[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 46 (Friday, March 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8536-8541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04249]
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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: March 15, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Eastern for
continuing students
Application Deadline Date: March 28, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Eastern for new
students
Application Review Date: May 6-24, 2019
Continuation Award Notification Deadline Date: June 5, 2019
New Award Notification Deadline Date: July 15, 2019
Award Start Date: August 1, 2019
Acceptance/Decline of Awards Deadline Date: August 15, 2019
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 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)
2019 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 2019-2020 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 2019-2020 academic
year.
Anticipated Number of Awards
Approximately 25 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 Approximately 25 new awards will
be made by the IHSSP under the Preparatory Scholarship and Pre-graduate
Scholarship programs for Indians. 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 $120,814.38.
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.
[[Page 8537]]
1. Eligibility
The Health Professions Preparatory Scholarship awards are made to
American Indians (members of Federally recognized Tribes, including
those from Tribes terminated since 1940, first and second degree
descendants of members of federally recognized Tribes, members of
State-recognized Tribes and first and second degree descendants of
members of State-recognized Tribes), 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 (members of Federally recognized Tribes, including
those from Tribes terminated since 1940, first and second degree
descendants of members of federally recognized Tribes, members of State
recognized Tribes, and first and second degree descendants of members
of State-recognized Tribes), 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. The ASCs are listed 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.
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IHS Area office and states/locality Scholarship coordinator address
served
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Great Plains Area IHS:
Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Mr. Matthew Martin, IHS Area
Dakota. Scholarship Coordinator, Great
Plains Area IHS, 115 Fourth
Avenue SE, Aberdeen, SD 57401,
Tel: (605) 226-7502.
Alaska Area Native Health Services:
Alaska............................. Ms. Jennifer Fielder, IHS Area
Scholarship Coordinator,
Alaska Area Native Health,
3900 Ambassador Drive,
Anchorage, AK 99508, Tel:
(907) 729-1387.
Albuquerque Area IHS:
Colorado, New Mexico............... Ms. Jeanette Garcia, IHS Area
Scholarship Coordinator,
Albuquerque Area IHS, 4101
Indian School Rd. NE, Suite
225, Albuquerque, NM 87110,
Tel: (505) 256-6729.
Bemidji Area IHS:
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mr. Tony Buckanaga, IHS Area
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. Brett Miller, 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) 247-7211.
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, Connecticut, Mr. Nicholas Mayo, IHS Area
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Scholarship Coordinator,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Nashville Area IHS, 711
Maryland, Massachusetts, Stewarts Ferry Pike,
Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Nashville, TN 37214, Tel:
Jersey, New York, North Carolina, (615) 467-1711.
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee,
Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia,
District of Columbia.
Navajo Area IHS:
[[Page 8538]]
Arizona, New Mexico, Utah.......... Ms. Aletha John, IHS Area
Scholarship Coordinator,
Navajo Area IHS, P.O. Box
9020, Window Rock, AZ 86515,
Tel: (928) 871-1360.
Oklahoma City Area IHS:
Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas.. Mr. Keith Bohanan, IHS Area
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, Washington.......... Ms. Heidi Hulsey, IHS Area
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).
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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 will open on December 15, 2018. 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
March 28, 2018, 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, 2019.
Official transcripts (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
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 March 15, 2019, 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, May 31, 2019.
Application Receipt Date: The online application submission
deadline for new applicants is, March 28, 2019, 7:00 p.m. Eastern and
mail official transcript(s) by the postal deadline of March 28, 2019.
The online application and official transcript(s) shall be
considered as
[[Page 8539]]
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 five 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 2019.
[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 Master of
Science 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 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.
P. Environmental Engineering--BS (Jr. and Sr. undergraduate years
only).
Q. Environmental Health/Sanitarian--BS (Jr. and Sr. undergraduate
years only).
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 2019 and new applicants will be notified in writing during the
second week of July 2019. An Award Letter will be issued to successful
applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing and
provided an IHS official
[[Page 8540]]
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 Sec. Sec.
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 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 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 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
[[Page 8541]]
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 2019-
2020 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.
Chris Buchanan,
Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service, Deputy Director,
Indian Health Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-04249 Filed 3-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-16-P