[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16371-16376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07797]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Service


Indian Health Professions Preparatory, Indian Health Professions 
Pre-Graduate and Indian; Health Professions Scholarship Programs

Announcement Type: Initial
CFDA Numbers: 93.971, 93.123, and 93.972

Key Dates

Application Deadline Date: April 13, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Eastern for 
continuing students
Application Deadline Date: April 13, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Eastern for new 
students
Application Review Date: May 7-25, 2018
Continuation Award Notification Deadline Date: June 5, 2018
New Award Notification Deadline Date: July 15, 2018
Award Start Date: August 1, 2018
Acceptance/Decline of Awards Deadline Date: August 15, 2018

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The Indian Health Service (IHS) is committed to encouraging 
American Indians and Alaska Natives to enter the health professions and 
to assuring the availability of Indian health professionals to serve 
Indians. The IHS is committed to the recruitment of students for the 
following programs:
     The Indian Health Professions Preparatory Scholarship 
(Preparatory Scholarship) authorized by Section 103 of the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act, Public Law 94-437 (1976), as amended 
(IHCIA), codified at 25 U.S.C. 1613(b)(1).
     The Indian Health Professions Pre-graduate Scholarship 
(Pre-graduate

[[Page 16372]]

Scholarship) authorized by Section 103 of the IHCIA, codified at 25 
U.S.C. 1613(b)(2).
     The Indian Health Professions Scholarship (Health 
Professions Scholarship) authorized by Section 104 of the IHCIA, 
codified at 25 U.S.C. 1613a.
    Full-time and part-time scholarships will be funded for each of the 
three scholarship programs. The scholarship award selections and 
funding are subject to availability of funds.

II. Award Information

Type of Award

    Scholarship.

Estimated Funds Available

    An estimated $13.7 million will be available for fiscal year (FY) 
2018 awards. The IHS Scholarship Program (IHSSP) anticipates, but 
cannot guarantee, student scholarship selections from any or all of the 
approved disciplines in the Preparatory Scholarship, Pre-graduate 
Scholarship, and Health Professions Scholarship programs for the 
scholarship period 2018-2019 academic year. Due to the rising cost of 
education and the decreasing number of scholars who can be funded by 
the IHSSP, the IHSSP previously changed the funding policy for 
Preparatory Scholarship and Pre-graduate Scholarship awards and 
reallocated a greater percentage of its funding in an effort to 
increase the number of Health Professions Scholarship, and inherently 
the number of service-obligated scholars, to better meet the health 
care needs of the IHS and its Tribal and Urban Indian health care 
system partners. This policy continues in effect for 2018-2019 academic 
year.

Anticipated Number of Awards

    Approximately 30 new awards will be made by the IHSSP under the 
Preparatory Scholarship and Pre-graduate Scholarship programs for 
Indians. The awards are for 10 months in duration, with an additional 2 
months for approved summer school requests, and will cover both tuition 
and fees and other related costs (ORC). The average award to a full-
time student is approximately $39,615.54. An estimated 263 awards will 
be made under the Health Professions Scholarship program. The awards 
are for 12 months in duration and will cover both tuition and fees and 
ORC. The average award to a full-time student is approximately 
$48,500.00.

Project Period

    The project period for the Preparatory Scholarship stipend support, 
tuition, fees and ORC is limited to 2 years for full-time students and 
the part-time equivalent of 2 years, not to exceed 4 years for part-
time students. The project period for the Pre-graduate Scholarship 
stipend support, tuition, fees and ORC is limited to 4 years for full-
time students and the part-time equivalent of 4 years, not to exceed 8 
years for part-time students. The Health Professions Scholarship 
provides stipend support, tuition, fees, and ORC and is limited to 4 
years for full-time students and the part-time equivalent of 4 years, 
not to exceed 8 years for part-time students.

III. Eligibility Information

    This is a limited competition announcement. New and continuation 
scholarship awards are limited to ``Indians'' as defined at 25 U.S.C. 
Section 1603(13). Note: The definition of ``Indians'' for Section 103 
Preparatory Scholarship and Pre-graduate Scholarship is broader than 
the definition of ``Indians'' for the Section 104 Health Professions 
Scholarship, as specified below. Continuation awards are non-
competitive.

1. Eligibility

    The Health Professions Preparatory Scholarship awards are made to 
American Indians (Federally recognized Tribal members, including those 
from Tribes terminated since 1940, first and second degree descendants 
of federally recognized Tribal members, State-recognized Tribal members 
and first and second degree descendants of State-recognized Tribal 
members), or Eskimo, Aleut, and other Alaska Natives who:
     Have successfully completed high school education or high 
school equivalency; and
     Have been accepted for enrollment in a compensatory, pre-
professional general education course or curriculum.
    The Health Professions Pre-graduate Scholarship awards are made to 
American Indians (Federally recognized Tribal members, including those 
from Tribes terminated since 1940, first and second degree descendants 
of Tribal members, and State recognized Tribal members, first and 
second degree descendants of Tribal members), or Eskimo, Aleut, or 
other Alaska Natives who:
     Have successfully completed high school education or high 
school equivalency; and
     Have been accepted for enrollment or are enrolled in an 
accredited pre-graduate program leading to a baccalaureate degree in 
pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-optometry or pre-podiatry.
    The Indian Health Professions Scholarship may only be awarded to an 
individual who is a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe, 
Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native as provided by Section 1603(13) 
of the IHCIA. Membership in a Tribe recognized only by a State does not 
meet this statutory requirement. To receive an Indian Health 
Professions Scholarship, an otherwise eligible individual must be 
enrolled in an appropriately accredited school and pursuing a course of 
study in an eligible profession.

2. Cost Sharing/Matching

    The IHS does not require matching funds or cost sharing for grants 
or cooperative agreements.

3. Benefits From State, Local, Tribal and Other Federal Sources

    Awardees of the Preparatory Scholarship, Pre-graduate Scholarship, 
or Health Professions Scholarship, who accept outside funding from 
other scholarship, grant, and fee waiver programs, will have these 
monies applied to their student account tuition and fees charges at the 
college or university they are attending, before the IHSSP will pay any 
of the remaining balance, unless said outside scholarship, grant, or 
fee waiver award letter specifically excludes use for tuition and fees. 
These outside funding sources must be reported on the student's 
invoicing documents submitted by the college or university they are 
attending. Student loans and Veterans Administration (VA)/G.I. Bill 
benefits accepted by Health Professions Scholarship recipients will 
have no effect on the IHSSP payment made to their college or 
university.

IV. Application Submission Information

1. Electronic Application System and Application Handbook Instructions 
and Forms

    Applicants must go online to: www.ihs.gov/scholarship/online_application/index.cfm to apply for an IHS scholarship and access 
the Application Handbook instructions and forms for submitting a 
properly completed application for review and funding consideration. 
Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek consultation from their Area 
Scholarship Coordinator (ASC) in preparing their scholarship 
application for award consideration. ASCs are listed

[[Page 16373]]

on the IHS website at: http://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/contact/areascholarshipcoordinators/.
    This information is listed below. Please review the following list 
to identify the appropriate IHS ASC for your State.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
  IHS area office and states/locality        Scholarship coordinator
                served:                              address:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Plains Area IHS: Nebraska, Iowa,   Mr. Matthew Martin, IHS Area
 North Dakota, South Dakota.              Scholarship Coordinator, Great
                                          Plains Area IHS, 115 Fourth
                                          Avenue SE, Aberdeen, SD 57401,
                                          Tel: (605) 226-7502.
Alaska Area Native Health Services:      Ms. Jennifer Fielder, IHS Area
 Alaska.                                  Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Alaska Area Native Health,
                                          3900 Ambassador Drive,
                                          Anchorage, AK 99508, Tel:
                                          (907) 729-1387.
Albuquerque Area IHS: Colorado, New      Ms. Jeanette Garcia, IHS Area
 Mexico.                                  Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Albuquerque Area IHS, 4101
                                          Indian School Rd. NE, Suite
                                          225, Albuquerque, NM 87110,
                                          Tel: (505) 256-6729.
Bemidji Area IHS: Illinois, Indiana,      Mr. Tony Buckanaga, IHS Area
 Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin.          Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Bemidji Area IHS, 522
                                          Minnesota Avenue NW, Room
                                          115A, Bemidji, MN 56601, Tel:
                                          (218) 444-0486, (800) 892-3079
                                          (toll free).
Billings Area IHS: Montana, Wyoming....  Mr. Delon Rock Above,
                                          Alternate: Ms. Bernice Hugs,
                                          IHS Area Scholarship
                                          Coordinator, Billings Area
                                          IHS, Area Personnel Office,
                                          P.O. Box 36600, 2900 Fourth
                                          Avenue North, Suite 400,
                                          Billings, MT 59107, Tel: (406)
                                          247-7215.
California Area IHS: California........  Mr. Sergio Islas, IHS Area
                                          Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          California Area IHS, 650
                                          Capitol Mall, Suite 7-100,
                                          Sacramento, CA 95814, Tel:
                                          (916) 930-3983 ext. 724.
Nashville Area IHS: Alabama, Arkansas,   Mr. Nicholas Mayo, IHS Area
 Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,          Scholarship Coordinator,
 Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,     Nashville Area IHS, 711
 Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi,    Stewarts Ferry Pike,
 New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,     Nashville, TN 37214, Tel:
 North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,      (615) 467-1711.
 Rhode Island, South Carolina,
 Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West
 Virginia, District of Columbia.
Navajo Area IHS: Arizona, New Mexico,    Ms. Aletha John, IHS Area
 Utah.                                    Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Navajo Area IHS, P.O. Box
                                          9020, Window Rock, AZ 86515,
                                          Tel: (928) 871-1360.
Oklahoma City Area IHS: Kansas,          Mr. Keith Bohanan, IHS Area
 Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas.               Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Oklahoma City Area IHS, 701
                                          Market Drive, Oklahoma City,
                                          OK 73114, Tel: (405) 951-3789,
                                          (800) 722-3357 (toll free).
Phoenix Area IHS: Arizona, Nevada, Utah  Ms. Stephanie Qa'havi, IHS Area
                                          Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Phoenix Area IHS, Southwest
                                          Region Human Resources, 40
                                          North Central Avenue, Suite
                                          510, Phoenix, AZ 85004, Tel:
                                          (602) 364-5225.
Portland Area IHS: Idaho, Oregon,        Ms. Heidi Hulsey, IHS Area
 Washington.                              Scholarship Coordinator,
                                          Portland Area IHS, 1414 NW
                                          Northrup Street, Suite 800,
                                          Portland, OR 97209, Tel: (503)
                                          414-7745.
Tucson Area IHS: Arizona...............  Ms. Stephanie Qa'havi, (See
                                          Phoenix Area).
------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Content and Form Submission

    Each applicant will be responsible for entering their basic 
applicant account information online, in addition to submitting 
required documents as requested, in accordance with the IHS Scholarship 
Program Application Handbook instructions, to the: IHS Scholarship 
Program Branch Office, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: OHR (11E53A), 
Rockville, Maryland 20857. Applicants must initiate an application 
through the online portal or the application will be considered 
incomplete. For more information on how to use the online portal, go to 
www.ihs.gov/scholarship. The portal was open on December 15, 2017. For 
new applicants, an initial review process for scoring will be 
performed. The initial review process requires a completed online 
application and official transcript(s) to determine a rating score. An 
application will be rated on narrative, faculty evaluations, and 
official transcript(s). The following documents must be submitted by 
April 13, 7:00 p.m. Eastern:
     A completed online application.
     Official transcript(s) that indicate a minimum of 24 
credit hours of college coursework to be completed by June 1, 2018. 
Official transcript(s) must be provided from every college/university 
attended within the past 7 years.
     Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA): Calculated by the 
applicant and indicated on the application.
     Two Faculty/Employer Evaluations with faculty evaluators 
identified, evaluations transmitted and completed in the online 
applicant portal.
     Online narratives-reasons for requesting the scholarship.
     Delinquent Debt form completed in the online applicant 
portal.
     Course Curriculum Form completed in the online applicant 
portal.
    The Initial Review Process should be completed by the first week in 
June and scores will be provided for the Selection Process.
    The Selection Process will be initiated after the rating scores are 
provided. The Selection Process will be completed by the second week in 
June to determine potential awardees. Non-selected applicants will be 
notified by mail by the end of June. Selected applicants will be 
notified by mail to submit the following documents within 30 days of 
notification:
     Current Letter of Acceptance from a college/university or 
proof of application to a college/university or health professions 
program.
     Applicant's Documents for Indian Eligibility.
    If you are a member of a federally recognized Tribe or Alaska 
Native (recognized by the Secretary of the Interior), provide evidence 
of
    A. Certification of Tribal enrollment by the Secretary of the 
Interior, acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) 
Certification: Form 4432--Category A or D, (whichever is applicable).

    Note: If you meet the criteria of Form 4432--Category B or C, 
you are eligible only for the Preparatory or Pre-graduate

[[Page 16374]]

Scholarships, which have eligibility criteria as follows in Section 
B.

    B. For Preparatory Scholarship or Pre-graduate Scholarship, only: 
If you are a member of a Tribe terminated since 1940 or a State-
recognized Tribe and first or second degree descendant, provide 
official documentation that you meet the requirements of Tribal 
membership as prescribed by the charter, articles of incorporation or 
other legal instrument of the Tribe and have been officially designated 
as a Tribal member as evidenced by an accompanying document signed by 
an authorized Tribal official; or other evidence, satisfactory to the 
Secretary of the Interior, that you are a member of the Tribe. In 
addition, if the terminated or State-recognized Tribe of which you are 
a member is not on a list of such Tribes published by the Secretary of 
the Interior in the Federal Register, you must submit an official 
signed document that the Tribe has been terminated since 1940 or is 
recognized by the State in which the Tribe is located in accordance 
with the law of that State.
    C. For Preparatory Scholarship or Pre-graduate Scholarship, only: 
If you are not a Tribal member, but are a natural child or grandchild 
of a Tribal member you must submit: (1) Evidence of that fact, e.g., 
your birth certificate and/or your parent's/grandparent's birth/death 
certificate showing the name of the Tribal member; and (2) evidence of 
your parent's or grandparent's Tribal membership in accordance with 
paragraphs A and B. The relationship to the Tribal member must be 
clearly documented. Failure to submit the required documentation will 
result in the application not being accepted for review.
     Curriculum for Major.
     Declaration of Federal Employment--OMB Form 3206-0162.
     Addendum OF 306 Form--OMB Form 0917-0028.

3. Submission Dates

    Application Receipt Date: The online continuation application 
submission deadline for continuation applicants is, Friday, April 13, 
2018, 7:00 p.m. Eastern. No supporting documents will be accepted after 
this postal date, except final Letters of Acceptance, which must be 
submitted no later than postal date Wednesday, May 30, 2018.
    Application Receipt Date: The online application submission 
deadline for new applicants is, Friday, April 13, 2018, 7:00 p.m. 
Eastern and mail official transcript(s) by the postal deadline of 
Friday, April 13, 2018.
    The online application and official transcript(s) shall be 
considered as meeting the deadline if they are received by the IHSSP 
branch office, postmarked on or before the deadline date. Applicants 
should request a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark. Private 
metered postmarks will not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing and 
the application will not be considered for funding. Receipts of any 
kind will not be accepted as proof in meeting the postal deadline.
    New and continuation applicants may check the status of their 
application receipt and processing by logging into their online account 
at: https://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/online_application/index.cfm. 
Applications received with postmarks after the announced deadline date 
will not be considered for funding.

4. Intergovernmental Review

    Executive Order 12372 requiring intergovernmental review is not 
applicable to this program.

5. Funding Restrictions

    No more than 5 percent of available funds will be used for part-
time scholarships this fiscal year. Students are considered part-time 
if they are enrolled for a minimum of six hours of instruction and are 
not considered in full-time status by their college/university. 
Documentation must be received from part-time applicants that their 
school and course curriculum allows less than full-time status. Both 
part-time and full-time scholarship awards will be made in accordance 
with the authorizing statutes at 25 U.S.C. 1613 and 1613a and the 
regulations at 42 CFR part 136 Subpart J, Subdivisions J-3, J-4, and J-
8 and this information will be published in all IHSSP Application and 
Student Handbooks as they pertain to the IHSSP.

6. Other Submissions Requirements

    New and continuation applicants are responsible for using the 
online application system. See section 3. Submission Dates for 
application deadlines.

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

    Applications will be reviewed and scored with the following 
criteria.
 Academic Performance (40 Points)
    Applicants are rated according to their academic performance as 
evidenced by transcripts and faculty evaluations. In cases where a 
particular applicant's school has a policy not to rank students 
academically, faculty members are asked to provide a personal judgment 
of the applicant's achievement. Preparatory, Pre-graduate and Health 
Professions applicants with a cumulative GPA below 2.0 are not eligible 
for award.
 Faculty/Employer Recommendations (30 Points)
    Applicants are rated according to evaluations by faculty members, 
current and/or former employers and Tribal officials regarding the 
applicant's potential in the chosen health related professions.
 Stated Reasons for Asking for the Scholarship and Stated 
Career Goals Related to the Needs of the IHS (30 Points)
    Applicants must provide a brief written explanation of reasons for 
asking for the scholarship and of their career goals. Applicants are 
considered for scholarship awards based on their desired career goals 
and how these goals relate to current Indian health personnel needs.
    The applicant's narrative will be judged on how well it is written 
and its content.
    Applications for each health career category are reviewed and 
ranked separately.
     Applicants who are closest to graduation or completion of 
training are awarded first. For example, senior and junior applicants 
under the Pre-graduate Scholarship receive funding before freshmen and 
sophomores.
 Priority Categories
    The following is a list of health professions that will be 
considered for funding in each scholarship program in FY 2018.

[cir] Preparatory Scholarship is limited to senior and junior students 
pursuing the following degrees.
    A. Pre-Clinical Psychology.
    B. Pre-Nursing.
    C. Pre-Pharmacy.
    D. Pre-Social Work (Juniors and Seniors preparing for an MS in 
social work).
[cir] Pre-graduate Scholarship is limited to junior year and above 
students pursuing the following degrees.
    A. Pre-Dentistry.
    B. Pre-Medicine.
    C. Pre-Optometry.
    D. Pre-Podiatry.
[cir] Health Professions Scholarship.
    A. Medicine--Allopathic and Osteopathic doctorate degrees
    B. Nursing--Bachelor of Science (BSN)
    (Priority consideration will be given to Registered Nurses employed 
by

[[Page 16375]]

the IHS; in a program conducted under a contract or compact entered 
into under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
(Pub. L. 93-638) and its amendments; or in a program assisted under 
Title V of the IHCIA.)
    C. Nursing (NP, DNP)--Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nurse in 
Family Practice, Psychiatry, Geriatric, Women's Health, Pediatric 
Nursing
    D. Nursing--Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
    E. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
    F. Physician Assistant (certified)
    G. Dentistry--DDS or DMD degree
    H. Social Work--Master's degree
    I. Chemical Dependency Counseling--Master's degree
    J. Clinical Psychology--Ph.D. or PsyD
    K. Counseling Psychology--Ph.D.
    L. Optometry--OD
    M. Pharmacy--PharmD
    N. Podiatry--DPM
    O. Physical Therapy--MS or DPT

2. Review and Selection Process

    The applications will be reviewed and scored by the IHSSP 
Application Review Committee appointed by the IHS. Reviewers will not 
be allowed to review an application from their area or their own Tribe. 
Each application will be reviewed by three reviewers. The average score 
of the three reviews provides the final ranking score for each 
applicant. To determine the ranking of each applicant, these scores are 
sorted from the highest to the lowest within each scholarship health 
discipline by date of graduation and score. If several students have 
the same date of graduation and score within the same discipline, the 
computer will randomly sort the ranking list and will not sort by 
alphabetical name. Selections are then made from the top of each 
ranking list to the extent that funds allocated by the IHS among the 
three scholarships are available for obligation.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

    It is anticipated that recipients applying for extension of their 
scholarship funding will be notified in writing during the second week 
of June 2018 and new applicants will be notified in writing during the 
second week of July 2018. An Award Letter will be issued to successful 
applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing and 
provided an IHS official contact name if more information is desired.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Regulations at 42 CFR 136.304 provide that the IHS shall, from time 
to time, publish a list of allied health professions eligible for 
consideration for the award of the Preparatory Scholarship, Pre-
graduate Scholarship, and Health Professions Scholarship. Section 
104(b)(1) of the IHCIA, 25 U.S.C. 1613a(b)(1), authorizes the IHS to 
determine the distribution of scholarships among the health 
professions.
    Awards for the Health Professions Scholarship will be made in 
accordance with the IHCIA, 25 U.S.C. 1613a and 42 CFR 136.330-136.334. 
Awardees shall incur a service obligation prescribed under the IHCIA, 
Section 1613a(b), shall be met by service, through full-time clinical 
practice (as detailed on page 18 of the IHSSP Service Commitment 
Handbook at: http://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/handbooks/service_commitment_handbook.pdf):
    (1) In the IHS;
    (2) In a program conducted under a contract or compact entered into 
under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Pub. 
L. 93-638) and its amendments;
    (3) In a program assisted under Title V of the Indian Health Care 
Improvement Act (Pub. L. 94-437) and its amendments; or
    (4) In a private practice option of his or her profession if the 
practice (a) is situated in a health professional shortage area, 
designated in regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (Secretary) and (b) addresses the health care needs of a 
substantial number (75 percent of the total served) of Indians as 
determined by the Secretary in accordance with guidelines of the 
Service.
    Pursuant to the IHCIA Section 1613a(b)(3)(C), an awardee of a 
Health Professions Scholarship may, at the election of the awardee, 
meet his or her service obligation prescribed under IHCIA Section 
1613a(b) by a program specified in options (1)-(4) above that:
    (i) Is located on the reservation of the Tribe in which the awardee 
is enrolled; or
    (ii) Serves the Tribe in which the awardee is enrolled, if there is 
an open vacancy available in the discipline for which the awardee was 
funded under the Health Professions Scholarship during the required 90-
day placement period.
    In summary, all awardees of the Indian Health Professions 
Scholarship are reminded that acceptance of this scholarship will 
result in a service obligation required by both statute and contract, 
that must be performed, through full-time clinical practice, at an 
approved service payback facility. The IHS Director (Director) reserves 
the right to make final decisions regarding assignment of scholarship 
recipients to fulfill their service obligation.
    Moreover, the Director has the authority to make the final 
determination, designating a facility, whether managed and operated by 
the IHS, or one of its Tribal or Urban Indian partners, consistent with 
IHCIA, as approved for scholar-obligated service payback.

3. Reporting Requirements

Scholarship Program Minimum Academic Requirements
    It is the policy of the IHS that a scholarship awardee funded under 
the Health Professions Scholarship Program of the IHCIA must maintain a 
2.0 cumulative GPA, remain in good academic standing each semester/
trimester/quarter, maintain full-time student status (institutional 
definition of ``minimum hours'' constituting full-time enrollment 
applies) or part-time student status (institutional definition of 
``minimum and maximum'' hours constituting part-time enrollment 
applies) for the entire academic year, as indicated on the scholarship 
application submitted for that academic year. The Health Professions 
Scholarship awardee may not change his or her enrollment status between 
terms of enrollment during the same academic year unless approved in 
advance by the Branch Chief of Scholarships. New recipients may not 
request a leave of absence the first academic year. All requests for 
leave of absence are to be approved in advance by the Director, 
Division of Health Professions Support.
    An awardee of a scholarship under the Preparatory Scholarship and 
Pre-graduate Scholarship authority must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA, 
remain in good standing each semester/trimester/quarter and be a full-
time student (institutional definition of ``minimum hours'' 
constituting full-time enrollment applies, typically 12 credit hours 
per semester) or a part-time student (institutional definition of 
``minimum and maximum'' hours constituting part-time enrollment 
applies, typically 6-11 credit hours). The Preparatory Scholarship and 
Pre-graduate Scholarship awardee may not change from part-time status 
to full-time status or vice versa in the same academic year unless 
approved in advance by the Branch Chief of Scholarships. New recipients 
may not

[[Page 16376]]

request a leave of absence the first academic year.
    The following reports must be sent to the IHSSP at the identified 
time frame. Each scholarship awardee will have access to online Student 
and Service Commitment Handbooks and required program forms and 
instructions on when, how, and to whom these must be submitted, by 
logging into the IHSSP website at www.ihs.gov/scholarship. If a 
scholarship awardee fails to submit these forms and reports as 
required, they will be ineligible for continuation of scholarship 
support and scholarship award payments will be discontinued.
A. Recipient's and Initial Progress Report
    Within thirty (30) days from the beginning of each semester/
trimester/quarter, scholarship awardees must submit a Recipient's 
Initial Program Progress Report (Form IHS-856-8, found on the IHS 
Scholarship Program website at: http://www.ihs.gov/scholarship/programresources/studentforms/).
B. Transcripts
    Within thirty (30) days from the end of each academic period, i.e., 
semester/trimester/quarter, or summer session, scholarship awardees 
must submit an Official Transcript showing the results of the classes 
taken during that period.
C. Notification of Academic Problem
    If at any time during the semester/trimester/quarter, scholarship 
awardees are advised to reduce the number of credit hours for which 
they are enrolled below the minimum of the 12 (or the number of hours 
considered by their school as full-time) for a full-time student or at 
least 6 hours for part-time students, or if they experience academic 
problems, they must submit this report (Form IHS-856-9, found on the 
IHS Scholarship Program website at: www.ihs.gov/scholarship/programresources/studentforms/).
D. Change of Status
 Change of Academic Status
    Scholarship awardees must immediately notify their Scholarship 
Program Analyst if they are placed on academic probation, dismissed 
from school, or voluntarily withdraw for any reason (personal or 
medical).
 Change of Health Discipline
    Scholarship awardees may not change from the approved IHSSP health 
discipline during the school year. If an unapproved change is made, 
scholarship payments will be discontinued.
 Change in Graduation Date
    Any time that a change occurs in a scholarship awardee's expected 
graduation date, they must notify their Scholarship Program Analyst 
immediately in writing. Justification must be attached from the school 
advisor. Approvals must be made by the Branch Chief of Scholarships.

VII. Agency Contacts

    1. Questions on the application process may be directed to the 
appropriate IHS Area Scholarship Coordinator.
    2. Questions on other programmatic matters may be addressed to: Ms. 
Reta Brewer, Chief, Scholarship Program, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: 
OHR (11E53A), Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 443-6197 
(This is not a toll-free number).
    3. Questions on payment information may be directed to: Mr. Craig 
Boswell, Grants Scholarship Coordinator, Division of Grants Management, 
Indian Health Service, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop: (09E65A), 
Rockville, Maryland 20857, Telephone: (301) 443-0056 (This is not a 
toll-free number).

VIII. Other Information

    The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the 
health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 
2020, a PHS-led activity for setting priority areas. This program 
announcement is related to the priority area of Education and 
Community-Based Programs. Potential applicants may download a copy of 
Healthy People 2020 from http://www.healthypeople.gov.
    Interested individuals are reminded that the list of eligible IHSSP 
health and allied professions is effective for applicants for the 2018-
2019 academic year. These priorities will remain in effect until 
superseded. Applicants who apply for health career categories not 
listed as a priorities during the current scholarship cycle will not be 
considered for a scholarship award.

    Dated: April 5, 2018.
Michael Weahkee,
Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service, Acting Director, 
Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-07797 Filed 4-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-16-P