Recruitment & Special Programs > Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program For New OTs and PTs

Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program For New Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists

 

The Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program for occupational therapists and physical therapists offers tax-free financial grant assistance to certain newly hired New York City Public Schools employees to repay student loans of up to $24,000. Individuals must remain in an authorized NYCDOE school district for up to six (6) consecutive years (maximum) to participate in the program.

This program serves to increase the number of licensed personnel serving in the New York City public schools in the following critical shortage area disciplines:

• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy

The following types of loans are considered approved sources: 

Eligible applicants must have:

• Possession of an appropriate New York State license corresponding to one of the above shortage areas
  
•  Full-time appointment to an eligible NYC public school site within the designated title
  
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (driver’s licenses and social security cards do not suffice)
  
• An active payroll line with the NYCPS by November 15^th of the current Fall deadline to be considered
  

Preliminary eligibility is established shortly after the required documentation is received by the Office of Scholarships, Incentives, and Pupil Personnel Services. Final eligibility is determined at the end of each school year.

DISTRICT RESTRICTIONS:

• Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists must secure employment in a New York City public school in one of the following school districts:
  
  • Bronx Districts - 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12
    
  • Brooklyn Districts - 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 23, and 32
    
  • District 75 - Bronx and Brooklyn only
    

NOTE: This list of eligible districts is subject to change annually for new applicants and is determined by the New York City Public Schools. If you have already been selected to participate in the program, the restrictions which were active at the time of your application will remain in effect.

ADDITIONAL APPLICATION RESTRICTIONS:

• Awardees must not have benefited from or participated in any other incentive programs administered by the NYC Public Schools including but not limited to the Psychology in Training (PIT) Program, Teachers of Tomorrow, Intensive Teacher Institute in Bilingual Special Education (ITI-BSE), New York City Teaching Fellows, Teach for America, I-Start, New Visions Urban Teacher Residency Program, Success Via Apprenticeship, Math for America, Jose P. Graduate Scholarship Program, etc.
• Former NYCPS employees are NOT eligible to participate in this program.
  
• Individuals must submit their applications during their first full Fall semester by the November 15^th deadline; if an employee is hired after November 15^th, the employee is eligible to apply during the following Fall semester.

SERVICE AGREEMENT and COMMITMENT:

• To remain eligible each school year, participants MUST remain in one of the authorized NYCPS school districts according to their titles for up to six (6) consecutive years (maximum).
  
• Participants must complete each full school year of satisfactory service employed at a New York City public school in an assigned shortage area position as described above.
  
• Participants may obtain new positions at different schools, but such positions MUST remain within authorized school districts according to the job title eligibility criteria.
  
• Participants are allowed to take up to six (6) weeks of a break in service, not including CAR (vacation/sick time) days, to remain eligible for any one school year. This aligns the JPLF Program with the UFT Paid Parental Leave. If a break in service for longer than six weeks is taken, such participants will forfeit their grants for that year but will return to the program to complete their remaining eligible school years.
  
• If a participant leaves the NYCPS at any point during the school year, such a participant forfeits his/her grant during that current school year and is immediately removed from the JPLF Program.
  
• For all OTs and PTs, satisfactory job performance must be confirmed by supervisors at the end of each school year.
  
• The annual grant amount awarded to the participant will be determined during the initial acceptance into the program. The amount to be disbursed will be calculated by dividing the eligible loan balance total as provided by the participant by six (6). Therefore, each annual grant is not to exceed $4,000 annually or $24,000 after six (6) years for any participant. 

APPLICATIONS:

To be considered for the Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program for New OTs and PTs, you must complete the online application and digitally submit the following required documentation before the deadline:

• Copy/proof of your New York State license issued in the shortage area related to your position
• Academic transcript(s) (unofficial copies are acceptable)
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (e.g., copy of passport, birth certificate, naturalization papers, etc.)
•  Proof of outstanding student loan balances (screenshot images or PDFs must clearly show your name, the loan provider, and the total balance)

NOTE: Applicants must complete the online application process at the linked TSN portal. No physical mail will be accepted.

Inquiries regarding the application should be directed to loanforgiveness@schools.nyc.gov. We look forward to receiving your application and questions!

Implementation of the Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program is contingent upon the availability of funding and the staffing needs of the New York City Public Schools.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED!

Inquiries regarding the application should be directed to loanforgiveness@schools.nyc.gov or call (718) 935-2449. We look forward to receiving your application!

Implementation of the Jose P. Loan Forgiveness Program is contingent upon the availability of funding and the staffing needs of the New York City Public Schools

 

 

It is the policy of the NYC Public Schools of the City of New York to provide educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, prior record of arrest or conviction (except as permitted by law), predisposing genetic characteristics, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses and stalking, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation.  Inquiries regarding compliance with this equal opportunity policy may be directed to: Office of Equal Opportunity, 65 Court Street, Room 923, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or visit the OEO website at http://schools.nyc.gov/OEO.