Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program
Financial support for medical, behavioral health, and oral health providers in rural and underserved areas of Utah.
Financial support for Utah's healthcare workforce
The Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program (HCWFAP) provides educational loan repayment assistance to healthcare professionals who locate and practice in underserved areas in the state of Utah. The provider’s site is required to match 20% of the award amount. This is a three-year service commitment to the State of Utah. Participating sites should provide care to underserved and/or rural populations, with preference given to sites located in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
You can make an impact
Tiffany Noyes, Ph.D., Loan Repayment Recipient“I plan to continue my work in Carbon and Emery counties as an advanced practice nurse practitioner long-term and remain an active participant in the community both as a rural health care professional and volunteer. Thank you again for the amazing opportunity to be a part of this program and for your continued support.”
Apply here!
Required for provider and site applicants: email Rachel at opcrh@utah.gov that you have submitted your application.
Provider application
Medical providers may apply here to receive financial assistance for their student loans. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and should be submitted before January 15 or August 15 each year.
Site application
If you are a hospital, clinic, or other type of site
interested in attracting talented medical
professionals to serve your communities, apply here.
Must be completed in one sitting.
Eligibility criteria
Provider information
The following providers are eligible for loan repayment. These award amount reflect the amount awarded from PCRH over a 3-year period and do not include the 20% site match.
| Eligible providers | Award amounts | |
|---|---|---|
| MD, DO; DDS, DMD; PHARM | $75,000 | |
| PA; APRN, CNM; PSYCH | $45,000 | |
| LMFT; LCSW; OTR/L | $37,500 | |
| BS/BA RN; CMHC; CSW; RDH, BSDH | $30,000 | |
| AA RN; SUDC; RDH, AAS | $15,000 | |
| Certified Peer Support Specialist | $750 |
Approved sites
HCWFAP flier
Progress report
Providers who enroll in this program must submit progress reports periodically to demonstrate their impact within their communities. Progress reports help to demonstrate the volume of patients who benefit from the providers’ services, the quality of care, and how the financial assistance program has helped providers achieve their goals. The Primary Care and Rural Health office also invites providers to submit anecdotal stories to help demonstrate the success of the program to funders, and legislators, as well as to inspire new applicants to work in underserved communities in Utah.
Progress reports are submitted every six months. If you are a provider and you are wondering when your next progress report is due, details can be found in Attachment B of your contract.
Update your address
Has your address updated recently? Program participants may update their address through one of two ways:
- If you started the program before July 2022, you can update your address by downloading a W9 form, filling it out, and emailing it to opcrh@utah.gov.
- If you started the program after July 2022 and have a PaymentWorks profile, you can update your address directly within PaymentWorks. Then notify the program administrator via email at opcrh@utah.gov.
W9 Form
Additional information
Are student loan repayments taxable? No. Student loan repayments made to you are tax free according to the IRS publication 970 page 38 which can also be found online at IRS Publication 970.
Advisory Committee
The Health Workforce Financial Assistance Program Advisory Committee reviews new applications at least two times per year to award providers with financial support.
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,378,650, with 45% funded by HRSA/HHS and 55% funded by Utah’s state Legislature. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS or the U.S. government.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services may occasionally link to outside sources of information. DHHS and the state of Utah do not necessarily endorse the provider of the content and are not responsible for any content published on the external site.
Program contact info
Rachel Devine
Workforce Development Specialist
801.230.6570
rdevine@utah.gov
Codes and rules
Read about the codes and rules that govern this program.