Virginia Law

Prior to the payment of money to a scholarship or loan repayment recipient, the commissioner shall prepare and enter into a contract with the recipient. The contract shall:

1. Provide that the recipient of the scholarship award shall pursue the dental course of Virginia Commonwealth University until graduation and upon graduation or upon graduation from an accredited residency program that does not exceed four years, shall notify the commissioner in writing of his proposed practice location or intent to enter a residency not more than 30 days after graduation and begin his approved practice within 90 days after completing dental school or residency, and thereafter continuously engage in full-time dental practice in a dental underserved area of Virginia or in a designated state facility for a period of years equal to the number of annual scholarships received.

2. Provide that upon graduation from an accredited dental school and receiving notification of the dentist loan repayment award, the dentist shall begin his approved practice within 90 days and thereafter continuously engage in full-time dental practice in an underserved area of Virginia or in a designated state facility for a period of years equal to the number of loan repayment awards received.

3. Provide that at any time prior to entering practice, the scholarship or loan repayment recipient shall be allowed to select a future practice location from the listing of dental underserved areas maintained by the board.

4. Provide that the recipient may request approval of a change of practice location. The commissioner in his discretion may approve such a request, but only if the change is to a practice location in a dental underserved area or a state facility designated by the Board of Health.

5. Provide that the recipient shall repay the scholarship or loan repayment obligation by practicing dentistry on a full-time basis in a dental underserved area, shall maintain office hours convenient for the population of the area to have access to the recipient's services and shall participate in all government-sponsored insurance programs designed to ensure access to dental services of recipients of public assistance. The recipient shall not selectively place limits on the numbers of such patients admitted to the practice.

6. Provide that the recipient shall not voluntarily obligate himself for more than the minimum period of military service required of dentists by the laws of the United States and that upon completion of the minimum period of military service, the recipient shall promptly begin and thereafter continuously engage in full-time dental practice in a dental underserved area of Virginia or in a designated state facility for the period of years equal to the number of scholarships received. Dental practice in federal agencies, military service or the U.S. Public Health Service may not be substituted for scholarship obligation.

7. Provide that the recipient shall receive credit toward fulfillment of his contractual obligation at the rate of 12 months of dental practice for each scholarship or loan repayment award paid to the recipient. The recipient may be absent from the place of approved practice for a total of four weeks in each 12-month period for personal reasons. Absence for a period in excess of four weeks without the written permission of the commissioner shall result in proportional reduction of the period of credit toward fulfillment of the contractual obligation.

8. Provide that should the scholarship recipient pay restitution by not serving his scholarship obligation in an underserved area, and within five years of paying restitution fulfills the terms of his contract through dental practice as outlined in this section, that the recipient will be reimbursed for all or part of any scholarship award paid based on the fulfillment of the scholarship and availability of funds.