To combat the nation’s opioid crisis, HRSA launched the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program.
The most effective treatment for opioid addiction is a comprehensive approach that incorporates medication and behavioral health counseling.
The program supports the recruitment and retention of health professionals needed in underserved areas to expand access to SUD treatment and prevent overdose deaths.
In addition to awarding loan repayment program participants in HPSAs, we also will use designated Maternity Care Target Area (MCTA) scoring to distribute maternity care health professionals. MCTAs are located within primary care HPSAs.
Maternity care health professionals are obstetricians/gynecologists, family medicine physicians who practice obstetrics on a regular basis, and certified nurse midwives. Maternity care health professionals will be awarded using either the primary care HPSA or the MCTA score of their site, whichever is higher. Maternity care health professionals serving exclusively in mental HPSAs are not eligible to apply to the NHSC SUD Workforce Loan Repayment Program.
Eligible clinicians may receive up to $75,000 in student loan repayment in exchange for a three-year commitment to provide substance use disorder treatment services at NHSC-approved sites.
Service You have an opportunity to increase access to primary care services to communities in need.
Flexible Service Options You have a choice between three years of full-time or part-time service at an NHSC-approved SUD service site. Note: If you serve in a private practice, you are not eligible to practice half-time.
Loan Repayment You will receive funds to repay your outstanding, qualifying, educational loans.
Application Launch Date: February 25, 2025
Application Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025
Licensure Deadline: Applicants must have a current, full, unencumbered, unrestricted health professional license, certificate, or registration by: June 30, 2025
Employment Start Date: July 18, 2025
National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Nurse Corps Scholarship Program participants Service Obligation Completion Date: July 31, 2025
Notification of Award: September 30, 2025
Contract Termination Deadline: 60 days from the effective date of the contract or at any time if the individual who has been awarded such contract has not received funds due under the contract.
Award enhancement for Spanish-language proficiency
For the 2025 NHSC loan repayment programs application cycle, we aim to address language access barriers to healthcare. To support this effort, we will provide a one-time award enhancement of up to $5,000 for a total loan repayment award of:
Up to $80,000 for full-time participants.
Up to $42,500 for half-time participants.
Award amounts are based on the outstanding balance of an applicant’s qualifying educational loans. Participants must complete the three-year service obligation regardless of the amount of their award.
Who is eligible for the enhancement?
If you indicated that you have proficiency in Spanish on your application, and your site affirms you provide services in Spanish to patients with limited English proficiency, after the application closes you will receive an email to complete a Spanish-language competency assessment. This assessment will be conducted by a vendor approved by the General Services Administration. To be eligible for the award enhancement, you must score at least a three (3) on the assessment.
Note: If your loans are less than the maximum $75,000 (full-time) or $37,500 (half-time) award amounts, you will not receive the award enhancement even if you are eligible under the other criteria.
Determine your eligibility
Do I qualify for the NHSC SUD Workforce Loan Repayment Program?
You qualify if you meet these requirements:
A United States citizen (U.S. born or naturalized) or a United States national.
A provider (or eligible to participate as a provider) in the Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, as appropriate.
Fully trained and licensed to practice in the NHSC-eligible discipline and state in which you are applying to serve. This page lists eligible disciplines and specialties for primary care, dental care and mental/behavioral health care and maternity care.
A health professional in an eligible discipline with qualified student loan debt for education that led to your degree.
Working at an NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility with a HPSA score that would ordinarily be too low to qualify for NHSC funding.
Using either your NHSC-approved site’s mental or primary care HPSA score.
New: You can now check your eligibility in My BHW. After you select Applying for the NHSC Loan Repayment Program on the main portal page, see the Eligibility box at the top of the page.
We offer awards to providers who use evidence-based treatment models to treat substance use disorders. Evidence-based SUD treatment helps fight this epidemic through specific eligibility.
You must be trained and licensed to provide SUD treatment at NHSC-approved evidenced-based SUD treatment facilities.
To apply, you must understand and follow our requirements.
Before you apply
On average, it takes three weeks to complete an application. That includes all required and supplemental documentation and access to a credit report (failure/refusal to unfreeze a frozen credit report will deem your application ineligible).
Provide answers in your application that match your supporting documents. If they don’t, we’ll reject your application.
Submit a legible, complete online application—including all supporting documents—by the application deadline.
Save each document as a PDF file before uploading to your application. Do not attempt to upload files larger than 5MB, or files saved as TIFF, JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TXT.
We will not:
Accept requests after the deadline to update a submitted application or to submit additional materials.
Fill in any missing information.
Contact you regarding missing information.
How can my application receive priority?
You will receive priority if you:
Have specialized training to provide SUD treatment.
Serve in an opioid treatment program.
Have a license or certification in substance use disorder interventions, such as master’s-level substance use disorder counselors.
The following provides an overview of the application requirements. Find our complete set of requirements and instructions in the application and program guidance.
Complete each of the sections below to submit your application.
Eligibility
If you do not pass the initial eligibility screening portion of the application, you cannot continue with the application.
Personal information
Provide contact information such as your name, social security number, mailing and email addresses, as well as information about individual and family background.
Professional Information
Discipline, Training and Certification Provide information about your education, training, and licensure/certification.
Site Search (Employment) You will search for and select the NHSC-approved site(s), where you currently provide or will provide patient care.
Employment Verification You must request an Employment Verification (EV) through My BHW. We will notify the point(s)-of-contact at the NHSC-approved service site where you work (or plan to work), about your request.
We’ll notify you once the site(s) point(s) of contact completes it.
The site(s) must complete the electronic EV before you can submit your application. It's your responsibility to ensure that the site point-of-contact completes the EV.
Professional information You will respond to questions related to your profession and professional training.
Telehealth This section contains optional questions that you will answer about any telehealth services you provide.
Loan information
Provide information on each qualifying educational loan for which you seek repayment. We'll review supporting documents, contact lenders/holders, and check your credit report. Each of the loans must have:
Name and contact information for the lender/holder.
Loan account number.
Original amount disbursed.
Original date of the loan.
Current outstanding balance (no more than 30 days from the date you submit your application).
Current interest rate.
Type of loan. If a consolidated loan, we need to know:
Original date of consolidation.
Original balance of consolidation.
Account number.
Purpose of loan.
Proof of status as a United States citizen or United States national Acceptable documents: birth certificate, current U.S. passport’s ID page, or a certificate of citizenship or naturalization. Unacceptable documents: driver’s license or Social Security card.
Loan Information Verification Provide two types of documentation for each loan you submit:
Account Statement Current information on your qualifying educational loans. This document should:
Be on official letterhead or other clear verification that it comes from the lender/holder.
Include the name of the borrower (the NHSC loan repayment program applicant).
Contain the account number.
Include the date of the statement (cannot be more than 30 days from the date you submit your application).
Include the current outstanding balance (principal and interest) or the current payoff balance.
Include the current interest rate.
Disbursement Report Verifies the originating loan information and should:
Be on official letterhead or other clear verification that it comes from the lender/holder.
Include the name of the borrower.
Contain the account number.
Include the type of loan.
Include the original loan date (must be prior to the date you submit your application).
Include the original loan amount.
Include the purpose of the loan.
You may need to submit additional supporting documents.
Submit these documents if we list them on the “Supporting Documents” page of the online application.
Specialty Certification If you select a specialty, you are required to upload a copy of the certificate of completion or diploma from the training program where you matriculated.
Substance Use Disorder Specialized Training You should upload your document verifying your specialized substance use disorder or addiction medicine training program if you have one.
Substance Use Disorder License or Certification You should upload your certificate, license or diploma from a substance use disorder or addiction medicine training program if you have one.
Postgraduate Training Verification This document verifies that you completed the Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) Program or Graduate Psychology Education Program (GPE). This documentation is in addition to the postgraduate training related to your practice area. Such documentation may include an official completion certificate.
Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program Identification Number If you completed a postgraduate medical or dental training program funded by HRSA through the THCGME Payment Program, you are required to submit the residency identification number and residency completion certificate, if available. Use the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or The Commission on Dental Accreditation to look up your program identification number.
Verification of Disadvantaged Background A school official may complete the Verification of Disadvantaged Background(PDF - 406 KB). Applicants may also self-attest to having a disadvantaged background by uploading a document that validates that they meet the criteria included on the disadvantaged background form. (Federal student aid report, etc.).
Verification of Existing Service Obligation Verification from the entity for which you have an existing service obligation stating you will complete service there prior to the NHSC application deadline.
Payment History (Former NHSC recipients) Verification that you used all NHSC Loan Repayment Program funds to repay the qualifying educational loans approved as part of your most recent NHSC Loan Repayment Program contract, if applicable.
Proof of Name Change Applicants will be required to provide legal documents (marriage license or divorce decree) if the name on the proof of citizenship document is different from the name in the application.
Print and keep a copy of your completed application package for your records.
After you apply
After you submit your online application, you’ll see a receipt of submission.
How can I view my application and its status?
Log into your My BHW Account to view your application status. Use My BHW to download a copy of your application, supporting documents, or completed EVs.
Can I make edits after I submit my application?
After you submit the online application, you may make edits, and upload new documents. You must make all edits and resubmit your final application by the application deadline.
Can I withdraw my application?
Yes, you may withdraw your application from consideration any time before the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS), or their designee, signs the contract.
How do you evaluate me?
We begin our review of all applications after the application deadline passes.
We use various selection factors and funding priorities to evaluate applicants of the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, and eventually determine who receives awards.
If you become an award finalist, we will email you and ask that you log into your My BHW account.
We will ask you to confirm:
Your continued interest in receiving an award.
The validity of the loan and employment information you provided us in your application.
That you have read and understand the Loan Repayment Program contract. (We ask you to e-sign this if you receive, and accept, an award.)
We ask you to provide:
Your direct deposit banking information. We use this for award funds if you receive an award.
Note: You must respond by the deadline we provide in the Confirmation of Interest email.
What if I don’t respond in time?
If you do not complete the Confirmation of Interest process by the deadline, we may withdraw your application from consideration.
If you still wish to participate in the program, you will need to submit a new application during a future NHSC SUD Workforce Loan Repayment Program application cycle for first-time participants and compete with other providers based on that cycle’s program requirements.
Who makes award determinations?
Only the Secretary of HHS or their designee can make an NHSC SUD Workforce Loan Repayment Program award.
When will you notify me of an award?
You will receive final notification of an award, including your service obligation dates, no later than September 30.
Will you notify me if you don't select me for an award?
Yes. If we do not select you for an award, we will email you no later than September 30.
NHSC Loan Repayment Contract and service obligation
When does my service obligation begin?
Your service obligation begins on the date that the HHS Secretary (or the Secretary’s designee) countersigns your contract.
Can I terminate my contract?
The APG and your contract explain the timeline and requirements for terminating an NHSC SUD Workforce Loan Repayment Program contract. If you terminate, you must repay all funds you receive under the contract.