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GA Adjustment
Department of Health (601)
Request Title Expand Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program
Biennium 2024-2026
Budget Round Initial Bill
Half Sheet Number 271 #1c
Description

This amendment eliminates language setting aside $1.0 million from the general fund each year from the Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program for licensed behavioral health providers who are school-based. It also reduces funding contained in the introduced budget by $750,000 from the general fund each year for the program. Together with actions contained in Chapter 1, 2023 Special Session I, the program will have $4.8 million more each year for loan repayments over the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The amendment expands the program to: (i) add child and adolescent psychiatry Fellows to the list of Tier 1 providers eligible for the program, (i) add Tier III providers who are mental health professionals as defined in ยง 54.1-2400.1 who do not already qualify for the program, and (iii) adds academic medical centers as a preferred practice site. Child and adolescent psychiatry fellows are licensed psychiatrists in other states, but it generally takes six months or more to become licensed in Virginia. This change will help efforts to recruit these practitioners to Virginia, with the goal of retaining them in Virginia's behavioral healthcare workforce. The amendment also replaces language contained in the introduced budget which proposed to change the minimum term of practice from two to three years, returning it to the original two-year requirement.

Funding Details
By Program Program Code Program Title FY 2024 FY 2025
  108 Higher Education Student Financial Assistance ($750,000) ($750,000)
By Fund Fund Code Fund Title FY 2024 FY 2025
  01000 General Fund ($750,000) ($750,000)
Authorized Position Details
By Program Program Code Program Title FY 2024 FY 2025


p3_opview - Official Enacted Budget View Operating Bullet Details - 06-07-2025 16:18:01