Physician Education Loan Repayment Program

The Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP) is meant to encourage qualified physicians to practice medicine in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) as chosen by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Physicians will supply health care services to recipients under the medical assistance program and to enrollees under the child health plan program. 

For more details, review Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 23, Subchapter C.  

The application portal for the Physician’s Education Loan Repayment Program is now available in the new Grant and Aid Processing Platform (GAPP) system, introduced in summer 2023. To complete an application, click here. 

You will need:  

• Your National Provide Identifier (NPI) 
• Information about your student loan balances, account numbers, and loan holders 
• The email address for your Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Your CAO may be a facility administrator, Director of Human Resources, or other official who is authorized to certify your employment. After you have submitted an application, we will email a service verification form to your CAO.  

FOR CONTINUING PELRP PARTICIPANTS: When creating an account in GAPP, you must use the same email address, first name, and last name entered on your prior application. Once your account has been created, please clear your cache, and then log in. If your email or name has changed, please contact us through the GAPP Help Desk prior to creating a new account.  

Please note that changing your email address within the GAPP system will not change your GAPP username. 

• Family medicine/family practice 
• General practice 
• Obstetrics/gynecology 
• General internal medicine 
• Medicine-pediatrics 
• General pediatrics 
• Psychiatry 
• Geriatrics 

To qualify for this program, applicants must meet the following requirements: 

• Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident and hold a full physician license from the Texas Medical Board, with no restrictions 
• Agree to supply four consecutive years of service in a designated HPSA, or correctional facility run by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department found in a MHPSA or correctional facility run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice found in a MHPSA 
• Have completed at least one year of qualifying service 
• Supply direct patient care to Medicaid and/or Texas Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees 
• Not be currently fulfilling another obligation to provide medical services as part of a scholarship agreement, a student loan agreement, or another student loan repayment program 

To find out if your site is located in a HPSA, go to the Health Resources and Services Administration Shortage Areas search page. The site address is where you are physically working, not where the headquarters or administration office is located.

The following maximum annual award amounts apply to physicians whose initial applications for participation in the program was sent on or after September 1, 2019: 

• $30,000 for the first service period or 16% if the total loan balance is less than $180,000 
• $40,000 for the second service period or 22% if the total loan balance is less than $180,000 
• $50,000 for the third service period or 28% if the total loan balance is less than $180,000 
• $60,000 for the fourth service period or 34% if the total loan balance is less than $180,000

The following requirements apply for a loan to be eligible for repayment through the program: 

• Must be evidenced by a promissory note which required the loan to be used for educational expenses for undergraduate, graduate, or medical education 
• Must not have been made during residency or to cover costs after completion of medical school 
• Must not be in default at the time of application 
• Must not have an existing service obligation 
• Must not be subject to repayment through another student repayment or loan forgiveness program

Do I have to commit to four years of service? 

• Yes. If you are working in a HPSA, you will have to commit to providing four years of service. However, if the funding is reduced or eliminated by the Texas Legislature, you will be released from the obligation.  

Do I have to apply each year? 

• Yes. You will have to reapply each year for potential funds. We will also need verification of your eligible service and updated loan information each year; you will be notified of the employment verification form approximately 30 days before the end of your service period. 

What is considered full-time? 

• Full-time is a minimum of 32 hours of direct patient care per week in an outpatient setting. 

I have been practicing for several years and just learned about this program. Can I receive funds for my previous years of service? 

• No. The years of service begin when you are enrolled into the program. Program funding does not allow for funding of prior years of service.