Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Colorado Health Service Corps?

The Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) is a public-private partnership funded by federal, state, and philanthropic sources. The goal of the CHSC is to improve equitable access to health care across Colorado by incentivizing clinicians who are committed to practice in areas with a shortage of physicians, nurses, dentists, behavioral health, and other health care professionals by reducing their educational loan debt. The CHSC uses loan repayment to encourage clinical practice benefitting health care professionals and employers while expanding care options for patients regardless of their Colorado location or insurance status.

CHSC clinicians serve low-income, publicly insured, uninsured, underinsured, and geographically isolated Coloradans. Clinicians participating in the CHSC increase the care capacity of Colorado’s clinical safety net and improve the health of all Coloradans by emphasizing communities with the highest needs as revealed in the data.

Am I eligible to apply for the CHSC loan repayment program?

To be eligible for CHSC loan repayment, applicants must be employed at a CHSC-certified site on an eligible work schedule, by the first day of the current application cycle, March 1st or September 1st, hold an active and unencumbered professional license, and practice in an eligible profession. Eligible professions include:

  • Doctors of osteopathic or allopathic medicine (family medicine, geriatrics, general internal medicine, general psychiatry, general child psychiatry, general pediatrics, general obstetrics and gynecology, addiction medicine, or pain management).

  • Clinical pharmacists (PharmD).

  • Dentists (general and pediatric).

  • Licensed clinical or counseling psychologists (Ph.D., Psy.D.).

  • Licensed clinical social workers (master’s or doctoral degree in social work).

  • Licensed professional counselors (master’s or doctoral degree with a major study in counseling).

  • Licensed marriage and family therapists (master’s or doctoral degree with a major study in marriage and family therapy).

  • Certified nurse-midwives.

  • Nurse practitioners.

  • Advanced practice nurses with specific training in substance use disorders or pain management.

  • Physician assistants.

  • Physician assistants with specific training in substance use disorders.

  • Psychiatric nurse specialists.

  • Licensed addiction counselors.

  • Certified addiction counselors.

  • Registered dental hygienists.

Is the clinical practice site where I work eligible for the CHSC loan repayment program?

A list of CHSC-approved sites can be accessed on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's (CDPHE) website. To be eligible for the program, a site must:

  • Be located in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or a Colorado state HPSA.

  • Provide comprehensive, continuous, full-scope, primary medical, oral health, behavioral health, or substance use disorder treatment services to all community members in the HPSA.

  • Accept all patients regardless of ability to pay and offer a sliding fee scale based only on family size and annual income for those at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

  • Accept patients on public insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid (HealthFirst Colorado), and CHP+.

    • For practices that provide substance use disorder services, sites are eligible to participate if they do not accept Medicaid or Medicare so long as a meaningful sliding fee scale for low-income patients is available to clients regardless of insurance status.

    • If a site does not see any patients over 65, the Medicare requirement may be waived, if a site does not see any children or pregnant women, the CHP+ requirement will be waived.

Learn more about CHSC-eligible site types by visiting the CDPHE website.

For those interested in completing a site application, please read our CHSC site application guidance before beginning your site application.

What types of educational loans qualify for loan repayment?

CHSC awardees receive loan repayment funding that is applied to the principal, interest, and related expenses of outstanding student loans for undergraduate or graduate education expenses related to the awardee’s current health care professional licensure.

Loans that do not qualify for loan repayment include, but are not limited to:

  • Loans for which the applicant incurred a service obligation that will not be fulfilled before the CHSC application submission deadline.

  • Loans for which the associated documentation cannot identify that the loan was solely applicable to the undergraduate or graduate education of the applicant.

  • Loans not obtained from a U.S. government entity or private student loan lending institution. Most loans made by private foundations to individuals are not eligible for repayment.

  • Loans that have been repaid in full.

  • Primary Care Loans.

  • Parent PLUS Loans (made to parents).

  • Personal lines of credit.

  • Loans are subject to cancellation.

  • Residency and Relocation loans.

  • Credit card debt.

  • Loans from family members, friends, or acquaintances.

  • Student loan debt consolidated with other debt not associated with your education is not eligible (mortgage, car, etc.).

  • Loans that are in “past due” status.

How do I apply for the CHSC loan repayment program?

There is an open application cycle for the CHSC every March and September. The link to apply is active on the CDPHE website during March and September. The application must be completed electronically. A complete application will include:

  • A personal statement.

  • A CV/Resume.

  • Two letters of support.

  • Current lender statements.

  • A completed electronic application.

How long does the application and award process take?

Clinicians may apply to the CHSC loan repayment program during March and September. The process from when a clinician applies to when they are notified, if they are awarded, takes approximately three months. However, the contracting process can take up to six months.

Who scores the applications?

CDPHE’s Primary Care Office submits eligible applications to an Application Review Committee, composed of trained staff from several external organizations familiar with workforce needs in the Colorado health care safety net. The committee scores applications based on a set of criteria. These organizations have been carefully selected and are all committed to improving workforce needs in the Colorado health care safety net and improving access to health care throughout the state.

Who determines who will receive a CHSC loan repayment award?

A 16-member Colorado Health Service Corps Advisory Council, appointed by the governor, convenes twice annually after each application cycle to discuss and recommend which applicants will receive loan repayment awards. The Advisory Council considers committee scores, submitted application materials, and available funding when determining award recipients and amounts.

What are the award amounts and timeline?

The loan repayment award is a tax-exempt lump sum payment applied to the awarded clinician’s student loan debt. Loan repayment awards are paid at the beginning of the service obligation, after the contract executes. Award amounts are tiered based on the clinician’s full-time, three-quarter-time, or part-time status and according to their discipline. Award amounts are subject to change based on available funding. Current award amounts are below and can also be found on the CDPHE website:

Full-time (at least 40 hours per week, with 32 hours in direct patient care) obligation:

  • $120,000 for physicians and dentists.

  • $90,000 for physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, clinical pharmacists, licensed behavioral health clinicians, licensed addiction counselors, dental hygienists, and certified addiction counselors.

3/4-time (at least 30 hours per week, with 24 hours in direct patient care) obligation:

  • $90,000 for physicians and dentists.

  • $67,500 for physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, clinical pharmacists, licensed mental health clinicians, licensed addiction counselors, dental hygienists, and certified addiction counselors.

Part-time (at least 20 hours per week, with 16 hours in direct patient care) obligation:

  • $60,000 for physicians and dentists.

  • $45,000 for physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, clinical pharmacists, licensed behavioral health clinicians, licensed addiction counselors, dental hygienists, and certified addiction counselors.

What does a CHSC loan repayment award contract entail?

A CHSC loan repayment contract is a three-party legally binding contract signed by the clinician, their employer, and the State of Colorado. The contract outlines the responsibilities of the clinician, the State of Colorado through the Primary Care Office, and the employer. The contract details program requirements, terms, and provisions. Clinicians should familiarize themselves with the entire contract, including the CHSC definition of direct patient care and CHSC hourly requirements. If awarded, the clinician is provided a sample contract and ample time to review and ask questions before deciding to sign the contract.

What happens if I sign the contract but am unable to fulfill the service obligation?

The CHSC loan repayment program is a three-year service commitment. If a clinician chooses to accept the award, they enter into a legally binding contract with the State of Colorado. Buyout or return of the loan repayment award is strictly prohibited; clinicians cannot exit the program early. A contract may be placed on suspension for up to 12 months during which time the clinician must secure qualifying employment at a CHSC-approved site. The PCO does not have the authority to waive the terms of the contract. There are significant monetary damages the State can seek for breaching a three-year CHSC service obligation. Damages to the State may result in monetary restitution in excess of the loan repayment award amount.

The default clause in the contract provides for the extrapolation of a potential default amount of damages, however damages owed to the State must be adjudicated under counsel of the State Attorney General’s Office.

Is it possible to change practice sites without penalty?

The Primary Care Office discourages changing employers or clinical practice sites during a three-year CHSC service obligation. However, if a clinician experiences a layoff or termination of employment, the Primary Care Office will work with them as they seek new employment at a CHSC-approved site for their time track and discipline.

How is this program different from the National Health Service Corps?

The CHSC differs from the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in three primary ways:

  • The CHSC is a three-year service obligation, while the NHSC is a two-year service obligation.

  • The CHSC award amounts vary from the NHSC award amounts based on discipline.

  • The NHSC prioritizes HPSAs when scoring applications, and the CHSC does not.

For questions regarding the differences between the NHSC and the CHSC, please contact Maddie Cappa at Maddie.Cappa@state.co.us.


Can I participate in more than one loan repayment program at the same time?

CHSC clinicians cannot have another service obligation while they participate in the program. If an employer offers a signing bonus that obligates a clinician to a period of service, that obligation must be waived by the employer before the clinician can be awarded loan repayment. Clinicians may apply to both the CHSC and the NHSC but can accept only one award at a time.

Can I reapply for another CHSC service obligation after my contract is complete?

Clinicians may reapply for CHSC loan repayment after their three-year service obligation is complete and they have been fully exited by the Primary Care Office. However, the application process is competitive, and another award is not guaranteed.

Clinicians have the option of a one-year contract renewal as their three-year service obligation is nearing completion so long as they have not changed employers and their contract is in good standing. For more information, visit the CHSC Renewal Information webpage.

I am a teacher or program director. How can I request a presentation on the CHSC for my students?

To schedule a presentation, contact Alyssa Collado at Alyssa.Collado@state.co.us.

The Primary Care Office also presents to community groups and organizations interested in learning more about Colorado’s safety net and loan repayment programs.


Additional questions about CHSC?

For general program inquiries, contact the Primary Care Office at cdphe_chsc@state.co.us and visit the CDPHE website for additional information.