AB 619

Under current law, the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

(Board of Regents) administers a physician and dentist loan assistance program

under which the Board of Regents may repay up to $50,000 in educational loans

made to a dentist who agrees to practice for three years in a dental health shortage

area in this state.

This bill prohibits the Board of Regents from entering into any agreements

after June 30, 2012, to repay the educational loans of a dentist. Instead, effective on

July 1, 2012, the bill directs the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) to establish

a dental student grant and dentist loan assistance program under which HEAB

provides grants to dental students, and repays the educational loans of dentists, who

agree to practice dentistry in dental health shortage areas in this state or to provide

dental services to individuals who are residents of this state and who are recipients

of Medical Assistance (resident MA recipients).

Specifically, the bill requires HEAB to make grants to resident students who

are enrolled full time in a program of study in this state leading to a doctor of dental

surgery (D.D.S.) degree and who enter into an agreement with HEAB under which

the student agrees to practice dentistry in a dental health shortage area for the same

number of years as the student received a grant or to provide dental services to not

less than 50 resident MA recipients in the first year of the agreement and to not less

than an additional 50 resident MA recipients in each of the next three years of the

agreement. Under the bill, the maximum amount of a grant that a student may

receive during a fiscal year is $30,000 or an amount equal to the cost of tuition, fees,

and expenses charged to attend the school of dentistry in which the student is

enrolled for an academic year, whichever is less, and the maximum total amount of

grants that a student may receive is $120,000 or an amount equal to that cost for four

academic years, whichever is less.

The bill also requires HEAB to provide loan assistance to dentists who enter

into an agreement with HEAB under which the dentist agrees to practice dentistry

in a dental health shortage area for five years or to provide dental services to not less

than 50 resident MA recipients in the first year of the agreement and to not less than

an additional 50 resident MA recipients in each of the next four years of the

agreement. The bill, however, permits either HEAB or the dentist, at the end of two

years, to elect to terminate the agreement or to continue the agreement for the

remaining three years of the agreement. Under the bill, the maximum amount of

loan assistance that a dentist may receive during a fiscal year is $20,000 and the

maximum total amount of loan assistance that a dentist may receive is $100,000.

In addition, the bill permits HEAB to repay the educational loans of a dentist

under an expanded dentist loan assistance program that is funded through federal

funds in addition to state matching funds. To be eligible for loan assistance under

the expanded dentist loan assistance program, a dentist must be a U.S. citizen, may