- § 2171. Education loan repayment program: enlisted members on active duty in specified military specialties
- [§ 2172. Renumbered § 16302]
- § 2173. Education loan repayment program: commissioned officers in specified health professions
- § 2174. Interest payment program: members on active duty
§ 2171. Education loan repayment program: enlisted members on active duty in specified military specialties
(a)
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Secretary of Defense may repay—
(A) any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.);
(B) any loan made under part D of such title (the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, 20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.);
(C) any loan made under part E of such title (20 U.S.C. 1087aa et seq.); or
(D) any loan incurred for educational purposes made by a lender that is—
(i) an agency or instrumentality of a State;
(ii) a financial or credit institution (including an insurance company) that is subject to examination and supervision by an agency of the United States or any State;
(iii) a pension fund approved by the Secretary for purposes of this section; or
(iv) a non-profit private entity designated by a State, regulated by such State, and approved by the Secretary for purposes of this section.
Repayment of any such loan shall be made on the basis of each complete year of service performed by the borrower.
(2) The Secretary may repay loans described in paragraph (1) in the case of any person for service performed on active duty as a member in an officer program or military specialty specified by the Secretary.
(b) The portion or amount of a loan that may be repaid under subsection (a) is 33⅓ percent or $1,500, whichever is greater, for each year of service.
(c) If a portion of a loan is repaid under this section for any year, interest on the remainder of such loan shall accrue and be paid in the same manner as is otherwise required.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize refunding any repayment of a loan.
(e) A person who transfers from service making the person eligible for repayment of loans under this section (as described in subsection (a)(2)) to service making the person eligible for repayment of loans under section 16301 of this title (as described in subsection (a)(2) of that section) during a year shall be eligible to have repaid a portion of such loan determined by giving appropriate fractional credit for each portion of the year so served, in accordance with regulations of the Secretary concerned.
(f) The Secretary of Defense shall, by regulation, prescribe a schedule for the allocation of funds made available to carry out the provisions of this section and section 16301 of this title during any year for which funds are not sufficient to pay the sum of the amounts eligible for repayment under subsection (a) and section 16301(a) of this title.
(g) Except a person described in subsection (e) who transfers to service making the person eligible for repayment of loans under section 16301 of this title, a member of the armed forces who fails to complete the period of service required to qualify for loan repayment under this section shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37.
(h) The Secretary of Defense may prescribe, by regulations, procedures for implementing this section, including standards for qualified loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions for making loan repayments. Such regulations may include exceptions that would allow for the payment as a lump sum of any loan repayment due to a member under a written agreement that existed at the time of a member’s death or disability.
(Added Pub. L. 99–145, title VI, § 671(a)(1), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 661; amended Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1663(e), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 3009; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title X, § 1079(a), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 451; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V, § 537, Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3249; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title V, § 552(a), Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4220; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VI, § 618(a)(1)(H), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1426.)
[§ 2172. Renumbered § 16302]
§ 2173. Education loan repayment program: commissioned officers in specified health professions
(a)Authority To Repay Education Loans.—For the purpose of maintaining adequate numbers of commissioned officers of the armed forces on active duty who are qualified in the various health professions, the Secretary of a military department may repay, in the case of a person described in subsection (b), a loan that—
(1) was used by the person to finance education regarding a health profession; and
(2) was obtained from a governmental entity, private financial institution, school, or other authorized entity.
(b)Eligible Persons.—To be eligible to obtain a loan repayment under this section, a person must—
(1) satisfy one of the requirements specified in subsection (c);
(2) be fully qualified for, or hold, an appointment as a commissioned officer in one of the health professions; and
(3) sign a written agreement to serve on active duty, or, if on active duty, to remain on active duty for a period in addition to any other incurred active duty obligation.
(c)Academic and Professional Requirements.—One of the following academic requirements must be satisfied for purposes of determining the eligibility of a person for a loan repayment under this section:
(1) The person is fully qualified in a health care profession that the Secretary of the military department concerned has determined to be necessary to meet identified skill shortages.
(2) The person is enrolled as a full-time student in the final year of a course of study at an accredited educational institution leading to a degree in a health profession other than medicine or osteopathic medicine.
(3) The person is enrolled in the final year of an approved graduate program leading to specialty qualification in medicine, dentistry, osteopathic medicine, or other health profession.
(4) The person is enrolled in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program under subchapter I of chapter 105 of this title for a number of years less than is required to complete the normal length of the course of study required for the health profession concerned.
(d)Certain Persons Ineligible.—Students of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences established under section 2112 of this title are not eligible for the repayment of an education loan under this section.
(e)Loan Repayments.—
(1) Subject to the limits established by paragraph (2), a loan repayment under this section may consist of payment of the principal, interest, and related expenses of a loan obtained by a person described in subsection (b) for—
(A) all educational expenses, comparable to all educational expenses recognized under section 2127(a) of this title for participants in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program; and
(B) reasonable living expenses, not to exceed expenses comparable to the stipend paid under section 2121(d) of this title for participants in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program.
(2) For each year of obligated service that a person agrees to serve in an agreement described in subsection (b)(3), the Secretary of the military department concerned may pay not more than $60,000 on behalf of the person. This maximum amount shall be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense effective October 1 of each year by the percentage equal to the percent increase in the average annual cost of educational expenses and stipend costs of a single scholarship under the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program.
(f)Active Duty Service Obligation.—
(1) A person entering into an agreement described in subsection (b)(3) incurs an active duty service obligation. The length of this obligation shall be determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, but those regulations may not provide for a period of obligation of less than one year for each maximum annual amount, or portion thereof, paid on behalf of the person for qualified loans.
(2) For persons on active duty before entering into the agreement, the active duty service obligation shall be served consecutively to any other obligation incurred under the agreement.
(g)Effect of Failure To Complete Obligation.—
(1) A commissioned officer who is relieved of the officer’s active duty obligation under this section before the completion of that obligation may be given, with or without the consent of the officer, any alternative obligation comparable to any of the alternative obligations authorized by section 2123(e) of this title for participants in the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance program.
(2) An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (b)(3), or the alternative obligation imposed under paragraph (1), shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) or 373 of title 37.
(h)Regulations.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section, including standards for qualified loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions for the making of loan repayments.
(Added Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title VI, § 651(a), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1802; amended Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title V, § 573, Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2558; Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title VI, § 687(c)(7), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3334; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 537(a), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2209; Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title V, § 553, Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4220; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title VI, § 618(a)(1)(I), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1426.)
§ 2174. Interest payment program: members on active duty
(a)Authority.—
(1) The Secretary concerned may pay in accordance with this section the interest and any special allowances that accrue on one or more student loans of an eligible member of the armed forces.
(2) The Secretary of a military department may exercise the authority under paragraph (1) only if approved by the Secretary of Defense and subject to such requirements, conditions, and restrictions as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe.
(b)Eligible Members.—A member of the armed forces is eligible for the benefit under subsection (a) while the member—
(1) is serving on active duty in fulfillment of the member’s first enlistment in the armed forces or, in the case of an officer, is serving on active duty and has not completed more than three years of service on active duty;
(2) is the debtor on one or more unpaid loans described in subsection (c); and
(3) is not in default on any such loan.
(c)Student Loans.—The authority to make payments under subsection (a) may be exercised with respect to the following loans:
(1) A loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.).
(2) A loan made under part D of such title (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.).
(3) A loan made under part E of such title (20 U.S.C. 1087aa et seq.).
(d)Maximum Benefit.—The months for which interest and any special allowance may be paid on behalf of a member of the armed forces under this section are any 36 consecutive months during which the member is eligible under subsection (b).
(e)Funds for Payments.—Appropriations available for the pay and allowances of military personnel shall be available for payments under this section.
(f)Coordination.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense and, with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall consult with the Secretary of Education regarding the administration of the authority under this section.
(2) The Secretary concerned shall transfer to the Secretary of Education the funds necessary—
(A) to pay interest and special allowances on student loans under this section (in accordance with sections 428(o), 455(l), and 464(j) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078(o), 1087e(l), and 1087dd(j)); and
(B) to reimburse the Secretary of Education for any reasonable administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in coordinating the program under this section with the administration of the student loan programs under parts B, D, and E of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
(g)Special Allowance Defined.—In this section, the term “special allowance” means a special allowance that is payable under section 438 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087–1).
(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VI, § 651(a)(1), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2578.)