HPSP Backout

[MaxAnn]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I have a question: What if someone were already on HPSP and decided they didn't want to continue dental school but wanted a career in the Navy? What options would they have? Do you think the Navy would accomodate in any way? Just curious.

 

[MaxAnn]

Thank you.

 

[shamrock2006]

I had someone the other day ask me about backing out of the HPSP. I didnt really know how to answer. I wouldnt even know how that would work/be possible. I vaguely remember reading something in my contract about how if I left school, failed out, etc. that I could be enlisted against my will. Talk about motivation to finish!

 

[hattrack04]

You could become a headline in the news if you tried!! I remeber that on Fox news, they had a story about a female who was just finishing med school under the Army HPSP. Once she was close to graduating, she had "life changing" experiences that made her be completly against war for any reason......silly med school students.. Now she's trying to take it to court. So at least you'd get a little air time

 

[shamrock2006]

I have referred MaxAnn to someone who will be able to give her a definite answer.

As far as your comment (shamrock) about being enlisted against your will, no it isn't that way. If it states in your contract that if you withdraw from a program that you will owe the military 'x' amount of years as an enlisted person and you signed that contract without coercion, then you would not be 'elisted against your will'. In that event, you chose to take the scholarship and you would have chosen to withdraw from school. At that point, you are obligated to live by the 'other terms' of your agreement - the ones that state what will happen if you don't finish d-school. You would become an enlisted personnel by your own choice.

As for MaxAnn's case, she needs to talk to one of a couple specific people - one of which I referred her to discuss her situation and figure out what needs to be done.

I suppose that makes more sense...this was a while ago once i signed it and i just remember seeing in the section where it said leaving/being excused from d-school and then something about enlistment shortly thereafter..maybe I should get a copy of the contract and read it again. Good call. Anyway, since we ARE on the subject...does anyone know if someone has ever tried this? I cant imagine that if you backed out that it just becomes a loan you payback to the military (along w/ the stipend payments obviously). Dont get me wrong I have NO intention of backing out of this. I think this scholarship is a sweet deal..but now i'm curious.

 

[hattrack04]

I suppose that makes more sense...this was a while ago once i signed it and i just remember seeing in the section where it said leaving/being excused from d-school and then something about enlistment shortly thereafter..maybe I should get a copy of the contract and read it again. Good call. Anyway, since we ARE on the subject...does anyone know if someone has ever tried this? I cant imagine that if you backed out that it just becomes a loan you payback to the military (along w/ the stipend payments obviously). Dont get me wrong I have NO intention of backing out of this. I think this scholarship is a sweet deal..but now i'm curious.

Yes, I'm pretty sure it has happened. There was another med student who also said that they no longer believed in war or the military. She took it to court and won, and is now repaying the money back: I don't exactly know the type of repayment plan that was established. The female that I was referring to in my previous post heard about this story, and found the lawyer who won that case. She hired him/her, and also tried to get out of the scholarship. I don't know if she won or lost, or if the case is still going on....

 

[jfitzpat]

By knowing the history of your posts, I didn't think you were. But, I also had to make sure I defended the contract as well. I guess that is a very touchy subject with me these days - but more so because of the crap that professional athletes are gettign away with these days by signing these huge contracts and the not lving up to them when other people get better contracts or they sign a contract and then have a breakout season and feel they deserve a huge contract like every one else. So, they cry about the contract they signed. There is no honor these days when a contract is signed. So, that is why I had to defend the contract and state that if you signed it you must know what the contract said.

I agree. The force of the contract is especially true under these circumstances. Normally, there is nothing wrong per se with breaking a contract. There are rights and obligations and by breaking the contract, there are consequences. In nearly every situation, the extent of the consequences for breaking a contract are money damages. Many times in the business world, it makes financial sense to break a contract.

However, when you sign up with Uncle Sam, it is a whole differenct ball game. Now you become part of the military justice family and can go to jail for not honoring you contract. Does this happen often...no, but it is something that people should be aware of going in.

 

[jfitzpat]

Your way of thinking is why this is a touchy subject for me. If it si OK for a person to break a contract, then what is the use of a contact. A contact is a BINDING agree between two entities. For employment purposes, one side says I promise I will give you a job. The other side I promise I will faithfully work for you for 'X' amount of time. You use to be able trust a person that he/she would stand by their agreement. You never questioned it. You are sayig there is nothing wrong per say. So you basically agree that sports players have the right to back out of their agreement in order to seek more money for the same timeframe that they would have been paid less. this is a common thing today. Someone signs a contract for x millions for 5 years, but they have one or two great years and want XXX millions or they want traded or won't play even though they are still under contract for one or more seasons. Is that right? NO! Do you think the owners can say, hey, I know we have a contract, but you haved played like crap since we signed the contract. I want to sign a new contract where you are going to be paid 1/3rd or what you would have made because you are not performing as expected. Would that ever be allowed? HELL NO!!!!!! There is nothing right with breaking a contract. That is why there are allway certain stipulations placed in a contract to prevent others from breaking a contract or there are laws that bind up to the contracts. Your train of thought is just one of the many examples of how the US has been going down hill. I love the US, but I hate the road it is traveling!

Easy there tiger. All I meant was that it isn't "illegal" to breach a regular contract. Are there moral implications...sure, but all I was saying was that breaching a regular contract is much different that breaching an HPSP contract.

That being said, I disagree with you. If you've ever been in the business world, breaching contracts is a part of life. If you have a cell phone contract with Sprint and want to swtich to ATT, you pay the early termination fee. Guess what, you just breached the contract and became one of the people bringing our country downhill.

 

[MaxAnn]

I don't want to back out but classmates ask such question frequently, and I got tired of saying I don't know. I actually agree with one of the other posters, in that I think the scholarship is pretty good. In fact, I doubt I would be finishing dental school without it.

 

[scuzfly]

I'm pretty sure the Navy could find you a job if you wanted. It might not be what you wanted but the Navy would be glad to have you work for them for a while.

 

[jfitzpat]

I know you weren't talking about the military side! But I was referring to employment contracts. I guess I had my blinders on and was only thinking from the employment side and not thinking you were talking about other tangible things like phone service contracts, etc. Yes, they have termination fees and things like taht to allow you to break the contracts. I understand that. Fully agree with you as that is a part of life, but it is more of a buyout of contract not a breaking of contract in those cases.

I'm with you. Sorry for my surliness.

As for your clear hatred of pro sport contracts, I'm not sure what sport you're talking about but the big one you hear about is the NFL. The reason this is the case is because NFL contracts are NOT binding (except for the signing bonus). That's why it is so funny when you see a big deal come down the pipe. Neither the player or the NFL are really bound to the contract. If the player has a massive year, he can demand a renegotiation and if he has a dismal year, the team came do the same. The reason you always hear about the players demanding more money is because it is more pressworthy. People would rather hear TO whine about deserving more cash than hear about a team cutting a players salary for having a crappy year. I hope that maybe it makes you feel a little better knowing that it isn't only the players doing it but also the teams. Either way, I agree that it is an exercise in ridiculousness, but it doesn't appear that it is going to change any time soon.

 

[MaxAnn]

I had someone the other day ask me about backing out of the HPSP. I didnt really know how to answer. I wouldnt even know how that would work/be possible. I vaguely remember reading something in my contract about how if I left school, failed out, etc. that I could be enlisted against my will. Talk about motivation to finish!

Dude, you're hilarious.

 

[tigertooth08]

I kind of asked before I signed the contract just to know my options. If for whatever reason you flunk out, get sick, hate it, etc you still owe the military 4 years and are subject to repaying their investment (since obviously you aren't "worth" as much anymore). I was told that if I don't graduate for whatever reason, I would be a Medical Officer (med-o).

Hope that helps....

 

[jfitzpat]

I kind of asked before I signed the contract just to know my options. If for whatever reason you flunk out, get sick, hate it, etc you still owe the military 4 years and are subject to repaying their investment (since obviously you aren't "worth" as much anymore). I was told that if I don't graduate for whatever reason, I would be a Medical Officer (med-o).

Hope that helps....

They have the right to the things you mention, but they use it with discretion. I'm having some issues right now with my hands and have been told that:

1. If I can't go on to be a dentist, they will let me out of my contract.

2. Though there are no promises, as a rule in situations like mine, they do not require payback.