Section 2753.20  Applicant Eligibility

A qualified applicant shall be:

a)         a resident of Illinois;

b)         a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;

c)         a borrower with an outstanding balance due on an eligible educational loan;

d)         an individual who is not in default on a federally guaranteed educational loan and does not owe a refund on a grant or scholarship program administered by ISAC;

e)         a behavioral health professional who meets licensing requirements of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation as a licensed psychiatrist, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, clinical professional counselor, marriage and family therapist or certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor or a Certified Recovery Support Specialist from the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, or has attained a master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, or marriage and family therapy or a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work;

f)         an individual who, for at least 12 consecutive months prior to applying for the grant, and at the time of application has worked as a behavioral health professional in a community mental health center, behavioral health clinic, substance use treatment center, or State-operated psychiatric hospital licensed or certified by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in an underserved or rural HPSA mental health discipline; and

g)         an individual who, for each year during which a grant is received, fulfills a separate 12 month period as a behavioral health professional in a community mental health center in an underserved or rural federally designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area in this State.  [110 ILCS 996/30]

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 9499, effective June 25, 2026)