NHSC Scholarship 2020-2021

[cooliyak]

Curious about something. I got the scholarship. Now my school is saying because I took the full amount of loans for fall and summer, I have to give up my stipend payment for July-November. Anyone else hear of this or have this issue?

They might be referring to the fact that schools are limited in the amount of aid that each student gets. They aren’t allowed to give you more than their ”cost of attendance.” My school handled it by returning my loans for the amount of the scholarship + my stipend so I didn’t have to calculate things myself. Your school might be viewing it the opposite way that since you took the loans, they expect you to give back the stipend.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cooliyak]

I just emailed my financial aid advisor the “guidelines for your school” document as a pdf attachment. It’s short and to the point, and I’ve also discussed getting the scholarship with her in person so she’s aware. Now how about the ORC? What’s the deal with that? How do we go about writing up a list and submitting it? I read the guide and it’s a little vague..

You usually don’t have to do anything yourself. The NHSC calculates the ORC payment based on the tuition/fee schedule they get from your school. The only time you have to submit anything is if the school requires something, but it isn’t listed on your ORC. Some people have gotten loupes or scrubs paid for by the NHSC. I didn’t even try (didn’t know I could), so I don’t know that process.

 

[Sarcenet]

You usually don’t have to do anything yourself. The NHSC calculates the ORC payment based on the tuition/fee schedule they get from your school. The only time you have to submit anything is if the school requires something, but it isn’t listed on your ORC. Some people have gotten loupes or scrubs paid for by the NHSC. I didn’t even try (didn’t know I could), so I don’t know that process.

I see. Thank you very much. So nothing to do beside attending the webinar on the 6th of October I guess?
Well since you mentioned it, I wrote that question with loupes in mind. If anyone has an idea on how to go about including such items in your ORC, I’d appreciate the input

 

[DentalGuy123]

I see. Thank you very much. So nothing to do beside attending the webinar on the 6th of October I guess?
Well since you mentioned it, I wrote that question with loupes in mind. If anyone has an idea on how to go about including such items in your ORC, I’d appreciate the input

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. My school told me that I had to request ORC from NHSC directly and that the school only handles tuition and fees. I think I am going to call or email today to ask how we go about requesting ORC.

 

[jminugh]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. My school told me that I had to request ORC from NHSC directly and that the school only handles tuition and fees. I think I am going to call or email today to ask how we go about requesting ORC.

Please let me know what they say! I messaged them through the portal about this the other day and still have not gotten a response. My school told me the same thing! They said I needed to ask NHSC about the ORC because they only handle the tuition and fees.

 

[cooliyak]

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. My school told me that I had to request ORC from NHSC directly and that the school only handles tuition and fees. I think I am going to call or email today to ask how we go about requesting ORC.

You shouldn't need to do anything to receive the ORC payment. That part is all automatic. The NHSC already has a list of costs that are required to attend your program. Based on that, they will determine the amount that the ORC is. They will go over this during the webinar.

Just as an added layer of reliability/security for my answer on this question, I watched the recorded webinar from a previous year to verify my answer and during the Q&A session at the end, there were two questions dealing with this specifically. They were:

1) Q: Can you reiterate our responsibilities for the ORC? Should we submit itemized costs to our school?
A: You do not need to submit itemized cost to the NHSC regarding your ORC. The amount that you will be reimbursed will dependent on your disciple, year in school and the information that your school provided to the NHSC.

2) Q: My school said they only bill for tuition and fees, so how do I get the ORC costs that are covered by NHSC over to NHSC?
A: you do not need to submit an itemized list to the NHSC regarding ORC. The amount that you will reimbursed is dependent upon your discipline, your year in school and the information that your school provided on the data collection worksheet that was submitted to the NHSC.


Also, just as a bonus, they give you the money to purchase a new computer your first year as well.

I hope this helps.

Link to the webinar recording: NHSC New Scholar Welcome Webinar Recording

 

[DentalGuy123]

You shouldn't need to do anything to receive the ORC payment. That part is all automatic. The NHSC already has a list of costs that are required to attend your program. Based on that, they will determine the amount that the ORC is. They will go over this during the webinar.

Just as an added layer of reliability/security for my answer on this question, I watched the recorded webinar from a previous year to verify my answer and during the Q&A session at the end, there were two questions dealing with this specifically. They were:

1) Q: Can you reiterate our responsibilities for the ORC? Should we submit itemized costs to our school?
A: You do not need to submit itemized cost to the NHSC regarding your ORC. The amount that you will be reimbursed will dependent on your disciple, year in school and the information that your school provided to the NHSC.

2) Q: My school said they only bill for tuition and fees, so how do I get the ORC costs that are covered by NHSC over to NHSC?
A: you do not need to submit an itemized list to the NHSC regarding ORC. The amount that you will reimbursed is dependent upon your discipline, your year in school and the information that your school provided on the data collection worksheet that was submitted to the NHSC.


Also, just as a bonus, they give you the money to purchase a new computer your first year as well.

I hope this helps.

Link to the webinar recording: NHSC New Scholar Welcome Webinar Recording

That was super helpful thank you! Although its old news now I did call NHSC and they stated (just as above) that the student holds no responsibilities in terms of requesting funds.

I do have one question though regarding computer reimbursement. How much do they give you? Computers vary so much in cost I do not see how they could give you anything accurate without a receipt/ proof of purchase. Regardless, I am very happy to hear that we don't have to go through the process of requesting specific amounts and it is all out of our hands!

 

[cooliyak]

That was super helpful thank you! Although its old news now I did call NHSC and they stated (just as above) that the student holds no responsibilities in terms of requesting funds.

I do have one question though regarding computer reimbursement. How much do they give you? Computers vary so much in cost I do not see how they could give you anything accurate without a receipt/ proof of purchase. Regardless, I am very happy to hear that we don't have to go through the process of requesting specific amounts and it is all out of our hands!

I’m pretty sure they just give $1500 to everyone regardless of whether they purchased one or not or how much they spent on one. That’s what they told me my year.

 

[klillie]

Congrats everybody! I'm a first year PA student that got the award. I've spoken with my financial aid officer, but I'm still a bit unclear and hoping one of you guys know the answer. So my financial aid officer is thinking that the stipend does not count towards our cost of attendance since it is federally taxed. So does this mean I can still receive my lump sum and not use all of it for my loans? Also, for the living expenses I've already taken out (summer/fall semesters), I'm assuming it's ok to not return those and plan to pay that off when I graduate? And just pay back the tuition/fees that I took out in loans. I'm planning to continue taking out a small amount in loans to supplement the monthly stipend since I have a toddler in daycare.

 

[masterearthbender]

Congrats everybody! I'm a first year PA student that got the award. I've spoken with my financial aid officer, but I'm still a bit unclear and hoping one of you guys know the answer. So my financial aid officer is thinking that the stipend does not count towards our cost of attendance since it is federally taxed. So does this mean I can still receive my lump sum and not use all of it for my loans? Also, for the living expenses I've already taken out (summer/fall semesters), I'm assuming it's ok to not return those and plan to pay that off when I graduate? And just pay back the tuition/fees that I took out in loans. I'm planning to continue taking out a small amount in loans to supplement the monthly stipend since I have a toddler in daycare.

Congrats! I am not entirely sure if I understood your question. The scholarship will pay for your tuitions and fees directly to your school. The monthly stipend is meant to cover living expenses. They will back pay July to October stipends and an annual other reasonable costs. If you had a summer term tuition you can contact your assigned support officer so NHSC can pay that. I don’t think you have to pay back the loans but if you are able to with the back pay stipend not a bad idea to minimize interest.

 

[klillie]

Congrats! I am not entirely sure if I understood your question. The scholarship will pay for your tuitions and fees directly to your school. The monthly stipend is meant to cover living expenses. They will back pay July to October stipends and an annual other reasonable costs. If you had a summer term tuition you can contact your assigned support officer so NHSC can pay that. I don’t think you have to pay back the loans but if you are able to with the back pay stipend not a bad idea to minimize interest.

Thank you. Your response pretty much answers my questions. I'm new to student loans, and of course the NHSC, so I'm pretty foggy on the process. Hopefully tomorrow's webinar helps clear up some more questions too!

 

[cooliyak]

Thank you. Your response pretty much answers my questions. I'm new to student loans, and of course the NHSC, so I'm pretty foggy on the process. Hopefully tomorrow's webinar helps clear up some more questions too!

What they are most likely referring to is the amount of “aid” you are allowed to receive per federal guidelines. Technically, the stipend does count, so it should be deducted from the totally amount of aid your school can give you. If your school doesn’t think it counts, it can give you some breathing room as far as your day to day/month to month finances are concerned. However, know that it is possible for them to request back that amount if they ever catch the error.

 

[sb5ez]

Hi all,
My school financial aid officer informed me that I did not receive funding for the summer quarter despite being enrolled in classes this past summer (she just said that on her end, it looks like my scholarship starts Fall quarter and not earlier). I called BHW customer service to find out why, and the customer service agent told me that it was because the funding cycle starts July 1st. My quarter started on June 22nd. Because of that, my entire summer quarter is not funded by NHSC. Has anyone else run into this with a similar situation, or if not, did your summer quarter start before July 1, and are you still getting funded?

 

[memedical]

Question: I see that the HPSA score minimum has risen over the years with this years being a minimum of 20. Does anyone have any knowledge as to why this is the case? Is it due to a lack of funding?

 

[cooliyak]

Hi all,
My school financial aid officer informed me that I did not receive funding for the summer quarter despite being enrolled in classes this past summer (she just said that on her end, it looks like my scholarship starts Fall quarter and not earlier). I called BHW customer service to find out why, and the customer service agent told me that it was because the funding cycle starts July 1st. My quarter started on June 22nd. Because of that, my entire summer quarter is not funded by NHSC. Has anyone else run into this with a similar situation, or if not, did your summer quarter start before July 1, and are you still getting funded?

I’m pretty sure that is a hard line for them. That’s why they had you report your start and end dates during the application. I would be shocked if anyone got a semester paid in your situation without it being a major oversight on the part of the NHSC.

 

[smq123]

Question: I see that the HPSA score minimum has risen over the years with this years being a minimum of 20. Does anyone have any knowledge as to why this is the case? Is it due to a lack of funding?

Doubtful.

Their website says: The NHSC has determined that the minimum HPSA scores listed above for all service-ready NHSC scholars will enable it to meet its statutory obligation to identify a number of entities eligible for NHSC scholar assignment that is at least equal to, but not greater than, twice the number of NHSC scholars available to serve in the 2021 class year.

It tends to rise and fall. I think when I was a student, the max score was 21, but it dropped to 16 the following year.

 

[doc2be6266]

Question: I see that the HPSA score minimum has risen over the years with this years being a minimum of 20. Does anyone have any knowledge as to why this is the case? Is it due to a lack of funding?

I was told that it changes year To year based on the number of sites that have a need for providers and the number of NHSC eligible providers. It increased recently due to an increased demand/need by sites for providers in underserved areas.

 

[memedical]

I was told that it changes year To year based on the number of sites that have a need for providers and the number of NHSC eligible providers. It increased recently due to an increased demand/need by sites for providers in underserved areas.

But, if there was an increased demand/need for providers wouldn't they lower the HPSA score? A score of 20 and above is a very narrow range. Whereas if they had lowered it to say an 18 or even an 19, far more clinics would qualify to have an NHSC Scholar.

 

[doc2be6266]

But, if there was an increased demand/need for providers wouldn't they lower the HPSA score? A score of 20 and above is a very narrow range. Whereas if they had lowered it to say an 18 or even an 19, far more clinics would qualify to have an NHSC Scholar.

That’s what I thought too, but they increase the score so as to fill areas of highest need first.

 

[LALAlandDOC]

Has anyone received payment yet at their school?

 

[Dr. Attucks]

I missed the webinar that was a while ago so I don't know if this was mentioned but do they contact the school directly or do we need to provide some type of form to the school, also when can we anticipate our first payment.

 

[drhhdds]

I missed the webinar that was a while ago so I don't know if this was mentioned but do they contact the school directly or do we need to provide some type of form to the school, also when can we anticipate our first payment.

You need to go to your portal and send your financial aid officer the information/presentation that is there for them and they will then contact the NHSC. In the BHW portal, go to my service information and click on "View my service information and documents" and you'll find the guidelines there for your school.

 

[drhhdds]

I'm applying to the NHSC next year and just had a question to plan ahead. Do you upload the letter of recommendations from your writers yourself or do you have to request them through the writer's e-mail? Or can you do both?

You have to request them through the NHSC Applicant portal. You aren't allowed to upload them yourself. And i don't think there is even a possible way to upload it yourself.

 

[anondent20]

Has anyone received payment yet at their school?

Curious about this as well. My school has been pretty unresponsive and I don't even know if they've reached out like the Guidelines told them to yet. I don't see any payment from them though.

 

[drhhdds]

Curious about this as well. My school has been pretty unresponsive and I don't even know if they've reached out like the Guidelines told them to yet. I don't see any payment from them though.

My school told me to contact them again when I receive payment. Everything i've seen says that the payment should arrive within the first week of November, at the latest. I wouldn't contact anyone until the 2nd week of November if we still haven't received anything.

 

[drhhdds]

But I would contact your school to ensure that they did reach out to them. They need to do that so the NHSC knows how much to actually pay back to you etc.

 

[DentalGuy123]

Has anyone been able to find where to confirm that you elect to receive the W-2 form via the BHW portal? I ask where to do that on the portal and they said
"To receive the 2020 W2 through your customer service portal, you can update this information on your Customer Service Portal homepage by using the following links under “Need Assistance?”
a. Update My Contact Information
b. Set My Tax Document Delivery Preference"

The problem is I do not see a "Set My Tax Document Delivery Preference" option before or after I click "Update My Contact Information"

Also, does anyone know when we are expected to receive the W-2 form? Thanks!

 

[anondent20]

For those that received their stipend/ORC today: Was tax withheld for everyone? I don't think I should be withheld any taxes because I make less annually than the threshold at which taxes must be filed. However, it seems that tax was withheld as I got less than 4 months worth of stipend ($1,419*4 = $5,675). Thanks in advance! Trying to figure it out on my own before contacting through the portal because I know that can take a while lol.

 

[drhhdds]

For those that received their stipend/ORC today: Was tax withheld for everyone? I don't think I should be withheld any taxes because I make less annually than the threshold at which taxes must be filed. However, it seems that tax was withheld as I got less than 4 months worth of stipend ($1,419*4 = $5,675). Thanks in advance! Trying to figure it out on my own before contacting through the portal because I know that can take a while lol.

Yeah I got less than that. So I think they did take out taxes. Aren’t we also suppose to get an email with a breakdown of the ORC?

 

[drhhdds]

I got an email saying that they didn't have my Summer or Fall EVF on file.... What? i thought i needed to get those submitted to even be considered for the award.... so now they are asking me to resend everything in. fml man

 

[bphilly812]

I'm also curious about the ORC breakdown because I don't think mine includes the $1,000 they stated everyone gets for a laptop as well as some other things...

 

[anondent20]

I got an email saying that they didn't have my Summer or Fall EVF on file.... What? i thought i needed to get those submitted to even be considered for the award.... so now they are asking me to resend everything in. fml man

Wow that's annoying as hell. Definitely were required to send it in prior to being awarded so I don't know how that would happen. Seems like there will be a lot of just going with the flow in the program. Have yet to hear back anything about my tuition and fees being paid lol. I guess they'll take care of it eventually but getting concerned since I have like 6 weeks till the semester ends.

 

[sb5ez]

I got an email saying that they didn't have my Summer or Fall EVF on file.... What? i thought i needed to get those submitted to even be considered for the award.... so now they are asking me to resend everything in. fml man

Same here! Also, an update on a previous post: despite my summer quarter starting before July 1st, it is in fact funded by the NHSC. The rule is actually that if you are in school during July (even if your quarter started in June) then you are funded. I got an email today saying I just need to fill out the Summer EVF so they can disburse the funds to my school. I also need to fill out the Fall EVF again because they said it's not on file. It looks like the form has changed slightly from the one they sent in September, so I am filling out the new one and sending in. They are asking me to upload it to the portal...does anyone know where we upload these files on the portal?

 

[cooliyak]

Same here! Also, an update on a previous post: despite my summer quarter starting before July 1st, it is in fact funded by the NHSC. The rule is actually that if you are in school during July (even if your quarter started in June) then you are funded. I got an email today saying I just need to fill out the Summer EVF so they can disburse the funds to my school. I also need to fill out the Fall EVF again because they said it's not on file. It looks like the form has changed slightly from the one they sent in September, so I am filling out the new one and sending in. They are asking me to upload it to the portal...does anyone know where we upload these files on the portal?

Very good news! Thanks for the update!
As for uploading them, unless they changed things, you go to your portal, click on “Ask a question” and then select “in school: verification” from the drop down. Then you just upload it (find it in the file finder and click upload... the page will reload just FYI) and then click send.

 

[ljohnson71]

So I got 2 deposits yesterday, I’m assuming that one is ORC and the other is stipend? I’m going to send a message on the portal to see if they can provide a breakdown also.

 

[drhhdds]

Did anyone get a breakdown yet?

 

[masterearthbender]

No breakdown, but I received the ORC payment and the 4 monthly stipends (after tax was $1272). The ORC I received was $5700.

 

[LALAlandDOC]

Have they paid anyone's school yet?

 

[doc2be6266]

Have they paid anyone's school yet?

Yes, my school has been paid, and my loans have been refunded.

 

[anondent20]

Did anyone get a breakdown for ORC? My school's "Books and Supplies" cost as part of their COA is a few grand more than what I was awarded in ORC...

 

[janseye]

Did anyone get a breakdown for ORC? My school's "Books and Supplies" cost as part of their COA is a few grand more than what I was awarded in ORC...

You can find it all in the portal. I got a message with a breakdown of ORC and the stipend breakdown is under "my tax information".

 

[memedical]

I was wondering if someone can clarify something for me. The HPSA score that will be used to determine which sites are eligible to complete your service is determined when you receive the scholarship? Or is it after your residency?

 

[cooliyak]

I was wondering if someone can clarify something for me. The HPSA score that will be used to determine which sites are eligible to complete your service is determined when you receive the scholarship? Or is it after your residency?

They usually inform you the year of your graduation. I was notified sometime in the Fall of my 4th year.

 

[janseye]

I have received ORC and stipend but my school is still waiting for payment. Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[bphilly812]

I have received ORC and stipend but my school is still waiting for payment. Has this happened to anyone else?

I emailed my school, but haven’t heard back yet...

 

[caloc]

How long does it usually take for your PSO to respond to you guys?

 

[anondent20]

How long does it usually take for your PSO to respond to you guys?

24-48 hours on average

 

[doc2be6266]

Does anyone know if our monthly stipends are subject to both federal and state tax?

 

[cooliyak]

Does anyone know if our monthly stipends are subject to both federal and state tax?

Yes they are. NHSC will withhold your federal taxes based off the W4 that you turned in with your finalist paperwork. You are responsible for paying the state and local taxes.

 

[jasminb]

Anyone else still waiting on fall tuition payment?