Section 69667.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), if a program participant fails to complete a minimum of four consecutive years of service as a physician assistant on a full-time basis or the equivalent on a part-time basis in a medically underserved area of the state as required by this article, under the terms of the agreement pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 69662, the participant shall retain full liability for all student loan obligations remaining after the commission's assumption of loan liability for the last year of qualifying service pursuant to Section 69662.

(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a program participant shall be excused from the consecutive years of service requirement for a period not to exceed one calendar year, unless approved by the commission for a longer period, if a program participant becomes unable to complete one of the four consecutive years of service as a physician assistant on a full-time basis or the equivalent on a part-time basis due to any of the following:

(1) Serious illness, pregnancy, or other natural causes.

(2) The participant is called to military active duty status.

(3) A natural disaster prevents a program participant from maintaining half-time enrollment due to the interruption of instruction at the eligible institution.

(c) The commission shall make no further payments under the loan assumption agreement until the applicable service requirements specified in Section 69665 have been satisfied.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 187, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2010. Repealed as of January 1, 2014, pursuant to Section 69675.)