Form 1 2016 NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

BHW Management Information System Solution (BMISS)
National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
Loan Repayment Program (LRP)
FY 2016 Online Application User Guide
November 2015

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
1

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Table of Contents
Introduction: NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

3

Section 1: BHW Portal

4

Section 2: Create Account

5

Section 3: Logging In

7

Section 4: Forgot Your Password

8

Section 5: Home Page

10

Section 6: Eligibility

13

Section 7: General Information

15

Section 8: Discipline, Training & Certification

18

Section 9: Employment

20

Section 10: Employment Verification

22

Section 11: Loan Information

24

Section 12: Loan Details

27

Section 13: Supporting Documents

30

Section 13: Self Certification

32

Section 14: Review & Submit

34

Section 15: Submitted Landing Page

35

Section 16: Withdraw Application

37

Section 17: Edit Application (Prior to Application Deadline)

40

Section 18: Account Settings

42

Section 19: Resolving Issues

43

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
2

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Introduction: NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
Purpose: The NHSC LRP Online Application user guide serves as the main tool for the Customer Care Center to answer applicant questions
regarding issues applicants have when calling for resolution. In addition to this user guide, the Customer Care Center Analysts must be familiar with
the NHSC LRP Application Program & Guidance, as some of the questions will be program based and will not be discussed in this user guide. The
primary intent of this user guide is to focus on the functionality developed for the NHSC LRP Online Application.

Roles: The application will be filled out by external users. The Customer Care Center Analysts need to understand the functionality to support
external users should he/she encounter any problems with the application.

Precondition: Applicant has a question regarding the NHSC LRP Online Application and contacts the Customer Care Center for help to resolve an
issue.

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
3

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 1: BHW Portal
The BHW Portal allows applicants to navigate to the NHSC LRP application. Note: Applicant will skip this page if he/she links directly from the HRSA website.

Steps:
1. Applicant selects “Applying for the NHSC Loan
Repayment Program.”
2. System displays log in page (see Section 2 and 3)
3. Applicant can log in and begin his/her application

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
4

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 2: Create Account
The first action an applicant takes for the NHSC LRP Online Application is to create an account.

Steps:
1. Applicant navigates to the Online Application via the weblink: https://programportal.hrsa.gov/extranet/application/nhsclrp
2. Applicant selects the “Create an NHSC LRP Application Account” link in the bottom left hand section of the page
Business Rules:
 System shall allow a user with an existing portal account from past cycle (including other programs) to login with his/her existing login information


System shall require current NHSC SP participants to login in with their portal account to apply for NHSC LRP application



System shall disable abilty to create an account after application deadline

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
5

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
The applicant will be prompted to fill in a series of fields in order to create an account. Once the applicant selects “Create,” the system will send an activation email
to the address used to create the account. Instructions for the applicant to activate his/her account are detailed in the email.
Steps:
1. Applicant answers each of the required fields
2. Applicant selects

to register for an account with NHSC

LRP
3. The system will prompt the user at the top of his/her screen that his/her
account is created. The system also sends an activation email to the applicant’s
email address
4. The email will be from: [email protected] with a subject of “Activate
your HRSA account.” The applicant will open the email and click on the
activation link in the body of the email
5. The system will re-direct the applicant to the Home page, notifying
him/her that his/her account is activated
Business Rules:
 The email address provided by the applicant will serve as his/her
username
 The system will not allow the applicant to use an email address that is
already attached to an existing participant account
 The following information will be auto-populated in the General
Information and Education, Licensure, & Training sections of the application
o First Name
o Last Name
o Middle Initial
o Title
o Suffix
 Applicants can select the tool tip next to the Password field for details on
password criteria


System shall not allow user to log into account until account is activated

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
6

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 3: Logging In
After activating an account, the applicant will be able to log in. The applicant will enter his/her email address and password used in creating his/her account. If the
applicant forgets his/her password, he/she can reset his/her password by selecting the “Forgot your password?” link.
Steps:
1. Applicant enters his/her email address and password
2. Applicant selects
(Login) and the system
brings him/her to the Not Started Home page
Business Rules:
 The applicant will be warned after his/her second
failed log in attempt
 The applicant’s account will be locked after the
third failed log in attempt
o The applicant can select “Forgot your
password?” to reset his/her account, or;
o Contact the Customer Care Center to
have his/her account unlocked
 System shall not allow user to create account if
Applicant’s Primary Email is already tied to a BMISS
participant account

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
7

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 4: Forgot Your Password
If the applicant forgets his/her password, he/she will select the

(Forgot Password) link and follow the steps in order to reset it:
Steps:
1. Applicant selects

(forgot your password)

2. Applicant enters his/her email address and selects

(Next) (see Figure 2)

3. The Applicant answers the security question that he/she selected when creating his/her
account, and selects

(Submit) (see Figure 3)

4. System displays confirmation and sends email to applicant (see Figure 4)
5. Applicant selects Reset Password Link from email
6. Applicant enters new password and selects
Figure 5)

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
8

(Update Password), (see

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
Notes:
Passwords must have a minimum length of eight characters; shall not contain slang,
jargon, or personal information; shall not contain all or part of your username; and
must contain: at least one English upper-case character (A-Z), at least one English
lower-case character (a-z), at least one numerical digit (0-9), and at least one special
character (e.g. @, !, $, %). A character may not be repeated more than once in
succession.

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
9

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 5: Home Page
The Not Started Home page is the first page the applicant will see on his/her initial log in. Once the applicant has started the application, his/her status will change to
“In Progress” and the applicant will be directed to the NHSC LRP “In Progress” Home Page when logging in.
Steps:
1. Applicant reviews the information displayed on the Home Page
2. Applicant selects

(Start My Application)

Notes:
 The applicant will be able to refer to this page by selecting the “Help” link on
the bottom of the all the application screens (see screen shot below)
 Applicants are requested to read the following documents prior to starting
his/her application:
o Application and Program Guidance (APG)
o NHSC Employment Verification Instructions and FAQ Document

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
10

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
11

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
If the applicant logs in to his/her previously saved application, the applicant will be directed to the Home page and the application will display an “In Progress” status.
The applicant will be able to continue with his/her last saved page or jump to any completed section of the application by selecting the blue hyperlink.
Steps:
1. Applicant reviews section information on status page
2. Applicant navigates to a specific section by selecting
the page name hyperlinked in the table, or;
3. Applicant continues his/her application from the last
saved page by selecting

(Continue)

Business Rules:
 System shall only link to pages that are in a
“Complete” or “In Progress” status. The applicant will
not be able to jump a page that is “Not Started”
 If the applicant selects “Continue,” the system
shall direct him/her to the last “In Progress” page. For
example, if ”Eligibility” is “Complete” and “General
Information” is “In Progress,” the system shall direct
applicant to General Information if he/she select
”Continue”

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
12

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 6: Eligibility
The Eligibility page ensures that the applicant meets the qualification requirements to apply for an NHSC LRP application. If the applicant is deemed eligible, he/she
will be able to continue with the application. If an individual does not pass the initial screening portion of the online application, he/she will not be able to continue
with the application.
Steps:
1. Applicant answers all required questions
2. Applicant selects
questions have been answered

(Save & Continue) once all

3. Applicant will move forward to the General Information page if he/she
is eligible
4. Applicant will be directed to the In Progress – Ineligible landing page
if found ineligible
Business Rules:
 Select any tool tip “
” for additional information on specific
question
 System shall require response to the following questions if
applicant indicates that he/she has an existing service obligation:
 Will it be completely satisfied on or before the submission date?
(Note: This business rule is not applicable to Scholar applicants)
 Are you a uniformed service member or member of the reserve
corps?

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
13

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
 System shall direct user to ineligible landing page if one
or more of the following answers are selected
o Current, full, permanent, etc. License = No
o Applicant US Citizen or National = No
o Existing service obligation = Yes and:
o Completed before submission= No and/or
o Uniformed service member = No
o Applicant judgment lien = Yes
o Applicant defaulted federal debt = Yes
o Applicant in breach of service obligation = Yes
o Applicant defaulted prior service obligation = Yes


System shall require the service verification document if:
o Yes to Existing Service Complete prior to
submission; and
o No or Yes to Uniformed Service member

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
14

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 7: General Information
The General Information page consists of questions about the applicant’s contact and background information. Some information (such as First and Last Name,
etc.) is pre-populated from the answers the applicant entered when creating his/her account.
Steps:
1. Applicant answers required fields
a. Required fields denoted with an asterisk (*).

2. Applicant selects
have answered all the required fields

(Save & Continue) once he/she

3. Applicant will be directed to Discipline, Training and Certification
page upon selecting continue if all required fields are entered
Business Rules:
 The following fields are populated from answers from the create
account process
o First Name
o Last Name
o Middle Initial
o Title
o Suffix
 System shall require that Applicant Birth Date is prior to
application cycle start date
 System shall make State/Province/Region a country other than
the United States is selected as the country
 System shall display error message and not allow user to
continue if user enters SSN that is tied to a participant portal account
 Error message will request the applicant to login with existing
participant portal account

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
15

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
 System shall display error message and not allow user
to continue if user enters SSN that is tied to another application
in current cycle
 Error message will request for the applicant to login with
existing application account
 System will display error message and will not allow
user to continue if a current participant is applying and the SSN
does not match the SSN in the participant record
o Error message will request for the applicant to
edit SSN or contact Customer Care Center to update participant
record
 System shall mask the SSN and require the user to
enter the SSN twice
 Error message will request the user re-enter his/her
SSN if the SSNs do not match
 System shall allow applicant to continue if SSN exists
within another application for a different program in the current
cycle and applicant is using the existing account information
 Note: If applicant modifies the SSN number in one
application, it will automatically update the SSN for all other
applications in the same cycle

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
16

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
 System shall display error message and not allow
applicant to continue if logged in with participant portal
information and SSN entered does not match
o Display error message that SSN does not
match existing portal account: edit SSN or contact Customer
Care Center to update participant record
Note: To expedite resolving an issue the Customer Care
Center should provide the error code listed in the error
message when entering a log.

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
17

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 8: Discipline, Training & Certification
The Discipline, Training and Certification page asks for details about an applicant’s previous work and education. The set of questions will change dynamically
based on the discipline that the applicant selects. For example, an applicant who selects the Dentist discipline will be prompted to answer a question regarding
his/her specialty, where as an applicant who selects the Health Service Psychologist discipline will be prompted to answer a question about practicing independently.
Steps:
1. Applicant answers required fields

2. User selects
(Save & Continue)
once he/she have answered all the required fields
3. Applicant will be directed to the Employment page
Business Rules:
 System shall require applicant to select a
specialty if the applicant selects one of the following
disciplines:
o
Dentist
o
Osteopathic Physician
o
Allopathic Physician
o
Nurse Practitioner
o
Physician Assistant
o
Psychiatric Nurse Specialist
 System shall require applicants with a specialty
in Geriatrics to upload a copy of his/her Geriatrics
Certification on the Supporting Documents page
 System shall require all applicants to answer
question, “Do you meet the degree, training, and
certification requirements for this discipline and
specialty, as defined in the 2016 NHSC LRP Application
and Program Guidance?” Those who select “No” will be
directed to the ineligible landing page

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
18

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide


System shall require applicant to enter the date he/she completed his/her residency within the RESIDENCY INFORMATION section if applicant selects one
of the following disciplines:
o Osteopathic Physician
o Allopathic Physician
o Dentist (with Pediatrics Specialty only)



System shall require applicant to enter Residency Program Name, City, State if discipline selected is:
o Osteopathic Physician
o Allopathic Physician
o Dentist (with Pediatrics Specialty only)



The Residency Program Completion date must be after the Degree Received Date



System shall require applicant to verify that he/she is able to practice without supervision if discipline selected is:
o Health Service Psychologist
o Licensed Professional Counselor
o Marriage and Family Therapist
o Licensed Clinical Social Worker



If applicant confirms that he/she cannot practice without supervision, he/she will be directed to the ineligible landing page



System shall not allow applicant to change discipline if any employment sites have been added to employment/EV page



An applicant must cancel any initiated or complete EVs in order to change his/her discipline

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
19

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 9: Employment
The Employment page garners the applicant’s current employment information. The applicant can select one or multiple sites where he/she is or will be employed.
Steps:
1. Applicant selects State in the drop down.
2. Applicant selects a City in the drop down.
3. System will populate participating sites based on HPSA type (derived from the
Discipline/Specialty selected on the Discipline, Training & Certification page) within the
State and City selected.
4. Applicant will select site(s) where he/she is or will be employed by clicking
(Add Site) button.
5. If applicant has selected all site(s), applicant will click the “Yes, all my sites have been
added” radio button.
6. If an applicant’s site is not displayed in the search results, the applicant will check the
“Check this box if your site is not listed in the search results” box.
7. Applicant will send an email to [email protected] to request for his/her site be added.
Email must include:
a. Site Name and Address
b. Site Administrator Name, Phone Number, and Email
c. Application ID number
d. Applicant Name
e. Discipline and Specialty
f. Nature of the issue with site
g. Any other pertinent information that will help customer service team in finding
an answer to status request.
i. The customer care team will investigate the request and make any
necessary updates if approved
ii. A representative will reply to the applicant’s email to let him/her know
the status of the inquiry
8. Applicant selects
all the required fields
PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
20

(Save and Continue) once he/she has answered

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Business Rules:
 System shall require applicant to enter at least
one site for Save and Continue to be enabled


Applicant may add an unlimited number of sites

 System shall list only sites in “Site City” with
eligible and approved sites that serve the discipline
selected


Applicant may delete a site that has been added

 System shall place Employment Information
page status as “In Progress” if applicant selects check
box indicating that he/she cannot find his/her site
 System shall place overall Employment
Information page status as “In Progress” if applicant
selects “No” to are all your sites added
 System shall place overall Employment
Information page status as “Complete” if applicant
selects “Yes” to are all your sites added
 System shall allow applicant to continue to the
next section, Employment Verification (EV), if he/she
selects “site not found”
 System shall require applicant to cancel EV
before trying to delete a site if an EV has been initiated

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
21

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 10: Employment Verification
Within the Employment Verification section of the online application, employment site Points of Contact (POCs) are required to answer questions regarding the
applicant’s current or future employment information. Applicants will be able to view the information submitted by the site POC upon submission of his/her
application. Based on the answers provided by the Site POC, an applicant may be deemed ineligible upon submission. If this occurs and the applicant believes it is
incorrect, the applicant will be able to edit his/her application, cancel the existing EV, and re-initiate a new one.
Steps:
1. Sites selected by the applicant in the Employment
section will be listed in the CURRENT REQUESTS table.
2. Applicant may click the site name to review that the
address, phone number and point of contact are listed for
his/her site(s)
3. Applicant may to initiate all EVs by clicking
(Initiate All) if none of the EVs have been
initiated
4. Applicant can initiate individual EVs by clicking
(Initiate) next to the appropriate site
5. Applicant selects
(Save
and Continue) once he/she has initiated his/her EV(s)
a. An applicant may navigate to the Loans page
without initiating EV(s), as there may be cases where the
applicant’s site is not listed in the system and the site is
under review
6. Applicant is directed to the Loans page

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
22

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
Business Rules:


System shall generate an EV request for each site added on the Employment page



System shall display EV status as “Not Started” until the applicant initiates the EV



System shall only allow applicant to select “Initiate All” if each EV status is “Not Started”



System shall allow applicant to reinitiate EV if EV status is “Returned-Unverified”
o An EV will be returned unverified if the site POC indicated that the applicant does not work at that site



System shall disable initiate button if EV status is “In Progress” or “Complete”
o The applicant will still be able to cancel the EV



System shall deem employment page complete when all EV(s) in the CURRENT REQUESTS table are complete



In order to delete a site on the Employment page, the applicant must cancel any EVs that are “In Progress” or “Completed”

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
23

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 11: Loan Information
The Loan Information page captures the loan data that an applicant will submit with his/her NHSC LRP application. If an applicant has a National Student Loan Data
System (NSLDS) account, and wishes to submit federal loans as part of his/her NHSC LRP application, he/she will have the option to retrieve and submit his/her
federal loans. Applicants also have the ability to manually add non-federal loans to their application, or to enter federal loan data manually as well. The steps to
retrieve loans using the NSLDS and/or to add loans manually are listed below.
Steps to Access your Loans:
1. Applicants navigate to LOG INTO YOUR NATIONAL
STUDENT LOAN DATA SYSTEM ACCOUNT and
clicks

2. Applicant is direct to the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid login
page and logs in using their FSA ID
3. Applicant will be automatically redirected to his/her NHSC LRP application after
authentication.
4. If NSLDS authentication and retrieval is successful, the applicant’s loan(s) will
display in the “Electronically Imported From Your NSLDS Account” table
a. Applicant can view a read only version of his/her loan details by clicking the
“View” button next to each loan electronically retrieved.
b. The date and time of the last successful transaction with the NSLDS will be
displayed for reference
c. Note: The social security number and date of birth entered in the General
Information section of the application must match the social security number and
date of birth on file with the Department of Education
PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
24

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
5. Applicant will answer “Yes” or “No” to “Do you have additional Loans that
need to be added?”
a. If applicant answers “No,” the
button will become available
and the applicant will be directed to Supporting Documents section of the
application
b. If applicant answers “Yes” applicant will be directed to Loan Details
page (see Section 12)
6. Applicant may update loans previously retrieved from NSLDS by clicking
the

(Update Loans) button
a. Applicant will be direct to the Department of Education's Federal
Student Aid login page and logs in using their FSA ID as detailed in Step 2
7. Applicant can remove electronically retrieved loans by clicking the
(Remove All Loans) button and confirming selection on
pop-window
8. Applicant will be able to view a comprehensive report of all NSLDS federal
loan data retrieved and submitted with his/her application upon submission of
his/her application

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
25

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
Steps to add loans manually:
1. Applicant clicks on the “Don’t have a Federal Student Aid ID or want to
enter loans Manually?” link under the “Need Help?” heading
2. Within the pop-up window, applicant clicks the
Loans Manually) button

(Add

3. Applicant is directed to Loan Details page (see Section 12)

Business Rules:


System shall require at least one loan (Electronic or Manual) to be added to
continue



System shall not require applicant to retrieve loans electronically



System shall check to see if applicant has already manually added federal loans and de-activate “Access your Loans” button



System will deactivate the “Access your Loans” button and display a notice if the applicant is using Internet Explorer version 9 or lower



System shall redirect applicant to his/her application and prompt data exchange between HHS and DoED when user successfully authenticates



System will verify an applicant’s date of birth and social security number matches what the Department of Education has on file



If the data exchange was not successful due to incomplete NSLDS data, the system shall display the following message “Certain loan information needed to
successfully transmit from the NSLDS to your online application was incomplete. Please reach out to the NSLDS and try again - OR - add your loans
manually.”



System shall display federal loans electronically retrieved under a table tiled “Electronically Imported From Your NSLDS Account”



System will require applicant to answer an additional question on the loans details page for all electronic Federal PLUS loans



System shall require user to re-authenticate with the Departments of Education to update electronic loans



System shall require applicant to confirm their decision to remove loans via a pop-up window



System shall ask applicant if additional loans need to be added before allowing to more forward to Supporting Documents



System shall direct applicant to Loan Details page if “Add Loans Manually” button is selected from Loan Information page
PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
26

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 12: Loan Details
The Loan Details page captures additional loan data that the applicant will submit for each manual loan he/she will submit with the application.

7

Please note: If an applicant submits all loans using his/her NSLDS login, and does
not manually add any loans to his/her application, he/she will not have access to the
loan details page.
Steps:
1. Applicant enters in all required fields:
a.
Name of current servicing lender (select from drop down)
b.
Loan account number
c.
Original date of loan
d.
Original amount of loan
e.
Current balance and date
f.
Type of loan (select from drop down)
g.
Is loan in default?
h.
Is loan under federal judgment?
i.
Interest Rate
j.
Purpose of loan
k.
Is the loan consolidated?
2. If applicant selects “Other” for current servicing lender, the applicant will be
prompted to complete the following fields:
a. Lending Institution name
b. Lending Institution phone number
c. Lending Institution fax number
3. If the applicant selects “Yes” to “Is this loan in default?” or “Is this loan under
Federal Court Judgment?” the applicant will be required to enter the date of
default/judgment
4. If the applicant selects “Yes” to “Was this loan sold?” the applicant will be
required to provide the name of the original servicing lender

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
27

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
5. If the applicant selects “Yes” to the question “Is this a consolidated loan?” the applicant will be
required to enter the following information:
a.
Number of loans consolidated
b.
Original account number for each loan that was consolidated
c.
Original date of each loan included in the consolidation
d.
Original amount of each loan included in the consolidation
6. After the applicant enters all information, he/she will click
directed to Loan Supporting Documents Page (see figure 8)

8

and will be

7. Applicant will be prompted to upload all Required Loan Supporting documents for his/her manually
entered loans
a.
Applicant will be prompted to upload a Federal Perkins Loan Supporting if applicant
indicated “Type of Loan” was
i.
Federal Perkins
ii.
Perkins Expanded Lending
b.
Applicant will be prompted to submit a Consolidated Loan Document if applicant
answered “Yes” to “Is this a consolidated loan?”
8. Applicant clicks
and is directed to the Loan Information page
All manually added loans will be displayed in the “Manually Added Loans” table (see figure 9)
9. Applicant can add another loan, edit/remove an existing manual loan or click
directed to the Supporting Documents section

to be

Business Rules:


System shall allow account number to be alpha –numeric and allow special characters



System shall not allow “Current Balance As of Date” to be prior to “Original Date of Loan”

 System shall not allow user to enter a “Current Balance As of Date” more than 30 days prior
to current date


System shall not allow user to enter a “Current Balance As of Date” after the present date



If loan is not consolidated, System shall require that “Original Date of Loan” be:
o No more than 3 months prior to earliest school start date
o No more than 3 months after latest school end date

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
28

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

9



System shall require “Consolidated Loan Dates” to be :
o No more than 3 months prior to earliest school
start date
o No more than 3 months after latest school end
date
 If loan is consolidated, “Original Date of Loan” must be
prior to all “Original Date of Loan” for all consolidated loans
 If loan is in default/under court judgment “Original Date of
Loan” must be prior to Date of Court Judgment/Date of Default
 System shall require the user to upload the Perkins Loan
Supporting document to submit application if “Type of Loan” is
Perkins
 System shall require user to submit a Consolidated Loan
Document, if “Yes” to Consolidated Loan
 System shall require user to submit the “Required Loan
Supporting Document” for each loan
 System shall allow user to continue to next section
without uploading all or any required loan documents. Loan page
status will be “In Progress” until all required documents have been
uploaded for each loan and applicant will not be able to submit
application

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
29

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 13: Supporting Documents
The Supporting Documents page allows the applicant to upload his/her required documents. Please note that some of the documents displayed on the Supporting
Documents page appear dynamically, based answers provided on the online application (see business rules below).
Steps:
1. Applicant selects the document he/she would like to upload
2. Applicant selects
upload
3. Applicant selects

Browse
(Browse)

to find the document he/she will

(Upload) when appropriate document is selected

4. Applicant repeats steps above for all required documents
5. Applicant clicks

(Save and Continue)

6. Applicant is directed to the Self Certification Page

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
30

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
Business Rules:


All applicants are required to upload the “Proof of U.S. Citizenship or U.S. National” document



Prior NHSC LRP participants are required to provide documentation that he/she applied all of the previously disbursed award funds
o Proof of Payment History for prior NHSC LRP Service is required for past NHSC LRP participants (verified by applicant’s SSN)
o Proof of Payment History for prior NHSC LRP Service is optional for new applicants or past applicants who were not awarded



Applicants are encouraged to upload PDF documents



System shall allow applicant to upload documents up to 5 MB in size



System shall require applicant to upload a “Disadvantaged Background” supporting document if applicant answered “Yes” to Disadvantaged Background
question on General Information page




System will require the applicant to upload a “Geriatrics Certification” supporting document if he/she selected geriatrics as his/her specialty



System shall require the applicant to upload Existing Service Obligation documentation if the applicant answered “Yes” to Existing Service completed prior
to submission on the Eligibility page



System shall enable ability to delete documents after applicant has uploaded the document(s)

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
31

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 13: Self Certification
The Self Certification page allows the applicant to certify that he/she has read and agreed to the terms and agreements displayed on the page. The set of
certifications displayed will dynamically change depending on the applicant’s discipline, specialty, and military service. The applicant must agree to all certifications in
order to continue.
Steps:
1. Applicant reads each certification
2. Applicant indicates that he/she agrees by selecting each checkbox
3. Applicant selects

(Save and Continue)

Business Rules:
 If the applicant selected “Yes” to the sub question of Q3 on the Eligibility page, “Are you a
uniformed service member or a member of a reserve corps,” then a military service certification will
populate. If the applicant answered “No,” the certification will not populate
 Based on EV responses, applicants identified as PPO will be required to certify a
Certification for Private Practice Option Request on the Self-Certification page prior to application
submission


Applicant will not be able to complete Self-Certification page if EV(s) are not complete

 System shall require that the applicant has responded to each certification question to be
able to proceed
 System will clear Self Certification page if the applicant proceeds to Review and Submit
page, but then navigates to another section of the application prior to submitting his/her application

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
32

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
33

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 14: Review & Submit
The Review & Submit page is the last page of the application that contains a table with each section and its corresponding status. All sections must be complete in
order for the applicant to submit the application. The applicant can select the top navigation menu or a page name link in the table to view each section.
Steps:
1. Applicant reviews his/her application and confirms each section (less
Review & Submit) is complete
2. Applicant enters his/her password
3. Applicant selects

(Submit)

Business Rules:
 System shall not allow application to be submitted after the application
deadline
 All page statuses except for Review and Submit must be complete for
applicant to submit his/her application
 Applicant must enter in his/her correct password in order to submit the
application
 System shall direct user to landing page with links to uploaded
documents and copy of application upon submission
 System shall check if start date on an EV is less than dates entered for
the following:
o For MD, DO, DDS/DMD (with only pediatric) disciplines
o “Residency Complete Date”

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
34

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 15: Submitted Landing Page
After the applicant submits his/her NHSC LRP application, he/she will be directed to the Submitted landing page and the overall application status will change to
either “Submitted” or “Submitted – Ineligible.” If any of the responses on the online application deem an applicant ineligible, the status upon submission will be
“Submitted – Ineligible.” If the responses submitted deem the applicant eligible, the application status will be “Submitted.” On the Submitted landing page, the
applicant will have the ability to edit or withdraw his/her application. The applicant will have the ability to edit his/her application until the application deadline. The
applicant may withdraw his/her application until the applicant receives a Confirmation of Interest (COI), if applicable.
Business Rules:
 Applicant can navigate to the Submitted landing page by clicking the “Home”
button
 There are several possible reasons why an applicant may be found ineligible.
Some common reasons that applicants are found ineligible upon submission include, but
not limited to:
o The Employment Verification (EV) submitted by the applicant’s site point
of contact (POC) indicated that he/she does not meet the required work hours per week
to be eligible for an award
o The EV submitted by the applicant’s site POC indicated that he/she does
not have a current, full, unrestricted, and unencumbered license
o The EV submitted by the applicant’s site POC indicated that his/her
employment start date is after the last eligible employment start date for the given fiscal
year
o The applicant did not receive a degree or complete his/her residency on
or before the submission date of the application
o The applicant has an existing service obligation that has not been
completely satisfied on or before the submission date of the application

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
35

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
36

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 16: Withdraw Application
An applicant has the option to withdraw his/her application after submission. The applicant may withdraw his/her application until the applicant receives a COI, if
applicable. The applicant may resubmit the current application by using the Undo Withdrawal button. However, the applicant must resubmit his/her application
by the application deadline to be considered for an award.
Steps:
1. From the Submitted landing page an applicant clicks the

(Withdraw) button

2. The applicant will be directed to the “Withdraw Application” screen for confirmation
3. The applicant clicks
(Withdraw) and is directed to the Submitted Home page
 Note: The applicant’s status will be updated to “Withdrawn”
4. On the Submitted landing page the applicant may undo his/her withdrawal by clicking
(Undo Withdrawal), if the application deadline has not passed
5. If the applicant clicks
the In Progress Landing Page

(Undo Withdrawal), he/she will be directed to

6. The applicant may make any changes to his/her application when application status is “In
Progress,” prior to the application deadline

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
37

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

7. The applicant may also select
(Continue) and will be directed to the Self Certification
page
8. Applicant indicates that he/she agrees to all
certifications by selecting all the checkboxes
9. Applicant selects
and Continue)

(Save

10. Applicant is directed to the Review and Submit
page
11. Applicant reviews the application
12. Applicant enters his/her password
13. Applicant selects
(Submit) and is
directed to the Submitted landing page
Business Rules:
 The ability to withdraw an application will be
disabled when the applicant is sent a COI
 If an applicant wishes to re-submit his/her
application, he/she must resubmit by the application
deadline

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
38

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
39

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 17: Edit Application (Prior to Application Deadline)
If an applicant would like to edit his/her application after submission, he/she may do so prior to the application deadline. If an applicant edits his/her application, the
applicant must re-submit his/her application by the application deadline. If the applicant does not resubmit his/her application, the applicant will not be considered for
an NSHC LRP award.
Steps:
1. The applicant clicks Edit Application

2. The applicant clicks

or

pop-up (below)

3. The applicant will be directed to the In Progress landing page if he/she clicks
or the applicant will remain on the submitted landing page if
he/she clicks
4. The applicant can navigate to any section of his/her application to make the
necessary edits
 If the applicant wishes to cancel a completed EV, he/she must follow the
instructions outline in Section 10, Employment Verification of the user guide to reinitiate the EV(s) and have the EV(s) completed by the applicant’s site POC(s).

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
40

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide
5. Once the applicant has made his/her edits, the
applicant must click Save & Continue at the bottom of the
page where edits were made in order to save the edits
6. Once all edits are made and saved, the applicant will
navigate to the Self-Certification page
7. Applicant indicates that he/she agrees to all the
certifications by selecting each checkbox.
8. Applicant selects
and Continue)

(Save

9. Applicant is directed to the Review and Submit page
10. Applicant reviews the application
11. Applicant enters his/her password
12. Applicant selects
(Submit) and is
directed to the Submitted landing page
Business Rules:
 The applicant will not be able to edit his/her
application after the application cycle closes
 An applicant must resubmit his/her application by
the application deadline, if he/she wants to be considered
for a NHSC LRP award
 The applicant will be directed to the In Progress
landing page when selecting “Edit”

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
41

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 18: Account Settings
The applicant can change his/her password, email and security question on the Account Setting page, and can view his/her application ID.
Steps to reset password:
1. Applicant creates new password
2. Applicant confirms new password
3. Applicant enters current password
4. Applicant clicks
Password)

(Change

5. System displays confirmation that password has
been successfully updated
Steps to change email:
1. Applicant enters a new email address
2. Applicant confirms the new email address
3. Applicant enters current email address
4. Applicant enters current password.
5. Applicant clicks

(Change Email)

6. A verification email will be sent to the new email address
7. Applicant clicks on link in the email to verify his/her new email address
Business Rules:


System shall add validation that username/email address is not in use by another account when changing



System shall provide functionality for applicant to change security question and answer



System shall require applicant to log out and log back in upon changing his/her username/email or password
PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
42

Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)
NHSC LRP Online Application User Guide

Section 19: Resolving Issues
Please use the following instructions to resolve any inquiries an NHSC LRP applicant might have:

1. For Technical Issues:
Production Support Process:
• When a technical issue is encountered, e.g. Applicant cannot upload his/her Resume, the Customer Care Center should log the issue in the BMISS
Issue Tracker. The NHSC LRP Application BMISS Hypercare team will monitor the BMISS Issue Tracker to define and resolve the issue. Once the
issue is resolved, the Hypercare team will notify the Customer Care Center Analyst of the resolution.
Capturing Issues:
• It is important to capture and log as much detail as possible. The BMISS Hypercare Support Team will need enough information to recreate the issue in
order to solve the problem. Applicant details should include the following:
– Applicant information: Full name, last four of SSN, email, phone number
– The exact NHSC LRP Online Application screen the applicant was on when the issue occurred (screenshot if applicable)
– The Web Browser the applicant was using (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.)
– The frequency of the issue (e.g. always, sometimes, etc.)

2. For Program Related Issues:
Division Support Process:
• If an applicant has a program question, the Customer Care Center will try to answer the problem by referring to the Application and Program Guidance.
If the Customer Care Center is unable to answer the question then the Applicant’s question and information are recorded and the Customer Care Center
submits a ticket in the Escalation Management System (EMS). DNHSC analysts will answers the question and the Customer Care Center responds
back to the Applicant.
Online Application Program Issues:
• For program/policy related questions, please submit a ticket in EMS.
Capturing Applicant Information:
• The following applicant information should be captured with as much detail of the issue as possible:
– First and Last Name
– Email Address
– Phone Number
– Last four digits of SSN
– Section of Online Application the user was on when he/she encountered the problem
– Detailed summary of the problem
– Supporting Document (If applicable)

PROPERTY OF HRSA | BHW
43