appropriate official at the approved service site which certifies the awardees compliance during that period.
Should you fail to complete and submit their 6 month service obligation verification form ontime; you may be seriously jeopardizing your credits if you dont complete the forms.

Due to circumstances, the NSP program understands that you may need to leave the initial facility and you should contact the NSP immediately in writing for approval transfer and they will weigh your situation so that you can finish your obligation at another NSp facility.

Nursing scholarship awardees are required to serve 2 years at a critical shortage facility fulltime and partime if the secretary approves. This must occur in the US, District of columbia or U.s territory.

What does Critical shortage facilities Include

• Disproportionate Share Hospital
• Nursing Home

• State or Local Public Health and/or Human Services Department
• Federally-Qualified Health Center
• Federally-Qualified Health Center Look-Alike
• Native Hawaiian Health Center
• Indian Health Service Health Center
• Rural Health Clinic
• Critical Access Hospital
• Skilled Nursing Facility
• Non-Federal, Non-Disproportionate Share Hospital
• Ambulatory Surgical Center
• Home Health Agency
• Hospice Program
• Federal Hospital

In eligible programs include

• Free-standing clinics that don’t qualify as a facility above.
• Renal dialysis centers
• Private practice offices
• Assisted living facilities
• Clinics in prisons and correctional facilities
• Private for-profit facilities

What situations may cause a change in NSP payments or stipend payments.

Change in Enrollment Status i.e Going from fulltime to Parttime.

Should your enrollment status change – there might be a reduction or discontinuation of benefits awarded to nsp participants. Students should be prudent in constantly letting the program about their current status to avoid any confusion. If your situation has already changed – a letter from the school verifying the status change is required.

Situations in which changes in scholarships payments may occur

• If the participant has repeated course work – as mentioned before the NSP doesnt pay for repeated course work. The Nursing scholarship program will continue paying for stipends and any other non related course work as far as the requirements are met.
• A change in your graduation date can trigger a change in your scholarship payments. Try your best to have realtime communication with the Nursing Scholarship program representatives to prevent any miscommunication or mis understandings.
• Should there be a leave of absense which has been approved for the school – payments will be discountinued.
• If you withdraw or are dismissed from school for whatever reason , all payments will be discountinued.
• In the occasion that student status changes. i.e You change from a fulltime student to a part time student. Exceptions can be made if the participants is in their last year of school and you may receive scholarship support. The students responsibility is to make sure that they have good academic standing and the graduation date doesnt change.
• Voluntary withdrawal or change or transfer to another program can cause a change in scholarship payments.

What happens should i change my school or nursing programs.

its important to understand that the initial scholarship is based on the cost of the initial school. Changes in school must be approved by the nursing scholarship program to ensure that you are continually eligible for funding and this is only in expeptional circumstances.
Should a transfer be approved – remember that the nsp will not cover any increase for the new instituition. You the student will be responsible for the difference.

What happens if you have deliquent Federal and State Debt.

The US treasury department is authorized to offset a students payments if you are deliquent on federal debt. They are also authorized if you have deliquent child support payments.

What happens if i am overpaid by the Nursing Scholarships Program.

Cases in which the NSP program Overpays

• Approved Leave of Absense
• Repeating course work .

Students/ participants in this case are considered ineligible for payments received from the NSP. Any overpayments should follow with a immediate contact of the NSP to avoid interest accrual and any debt collection that may follow.

• This will involve sending overpayments to a
• debt collection agency ,
• sending overpayments to debt collection agencies,
• Garnishing federal or state payments i.e tax refunds.
• Wage garnishment.
• Referall to the department of justice for enforced collection.
• Administative offest may be instituted to make up for the difference which basically means that the payments are carried forward. If you have a month due the NSP program doesnt pay because you already have the money involved.

How do i resume my federal nursing program benefits.

Depending your situation – you must submit documentation confirming that you are now eligible to receive scholarship support. i.e
Returned from leave of absense
Not repeating coursework
Resumed fulltime student status.

All these requests must be sent to the Nursing scholarships program. All consideration is on a case by case basis and in the instance of overpayments; resumption of benefits is subject to administrative offset.

What if i am a Veteran

Educational benefits that come from the department of veteran affairs generally continue with nursing scholarships award funds because those benefits(veteran) were earned before during active duty in uniformed service although benefits may be reduced under the post 9/11 G.I bill.

Call 1800 221 93 93 for clarification or concerns.

When it comes to grants and scholarships – its always wise to apply to every scholarship out there that you can find. In some occassions some students are awarded pell grants, stategrants or discover nursing scholarship. Now what happens in this case is that if a student has received scholarships before they get wind that they have the Federal nursing scholarship program award, the school may return the payments to the funding source and submit an invoice for the NSP payment. Its advisable to consult with your scholarship advisor on what route would be best to take in this instance.

What happens if an NSP participant for the 2011 fall year has taken out a student loan.

If the participant has taken out a student loan to cover cost of tuition and fees for their summer or fall semester of 2011; the student should supply an itemized invoice and the NSP will pay the amount to cover the loan. This will no longer continue after the 2011 semester – to clarify that, the NSP program will not pay tuition costs covered for student loans.

Financial Aid and the NSP

In some instances – brilliant students get funding from all sources wanting to cover their education costs. So if you receive financial aid other than the Federal Nursing Program – the school should not submit an invoice for costs included if the other sources cover the full amount of tuition and fees. If a balance still remains then an invoice can be submitted.

Now heres a breakdown of what the federal nursing scholarships program covers. You can get more information on the federal website at the URL below.

What does the NSP cover.

Tuition and Required fees for the program .

The tuition is directly paid to the school after the nursing school has sent an invoice. So its not a question of first you have to be in the nursing program, applied and been accepted and this is your last and final step.
Theres a stipulation that any fees included in that are part of other reasonable costs will be paid directly to the student in question.

What does Other reasonable costs include

• Books
• Clinical supplies
• instruments for use i.e stethoscope
• Uniforms for use in the nursing program.

If you are a student who plans on attending less than a full year for example – if you are graduating in december or maybe a part time student – your payments will be reduced.

Summer sessions

Theres a stipulation by the NSP program that they will only pay tuition fees for required coursework when an academic term goes into summer for all students in the particular program or summer school is in session during the participants contract period.

Try your best to make sure you dont have to repeat courses since the Nsp program doesnt pay tuition for repeated coursework, if they have already made a payment.
This occurs in 2 instances.
1. If the repeated coursework will not delay the graduation date or
2. Make the student drop below full time student status.

Should there be an increase in tuition or required fees that are reported by the school after an award has been made isnt guaranteed and will be subject to availability of funds in the NSP program. Its good to be very diligent with your money and with the constant change of nursing programs and general demand for the particular industry, put yourself in a position where you can pay for any sudden increases in costs.

Theres a stipulation that the NSP program only makes one payment to one nursing program even if you are enrolled in more than one school – hint: make sure its the one with the greater invoice.

The NSP program only pays for courses required for the graduation of your nursing program, so if you decide to indulge in things like computer programming classes or art classes; you might have to pay those yourself. Its sincerely not a bad idea paying for your classes and taking on the extra work if it makes you marketable. Even though joining student associations is commendable – the NSP program doesnt pay for that.
Nursing students are responsible for things such as

• Loan Processing Fees.
• Penalty and Late Fees
• Student association or any other related fees.

Before you do anything drastic such as getting a transfer to another nursing program, make sure you get approval from the NSP in advance to ensure you have continued eligibility for funding in the program.

The NSP bases its scholarships award on the cost of attendance at the initial school of record for all the school year contracts. Should there be an approved transfer – the NSp will not cover an increase in tuition fees that will be the participants to cover.

What Does the NSP program stipend cover.

During the 2011 and 2012 year the NSP will pay each full time student 1289 monthly which of course is taxed – part time students get a reduced (proportionately) amount.
If a student is repeating coursework that has already been paid, the stipend amount may be stopped.
Getting stipends doesnt mean you are a federal employee – you are just getting assistant with your nursing program.

The month the nursing course work is over or once the contract is over the payments stop .

Do i Owe Taxes on NSP payments.

You the nursing student are responsible for any Federal, state or local income taxes which arent withheld once the payment is made.

Each year, students will receive 1099 forms for paid tuition and fees and a w 2 wage and tax statement form. If cormfortable, you should specify on the w 4 and the nsp will withhold federal income taxes based on the information provided.