42 U.S.C. § 288–1 — Intramural loan repayment program

(a) The program. The Director of NIH must, as appropriate and based on workforce and scientific priorities, run a program using the subcategories listed in subsection (b) to make agreements with qualified health professionals. Under these agreements, the professional agrees to do research as an NIH employee, and in exchange, the federal government agrees to repay up to $50,000 of the principal and interest on that person's education loans for each year of service. (b) Subcategories of research. In running the program, the Director must keep focusing on: general research; research on acquired immune deficiency syndrome; and clinical research done by qualified health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Director may also focus on an area of emerging scientific or workforce need. The Director can eliminate one or more of these listed subcategories if workforce or scientific needs change, and can create other subcategories based on workforce and scientific priorities, as long as the total number of subcategories never goes above the number originally listed. (c) Who qualifies. The Director cannot make a contract with a health professional unless that person has a substantial amount of education loan debt relative to their income, measured by guidelines the Director issues. (d) Related program rules apply. The rules that govern the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (in subpart III of part D of subchapter II) also apply to this program, in the same way, except where they conflict with subsection (a). (e) How long the money stays available. Money set aside to run this section stays available until the end of the second fiscal year after the fiscal year it was originally provided for.