Federal funding has been approved to support student loan repayment for healthcare workers in West Virginia.
Senator Joe Manchin, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced close to $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR).
The DHHR’s Office of Rural Health offers a loan repayment program in exchange for service in a Health Professional Shortage Area in the state.
Healthcare workers can receive loan repayments of $40,000 after two years of service, or up to $90,000 after four years.
A similar program through the DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health provides loan repayment for clinical professions including counseling, psychology, and/or social work therapists.