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Selection Criteria, Application Review, and Final Phase Process

Selection Criteria, Application Review, and Final Phase Process

This section explains deficiencies that cause applications to be screened out and how selection criteria is applied to completed applications to determine the order applicants enter the final phase of the application process. The final phase of the application process is also discussed.

Screening Process for Incomplete and Illegible Applications

Applications will be automatically screened out of the current application period for any single major deficiency or for multiple minor deficiencies. Major application deficiencies, outlined below, indicate the applicant did not take sufficient time to read the NLRP Application Period Announcement, the website and the instructions for each application form.

Major deficiencies for which applications are automatically screened out:

Not submitting:

  1. Application forms, including Nurse Applications Part A and B and the Practice Site and Declaration of Intent Form.
  2. Loan Repayment Documentation (LRD), after previously participating in a state loan repayment program.

Submitting:

  1. Outdated versions of application forms.
  2. Nurse Application, Part B, with any deficiencies that must be addressed by the loan servicer.
  3. LRD, when reapplying, that does not meet the LRD required amount, is illegible, difficult to understand or improperly formatted if provided as printouts from loan servicer websites.

For additional common mistakes, errors and omissions on each application form, see the Application Periods, Forms and Process section of the website.

Selection Criteria:

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reserves the right to modify its NLRP selection criteria at any time in response to Michigan's changing health care nurse needs. Applications must be 100 percent complete, legible and meet all requirements described in the current NLRP Application Period Announcement, the NLRP website and in instructions for application forms. Selection criteria presented below are used to determine the order in which applicants will enter the final phase of the application process. Applicants receive preference in the selection process for prompt submission of complete applications, priority nurse type status and for working at priority practice sites. Finally, the HPSA at practice site location and application submission date is considered.

Preference for Prompt Submission of Complete Applications

NLRP applicants receive preference in the selection process for prompt submission of complete, legible applications, which are assigned to review batches based on their submission dates. This means that nurses submitting applications with earlier submission dates within the application period receive preference over those with later submission dates. Applicants must check the current NLRP Application Period announcement for application submission dates included in each new application period and how they will be assigned to review batches.

Applications will be reviewed only until there are enough to obligate program funds. Remaining applications may be entered into a waiting list or if incomplete, will not be reviewed. This may occur at any time during the application period.

Top Priority Nurses and Priority Practice Sites: Top priority practice sites and nurses receive preference over all other applicants in the selection process as priority applicants for loan repayment. This includes[SH1] :

  • Inpatient state psychiatric facilities: Licensed active nurse applicants who are full time employees at an inpatient state psychiatric facility: Walter P. Reuther Hospital, Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital and Center for Forensic Psychiatry.
  • Public-school setting: Licensed active nurse applicants who are full-time employees in a public-school setting.
  • Community mental health: Licensed active nurse applicants who are full-time employees for Community Mental Health (CMH). This can include the following CMH contracted entities: CMH Partnership of Southeast MI (CMHPSM), Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE), Mid-State Health Network (MSHN), NorthCare Network (NCN), Northern MI Regional Entity (NMRE), Region 10 PIHP (R10) and Southwest MI Behavioral Health (SWMBH). Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN), Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN) and Macomb County CMH Services (MCCMH) are also eligible CMH employers.
  • Tribal-affiliated health or substance use disorder (SUD) Clinic: Tribal-affiliated primary care clinics and SUD clinics.
  • Rural practice site: Michigan Rural Health Center with HPSA above eight, Certified Rural Health Clinics (RHC/HPSAs) Designated as Facility HPSAs.
  • Schools of Nursing: Licensed active nurse applicants who teach full-time nursing curriculum at an approved School of Nursing in Michigan.
  • Practice site within high social vulnerability index county: Eligible nurses who work in Lake, Clare, Gladwin, Osceola, Newaygo, Oceana, Branch, Wayne, Mecosta, Isabella, Muskegon, Saginaw, Genessee, Ingham, Calhoun, Van Buren, Berrien, St. Joseph, Schoolcraft, Mackinac and Chippewa Counties will receive priority.
  • Underrepresented race/ethnicity/gender nurses.
  • Multi/bilingual nurses.

Non-Priority Practice Sites: Applications of those working at eligible practice sites other than those listed above under Priority Practice Sites will not be reviewed until all other submission have been reviewed. Non-profit practice sites not included in this list with HPSA scores of at least eight will receive priority after above priority applicants are fulfilled, if there is availability. To be considered a priority applicant, all the non-priority practice sites at which a nurse may complete their NLRP service obligation must have HPSA scores of at least eight.

Please check the current NLRP Application Period announcement for application submission dates included in each new application period and how they will be assigned to review batches. After priority and HPSA score, completed applications will be reviewed in order they are received.

Review Process: Applying the Selection Criteria

Selection criteria are applied to applications assigned to the first submission review batch to determine any group priority and top priority applicants, and to identify non-priority applicants who will be assigned to the final review batch. Top priority and priority applicants are then reviewed and screened. This process continues with the next submission batch only if additional applications must be reviewed to obligate program funds. NLRP Office reserves the right to adjust review process based on volume of applications.

Final Phase Application Process Steps and Requirements

Nurses enter the final phase of the NLRP application process when they receive an email from the NLRP Office which notifies them their applications have been approved and their telephone interviews have been scheduled. Those registered for electronic funds transfers (EFT) on SIGMA VSS, pass their interviews and complete their applications go on to Final Phase Contracting. Nurses are awarded the loan repayment agreement for which they have applied when they submit their signed Personal Services Agreement (PSA) and their employer submits their signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) through the E-Signature software by the due date.

1. Final Phase Telephone Interview

The purpose of telephone interviews is to determine which applicants will continue in the final phase process by identifying those who have registered on SIGMA VSS and taken the time necessary to learn program information, requirements and procedures. Applicants demonstrate their program knowledge by answering a set of questions covering the:

  • Participant Information and Requirements section of the NLRP website.
  • Final Phase Application Process Steps and Requirements included below.

Applicants entering the final phase will receive an email stating their applications are accepted and they will receive a phone call to schedule and complete their final phase telephone interviews. Telephone interview questions will be attached to the email requesting applicants to:

  • Expect a call on their mobile phones someday during their scheduled phone interview to complete their 15-minute interview.
  • Not call or email the program until staff attempts to call them and leave a message asking them to email them back. This is the only way the program can control the number of nurses trying to return calls at the same time.
  • Review the Participant Information and Requirements section of the NLRP website and the Final Phase Application Process Steps and Requirements and record answers to the telephone interview questions for their interview.
  • Keep the telephone interview questions and their prepared answers available for the call.
  • Make sure they are registered on SIGMA VSS and have recorded their Vendor Number.
  • Write down any questions about participating in NLRP they want to discuss during their interviews.

During telephone interviews, program staff will:

  • Determine whether nurses are registered on SIGMA VSS.
  • Assess nurse knowledge of the Participant Information and Requirements section of the NLRP website and the Final Phase Application Process Steps and Requirements.
  • Determine which nurses continue to the final phase process.

For nurses continuing to the final phase process, staff will:

  • Explain and discuss the terms of their loan repayment agreements.
  • Answer questions about participating in the program.
  • Discuss information and documents required to complete their applications, which is covered in the next section. Nurses with complete applications at the time of their interviews will move directly to Final Phase Contracting. See 3. Final Phase Contracting Requirements, below.

2. Final Phase – Completing Application Requirements:

Nurses who pass their telephone interviews will be informed of any documentation required to complete their applications before moving on to Final Phase Contracting.

  • This is the only opportunity for nurses to complete their applications.
  • Nurses, not their employers, must send a single email to Juliette Rousseau at RousseauJ@michigan.gov to complete their applications.
  • Nurses must email their final phase documentation to make it possible to link it with their application packages. Email sent by employers will cause confusion, will not be used to complete application packages and cause the application to be screened out of the final phase process.
  • The single email sent by the nurse, along with its attachments, must contain all the information and documents required to complete the application package. Follow-up emails from the nurse or their employer will result in the application being screened out.
  • Juliette Rousseau, NLRP Coordinator, will acknowledge receipt of nurses' final phase documentation and confirm it will be placed in line for Final Phase Document Review.
  • Final phase documents will be reviewed in the same order as they were received, based on email date. They will be reviewed as soon as possible, and nurses will be notified as soon as their documentation is reviewed. This, however, may take several months, and nurses are urged not to contact the NLRP Office regarding the status of their documentation. Once it is reviewed, each nurse will receive an email informing them whether their application has been:
  1. Screened out of the final phase process and why their documentation did not complete their application.
  2. Completed by their final phase documentation and they are ready for Final Phase Contracting.

3. Final Phase Contracting Process and Requirements

Nurses who have complete applications at the time of their interviews or complete their applications by sending final phase documentation, will be placed on the Final Phase Contracting List in the same order as they complete their interviews or applications. Nurses are urged to be patient and not contact the NLRP Office, because it may be several weeks before they and their employers receive their NLRP agreements.

  • Nurses will receive their Personal Services Agreements (PSAs) in the order they appear on the Final Phase Contracting List. The PSAs will be sent to nurses through software called E-Signature. This allows nurses to electronically sign their agreements.
  • Employers will also receive their MOU through E-Signature.
  • Final phase contracting requirements are simple, but crucial. To be awarded an NLRP loan repayment agreement, nurses and their employers must:
  1. Read their respective agreements.
  2. Sign their respective agreements.
  3. Keep a copy of their respective agreements for reference.
  4. Submit their respective signed agreements through E-Signature.
  5. Nurses will have 10 business days from the date their agreements are sent to them through E-Signature, to the due date for returning their PSAs. The due date will appear in emails sent to nurses.
  6. Employers will have 10 business days from the date their agreements are sent to them through E-Signature, to the due date for returning their MOU. The due date will appear in emails sent to employers.
  7. Nurses and employers will need to check their email accounts on a regular basis because of the limited time available to return their signed and dated agreements.
  8. Nurses and their employers will not need to sign one another's agreements.
  9. Nurses and employers must refrain from calling the NLRP Office to inquire about when they will receive their agreement packages. They will be emailed as soon as possible. Nurses and employers should only call the office after two months have passed since the nurse has been notified that they have been placed on the Final Phase Contracting List. If two months have passed and they have not received their agreement packages, nurses should contact Juliette Rousseau at RousseauJ@michigan.gov.
  10. If nurses or employers have questions about the content of their agreements, they should email Juliette Rousseau as soon as possible. Agreement questions must be resolved in time to meet the required due date. Untimely inquires will result in the nurse needing to reapply during the next application period.

4. Nursing Loan Repayment Agreement Awards

Like the rest of the NLRP application process, Final Phase Contracting is competitive. NLRP program funds must be obligated quickly to each nurse's loan repayment agreement or be used to allow another eligible applicant to participate. Nurses and employers who successfully complete Final Phase Contracting by submitting their signed agreements through E-Signature by the due date, will be awarded the agreement for which they have applied.

  • Each nurse will receive an email from the NLRP Office confirming they have been awarded a loan repayment agreement and encouraging them to inform their employer.
  • Their nurse and employer agreements will be forwarded to the Bureau of Grants and Purchasing for the department's signature.
  • Upon return of their department-signed agreements to the NLRP Office, fully executed originals will be emailed to the nurse and employer. It may take up to three months for this to occur, so please be patient. Loan repayment agreements of those who have been awarded will start on October 1, following the application period, regardless of when they receive their fully executed agreements.
  • Two Work Verification Forms (WVFs) will be included in nurses' fully executed agreement packages.
  • Nurses will send their properly dated WVFs to their employers to initiate each of their two 12-month payment cycles. See the Payment Process section of Participant Information and Requirements for details.
  • Nurses will receive their WVFs well before they need to send their first one, dated for September, to their employers.

If a nurse or employer is unable to submit their signed agreements through E-Signature by the due date

  • Funds set aside for the nurse's loan repayment agreement will be automatically transferred to another eligible applicant to allow them to participate in the program.
  • The nurse will be encouraged to review final phase requirements and to reapply during the next application period.

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