Hi
I'm currently a VA employee, but will be starting my DPT program in August. I emailed the POC on the flyer that one of the PTs sent me and this is what he wrote.
"Currently, the application window is closed but we anticipate opening the window again in mid-February 2018. The occupations we will target in 2018 are Orientation & Mobility, Visual Rehabilitation Therapy, Low Vision Therapy, Nursing (BSNs, MSNs, and Doctorate of Nursing), Masters of Physician Assistant, and Doctorate of Physical Therapy. The application will be hosted on USAJobs using key word search “HPSP” (Nursing, PAs, and PTs) and “VIOMPSP” (O&M, VRT, & LVT). In the meantime, there has been a change in eligibility requirements: you must graduate before the end of 2018 to be eligible for HPSP PTs, PAs, and Nursing Scholarships but this requirement does not apply to VIOMPSP programs and VANAP programs. Here is some additional information about the program.
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To qualify for this Scholarship Program, you must be a U.S. citizen, unconditionally accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree as determined by the Scholarship Program office just prior to the application opening. These occupations are determined by evaluating the VA Workforce Succession Plan and then targeting the Top 5 Title 38/Hybrid Title 38 hard to recruit/retain occupations in the VA. After completion of your education, you must serve as a full-time clinical VA employee for a minimum of two years for HPSP and three years for VIOMPSP. If you are under a service obligation to serve at another entity or obligated under any other Federal program, you will be ineligible for the HPSP or VIOMPSP Scholarship Award.
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For HPSP, the school you are attending must have a pre-existing affiliation with a VA Hospital. Clinical Tour requirement should be conducted in the normal course of your studies and we would like every participant to accomplish this clinical at one of our VA facilities. We will work diligently with each selected student to ensure these clinical tours are available. We also target those in their last year of their education program. Others requiring additional years are also considered and accepted as fund become available.
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HPSP and VIOMPSP are not retroactive payment programs. Payments start as early as Summer Semester 2018. If you graduate before the Summer Semester of 2018, you will not be eligible for this scholarship.
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As part of the acceptance into HPSP and VIOMPSP, the applicant must sign a mobility agreement stating that they are willing to relocate at their own expense for placement at the discretion of VA. While we do work with you in the placement process to meet our needs and yours, there is no guarantee. We request your top 5 placement options 6-months prior to graduation and work with you to try and place within your Top 5 list but once again, there are no guarantees. Once placed, you are considered a full-time employee with rights, pay and benefits authorized to any employee of the VA.
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For HPSP, we top off any existing grants and scholarship up to 100% tuition and approved fees. There is also a monthly stipend of $1,083 while you are in school as well as a once a year stipend of $1,125 for books. If you are a current full time Federal Employee, you will not qualify to receive the monthly stipend is selected. If you are receiving the GI Bill, this program will only supplement what you are receiving and you cannot receive both the GI Bill monthly stipend and the HPSP monthly stipend concurrently.
For VIOMPSP, we top off any existing grants and scholarship up to $15,000/year for tuition and approved fees with a maximum cap of $45,000 for the entire time you are in the scholarship program. If you are receiving the GI Bill, this program will only supplement what you are receiving.
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Residencies are authorized and you would have to request a Service Obligation Deferment. After graduation, you can defer your service obligation till the residency is complete. You will incur an additional ½ the residency time to the service obligation. For example, if you graduate and owe 2-years to the VA, and then take a 1 year residency, you will incur and additional 6-months service obligation making your total service obligation 2 years and 6 months. If the residency is with the VA, the time in the residency does not count towards your service obligation and the additional time incurs as previously mentioned. Right now, only residencies of 1-year or less are being approved prior to the onset of the student Service Obligation."
Looks like you would need apply during your last clinical