(a) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, an applicant must:(1) submit a completed application to the Coordinating Board by the established deadline, which will be posted on the program web page;(2) be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident and have no license restrictions;(3) currently be employed as one of the following eligible practice specialties:(A) a psychiatrist;(B) a psychologist, as defined by §501.002, Texas Occupations Code;(C) a licensed professional counselor, as defined by §503.002, Texas Occupations Code;(D) an advanced practice registered nurse, as defined by §301.152, Texas Occupations Code, who holds a nationally recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental health nursing;(E) a licensed clinical social worker, as defined by §505.002, Texas Occupations Code;(F) a licensed specialist in school psychology, as defined by §501.002, Texas Occupations Code;(G) a licensed chemical dependency counselor, as defined by §504.001, Texas Occupations Code; or(H) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as defined by §502.002, Texas Occupations Code; and(4) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods:(A) in an MHPSA, providing direct patient care to:(i) Medicaid enrollees;(ii) CHIP enrollees, if the practice serves children;(iii) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or its successor; or(iv) persons in a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or its successor;(B) in a state hospital, providing mental health services to patients; or(C) providing mental health services to individuals receiving community-based mental health services from a local mental health authority, as defined in Texas Health and Safety Code, §531.002.(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(4) of this section, to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance as a specialist in school psychology as outlined under subsection (a)(3)(F) of this section, the applicant must:(1) have completed one, two, or three consecutive service periods of employment in:(A) a school district which is located partially or completely in a MHPSA;(B) an open-enrollment charter school located in a MHPSA; or(C) a Texas public school that receives federal funding under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. §6301 et seq.); and(2) have provided mental health services to students enrolled in that district or school during that time of employment.