§ 677-a. Physician loan repayment program. 1. Certification.
Physician loan repayment awards shall be awarded each year. Such awards
shall be allocated as provided in article nine of the public health law
to eligible physicians as certified to the president by the commissioner
of health.

2. Duration. Each award shall entitle the recipient to an annual award
and a recipient shall be eligible for no more than two academic years
and no more than four years in post-residency placement.

3. Calculation of award amounts. The president shall be responsible
for calculating the dollar amount of each award that eligible candidates
may receive from this program pursuant to section nine hundred three of
the public health law. For the purposes of this section, student loan
expense shall mean the cumulative total of the annual student loans
covering the cost of attendance at an undergraduate institution and/or
medical school. Interest paid or due on student loans that an applicant
has taken out for use in paying for such undergraduate and/or medical
education shall be considered eligible for reimbursement under this
program.

4. Award disbursement. Annual award disbursements shall be the
responsibility of the president.