Large Animal Veterinary Student Loan Program

PURPOSE: This rule establishes the requirements for implementing the large animal veterinary student loan program. (1) The following definitions shall be used in the interpretation and enforcement of this rule, in addition to those found in section 340.337, RSMo: (A) Academic year means the period of time beginning with the start of the fall semester to the final day of the spring semester and any subsequent summer sessions; (B) Advisory panel means individuals appointed by the director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture to advise the department regarding the rules, funding, and guidelines for implementing and administering the large animal student medicine loan; (C) Application contract means the form provided by the Missouri Department of Agriculture for the purpose of applying for a large animal veterinary student loan; (D) Area of defined need means a geographic area within Missouri with at least one (1) of the following characteristics and approved by the director or the director’s designated agent: 1. Large animal populations/producers sufficient to potentially sustain/employ a large animal veterinarian; 2. Employment opportunity as a large animal veterinarian; 3. Veterinary population in region is diminishing; 4. Economics of area adequate to support veterinarian; 5. Presence of livestock markets; and 6. Requests from individual, groups, organizations, and communities; (E) Educational loans means the financial assistance provided by the department under the authority of the large animal veterinary student loan program; commercial loans made by banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, schools, and other financial institutions for veterinary education purposes; or loans made by federal, state, county, or city agencies authorized by law to make loans for veterinary education purposes; (F) Eligible applicant means a veterinary student in the college or in the final full year as a full-time student in an undergraduate course of study eligible to apply to the college; (G) Eligible student means a resident who has made application to be a full-time student or currently enrolled in the college; (H) Loan contract means the form signed by a large animal veterinary student loan applicant and the director of the department or the director’s authorized agent in which the applicant agrees to accept responsibility for repayment of educational loans through qualified employment or by cash; (I) Placement form means the form provided by the department for the purpose of applying for participation in the large animal veterinary student loan program; (J) Qualified applicant means a student matriculating in the college and in the professional program leading to a doctor of veterinary medicine degree; (K) Reasonable educational costs means tuition, books, fees, supplies, equipment, and materials required by the college in which the loan program recipient is enrolled to obtain a doctorate of veterinary medicine; and (L) Reasonable living expenses means the cost of room, board, transportation, and miscellaneous costs based on individual program costs. (2) Recipients of large animal veterinary student loans shall verify to the department their enrollment, their program eligibility, their academic standing within thirty (30) days following the completion of each semester and summer session, and their expected program completion date. (A) Applicant is responsible to provide information to the department. (B) The advisory panel shall determine the consequences of the applicant’s failure to comply with the requirement of subsection (2)(A). (C) Interest on funds loaned by the large animal veterinary student loan program shall accrue at a rate determined by the advisory panel from the issue date of the department check. (D) If a recipient of financial assistance ceases his/her study prior to the successful completion of the course of instruction required for graduation from the college, repayment of the principal and interest shall begin within ninety (90) days after the date the recipient ceases to be an eligible student, in accordance with the repayment contract. The department shall be notified by the loan recipient within thirty (30) days of the date the recipient ceases to be an eligible student. Payment shall be completed no more than twelve (12) months from that date. (3) Section 340.390, RSMo, provides that the department may grant a limited deferral of repayment of the principal and interest to a qualified student attending the college. (A) The department may grant a limited deferral of the repayment of the principal and interest when the deferral would best serve the interest of the state and the large animal student veterinary loan program. (B) The status of each deferral may be reviewed as often as necessary by the department, but the department shall review each deferral annually to insure compliance with the intent of the deferral. The length of deferral may not exceed four (4) years. (C) Interest accrued during a deferral period by a financial assistance recipient shall be forgiven on the same basis as the original loan and interest. (4) To qualify for a large animal veterinary student loan, the applicant shall have no conflicting service obligation that would prevent the state from benefitting from the applicant’s services after graduation, with the exception of service in the National Guard or military reserve. (5) Application contracts shall be completed, signed by the applicant, and submitted to the department between August 15 and September 15 or at another time directed by the department. (A) Application contracts shall be accompanied by proof of Missouri residency, such as a copy of the Missouri individual income tax return for the previous year of the applicant or of the applicant’s parents or legal guardian if applicant is listed as a legal dependant on the parent’s or legal guardian’s return. (B) Applications shall include an essay which describes the applicant’s professional ambition and how those professional goals fit with the intent of the large animal veterinary student loan program (eight hundred (800)- word maximum), three (3) reference letters, and complete set of transcripts from any college courses taken. (C) Loan recipients shall apply annually. (D) Only application contract forms for the large animal veterinary loan program supplied by the department will be accepted. (E) Upon approval for funding, the loan contract shall be signed by the department director or the director’s authorized agent and shall become the agreement of the applicant to accept responsibility for repayment either by cash or by service in an area of defined need. (F) A copy of an applicant’s financial aid award notice from the college and of the applicant’s notice of acceptance by the college shall be on file in the department prior to funding by the large animal veterinary loan program. (6) Selection criteria for the large animal veterinary student loan program are— (A) Eligibility of the applicant; (B) Demonstrated financial need; (C) Qualification and potential based upon submitted materials; (D) Willingness to serve in designated area of need; and (E) Information presented at a personal interview if one is requested of the applicant by the committee. (7) Subject to availability of federal, state, or community funds for the large animal veterinary student loan program, the department shall enter into a maximum four (4)-year contract with each individual qualifying for repayment of educational loans. (8) Participants who default on their written loan contracts shall be subject to monetary repayment of the contracted amount and interest. Cash repayment periods may be authorized up to a maximum of twelve (12) consecutive months. (A) The department may grant a deferral of payment of the loan amount and interest at the discretion of the director on the basis of hardship such as critical illness of participant or an immediate family member, death in the immediate family, or severe handicapping condition of the participant when that hardship has been adequately documented such as statement of the attending physician, death certificate, or Social Security disability determination. (B) The status of each deferral may be reviewed as often as necessary by the department but shall be reviewed annually to insure compliance with the intent of the deferral. (C) Once a loan participant has begun qualified employment, repayment of the loan shall continue, even if the designation of the area of defined need of qualified employment changes, as long as the loan participant does not terminate employment. (D) If circumstances beyond the control of a loan participant result in the termination of qualified employment, deferral status may be granted for a period up to ninety (90) days to allow the participant to gain employment in an area of defined need, upon approval by the director or the director’s designated agent. (E) Upon authorization of the director or authorized agent, forgiveness of interest and principal for a financial assistance recipient engaged in qualified employment on a less than full-time basis may be granted on a prorated basis. (9) A graduate of the student loan program must— (A) Complete the Large Animal Veterinary Student Loan Program Placement Form prior to May 1 of the current year; and (B) Notify the department of any change of address or employment within thirty (30) days. (10) Members of the advisory panel shall serve for three (3) years from the date of appointment by the director and may be reappointed for consecutive three (3)-year terms. Resignations from the panel may be accepted by the director at any time. Appointments to fill vacated panel positions shall be for three (3) years. Nonattendance by a panel member at two (2) consecutive scheduled panel meetings shall constitute a resignation from the panel unless a written explanation of the absences with a written request to continue service on the panel is received by the director within thirty (30) days after the second absence of a panel member from a scheduled panel meeting. Nonattendance at more than four (4) scheduled panel meetings in any two (2) consecutive years may constitute, at the discretion of the director, a resignation from the panel. AUTHORITY: sections 340.335–340.405, RSMo Supp. 2007.* Emergency rule filed July 14, 2008, effective July 24, 2008, expired Feb. 26, 2009. Original rule filed Aug. 15, 2008, effective Feb. 28, 2009. *Original authority: see Missouri Revised Statutes 2000, Missouri Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement 2007, and Senate Bill 931, Second Regular Session, Ninetyfourth General Assembly, 2008.