ARTICLE 3. HEALTH PROFESSIONALS' STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS.

§18C-3-4. Nursing Scholarship Program; Center for Nursing Fund; administration; scholarship awards; service requirements.

(a) There is continued in the State Treasury a special revenue account known as the “Center for Nursing Fund” to be administered by the commission to implement the provisions of this section and article seven-b, chapter thirty of this code. Any moneys in the account on the effective date of this section are transferred to the commission’s administrative authority. Balances remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year do not expire or revert to the general revenue. All costs associated with the administration of this section and article seven-b, chapter thirty of this code shall be paid from the Center for Nursing Fund under the direction of the Vice Chancellor for Administration. Administrative costs are to be minimized and the maximum amount feasible is to be used to fund awards for students in nursing programs.

(b) The account is funded from the following sources:

(1) A supplemental licensure fee, not to exceed $10 per year, to be paid by all nurses licensed by the Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses, pursuant to section eight-a, article seven, chapter thirty of this code, and the Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses, pursuant to section seven-a, article seven-a, chapter thirty of this code;

(2) Repayments, including interest as set by the Vice Chancellor for Administration, collected from recipients who fail to practice or teach in West Virginia under the terms of the scholarship agreement; and

(3) Any other funds from any source as may be added to the account.

(c) In consultation with the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Center for Nursing, established pursuant to article seven-b, chapter thirty of this code, the commission shall administer a scholarship, designated the Nursing Scholarship Program, designed to benefit nurses who practice in hospitals and other health care institutions or teach in state nursing programs.

(1) Awards are available for students enrolled in accredited nursing programs in West Virginia. A recipient shall execute an agreement to fulfill a service requirement or repay the amount of any award received.

(2) Awards are made as follows, subject to the rule required by this section:

(A) An award for any student may not exceed the full cost of education for program completion.

(B) An award of up to $3,000 is available for a student in a licensed practical nurse education program. A recipient is required to practice nursing in West Virginia for one year following program completion.

(C) An award of up to $7,500 is available for a student who has completed one-half of a registered nurse education program. A recipient is required to teach or practice nursing in West Virginia for two years following program completion.

(D) An award of up to $15,000 is available to a student in a nursing master’s degree program or a doctoral nursing or education program. A recipient is required to teach in West Virginia for two years following program completion.

(E) An award of up to $1,000 per year is available for a student obtaining a licensed practical nurse teaching certificate. A recipient is required to teach in West Virginia for one year per award received.

(d) An award recipient shall satisfy one of the following conditions:

(1) Fulfill the service requirement pursuant to this section and the legislative rule; or

(2) Repay the commission for the amount awarded, together with accrued interest as stipulated in the service agreement.

(e) The commission shall promulgate a rule for legislative approval pursuant to article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement and administer this section. The rule shall provide for the following:

(1) Eligibility and selection criteria for program participation;

(2) Terms of a service agreement which a recipient shall execute as a condition of receiving an award;

(3) Repayment provisions for a recipient who fails to fulfill the service requirement;

(4) Forgiveness options for death or disability of a recipient;

(5) An appeal process for students denied participation or ordered to repay awards; and

(6) Additional provisions as necessary to implement this section.

(f) (1) A nursing program expansion pilot project shall be developed to help reverse the growing shortage of qualified nursing personnel in the state. By October 1, 2021, under the direction and administration of the Senior Director of Health Sciences, the commission’s division of health sciences shall develop a pilot project for nursing program expansion at four public two or four year colleges and universities for 20 students per pilot program to be admitted for fall 2022. (2) The commission’s division of health sciences shall create an application and selection process for the nursing program expansion pilot project. The selection of programs for funding shall be based on the following:

(A) Attainment by the nursing program of accreditation by a national nursing accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education prior to application;

(B) Ability to scale nursing program for cohort to be entered into in fall 2022 including hiring of faculty, establishment of clinical sites, and procurement of appropriate resources;

(C) Commitment by a hospital, long term care, health system or other health care entity to provide matching funds and in-kind support for the nursing program expansion pilot project including, but not limited to, preceptors, faculty, simulation resources, physical space, and scholarships;

(D) Presentation of a plan for success with an expanded class including, but not limited to, retention, graduation, and licensure examination success; and

(E) Plan for assistance with career placement in the state upon graduation.

(3) The selection of programs under this subsection shall be open and competitive, and shall observe as criteria the following factors:

(A) The degree of community interest, support and involvement in seeking a nursing program expansion pilot project;

(B) Qualification as a medically underserved or health professional shortage area;

(D) Statewide geographic dispersion;

(E) The adequacy of facilities available to accommodate the nursing program expansion pilot project;

(F) The amount and manner in which health care needs unique to West Virginia are addressed and will be addressed; and

(G) The degree to which institutions of higher education cooperate in the nursing program expansion pilot project.

(4) The nursing program expansion pilot project established in this article shall be supported financially in part from a line item appropriations in the “Center for Nursing Fund”.

(A) Additional financial support shall come from fees generated by services, from grants and contracts, and from community resources. Any fees so generated shall be paid to and expended by the site selected for a nursing pilot program unless an alternative fee arrangement is mutually agreed upon by the chief administrator of the site and the Senior Director of Health Sciences.

(B) Consistent with the Legislative declaration, in §18B-2-6 of this code, that adequate funding will be pursued to maintain the accreditation, integrity and quality of medical education and other health sciences programs, the commission’s division of health sciences shall prepare a budget for the nursing program expansion pilot project established in this article with funding included for, but not limited to, the following:

(i) Salary and benefits for nursing program expansion pilot project faculty and staff;

(ii) Student financial support or assistance in exchange for a commitment to render one year of nursing services in West Virginia for each year of financial support; and

(iii) Resources including, but not limited to, simulation, equipment technology, and physical space to support program expansion.

(5) A preference for funding will be given by the commission’s division of health sciences to programs with a history of:

(A) Success rates on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) that are above the state average; and

(B) High levels of retention of graduates who remain in West Virginia after graduation.

(6) The commission’s Division of Health Sciences shall report at least annually, before January 4 each year, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability regarding the status of nursing program expansion pilot project outcomes.

(A) For purposes of the reports required herein, the nurse pilot program outcomes to be considered shall, at a minimum, include the following:

(i) The number of admissions to the pilot project;

(ii) The retention by year of the pilot project;

(iii) The graduation rate of the expanded nursing program class;

(iv) The licensure examination pass rate for graduates of the expanded nursing program class;

(v) The retention for employment in West Virginia of expanded nursing program graduates; and

(vi) Any other outcomes designed by the Senior Director of Health Sciences for reporting.