The Health Care Professional Incentive Program (HCPIP) was established to recruit and retain health care professionals in high-need areas in Iowa. The program provides an award to individuals who agree to practice in specified locations for up to five full-time years. Eligible health care professionals can elect to receive the award as an income bonus or as a federal student loan payment. The award is paid at the end of each successive year of qualifying employment.
Eligible Health Care Professions
House File 972 (Sec. 11 subsection 2), requires the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, in coordination with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, to determine the number of FY26 awards that will be made in each eligible health care profession under the Health Care Professional Incentive Program prior to the beginning of FY26.
House File 972 (Sec. 11, subsection 2: Program established. The health care professional incentive program is established and shall be administered by the commission, in coordination with the department, for the purpose of offering awards to recruit and retain eligible health care professionals for employment in eligible practice areas. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter, the commission, in coordination with the department, shall determine the number of awards available for each eligible health care profession prior to the commencement of the fiscal year.
The proposed number of available awards in each occupation category under the Health Care Professional Incentive program will be, at a minimum, the average number of awards in each health care profession over the course of the past three years, cumulatively from each of the five state programs consolidated into the Health Care Professional Incentive Program. In coordination with Iowa College Aid and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), occupations with fewer than three awards made based on the combined three-year average were removed. The remaining health care professions listed are inclusive of those that were eligible for loan repayment or income bonus programs administered by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission or the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the FY25 (state fiscal year 2025; July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025). Note: some specialties are generalized into broader occupation categories.
Because HF972 establishes a new program consolidating and expanding upon several programs previously administered by two state agencies, the Iowa College Student Aid Commission is interested in and welcomes public comment and feedback, specifically regarding methods and data sources.
Direct written comments to grants.iowacollegeaid@iowa.gov with the subject of βHealth Care Professional Incentive Program.β
Iowa College Aid and the Department of Health and Human Services will use comments received to inform future lists of eligible health care occupations and relative need amongst those health care occupations across identified geographic practice areas.
| Occupation title - Eligible health care professions | 3-year average # of awards (combined) |
|---|---|
| Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (includes all categories) | 14 |
| Licensed Professional Counselor (Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, Mental Health Counselor) | 8 |
| Nurse Educator | 5 |
| Occupational Therapist | 3 |
| Physical Therapist | 10 |
| Physician Assistant (includes all categories) | 7 |
| Physicians (includes all categories) | 19 |
| Registered Nurse | 8 |
| Social Worker (licensed social workers qualified to provide mental health counseling) | 8 |
| Total | 82 |
Eligibility Criteria
- Be licensed to practice and employed in an eligible health care profession and eligible practice area within 6 months of signing a program agreement
- Practice in a high-need community for five years.
- Cannot have received funding under any of the following programs:
- Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services),
- Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program (administered by the Iowa Department of Education),
Health Care Professional Recruitment Program (administered by the Iowa Department of Education), - Health Care Award Program (administered by the Iowa Department of Education),
- Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (administered by the Iowa Department of Education).
Award Amount
The maximum award amounts for each eligible health care profession will be published on this page on or before September 1, 2025. Awards are payable in annual installments at the end of each year of qualifying employment. An eligible health care professional can receive 25% of the maximum award after completing the first year of qualified employment; 15% of the maximum award per year upon completion of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year of qualified employment, respectively; and 35% of the maximum award upon completion of the 5th year of qualified employment. The eligible health care professional elects to receive the award as an income bonus or federal student loan repayment. Income bonus payments to individuals are considered taxable income and the State of Iowa will issue a 1099 MISC for tax filing purposes. Details on the taxability of loan repayment benefits can be found on the IRS website.
Eligible Geographic Practice Areas
Eligible geographic practice areas will be published prior to January 2026.
How to Apply
The application will be available in January 2026.
Important Dates
Feb. 28, 2026: Date applications must be submitted by to guarantee consideration.