CAREER <strong>Texas</strong> Student Loan Repayment Assistance program The focus <strong>of</strong> this article is to <strong>of</strong>fer a brief overview and provide general information about the <strong>Texas</strong> Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (SLRAP). In 2003, the <strong>Texas</strong> Access to Justice Commission (TATJC) created the SLRAP to “encourage and enable recent law school graduates to work for <strong>Texas</strong> legal aid organizations and assist legal aid programs in retaining experienced attorneys.” i The SLRAP is currently funded by the State Bar <strong>of</strong> <strong>Texas</strong> (SBOT) and is administered by the <strong>Texas</strong> Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF). The program is structured as a loan that may be forgiven in the future, rather than a grant. ELIGIBILITY Attorneys are eligible for loan repayment assistance if they work full-time for any <strong>Texas</strong> program that is: 1. A recipient <strong>of</strong> TAJF funds, 2. A recipient <strong>of</strong> Legal Services Corporation funds, or 3. A <strong>Texas</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>it that provides civil legal services if at least 50 percent <strong>of</strong> the services provided are free to Texans whose income is 200 percent <strong>of</strong> federal poverty guidelines or less. Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: 1. Submit the application form and supporting materials as requested by the TAJF. 2. Individuals who are eligible for loan repayment funds from other sources must apply to those programs for assistance. All sources are payors <strong>of</strong> first resort other than employers and law schools participating in TAJF’s SLRAP matching program. 3. Applicants must document full-time employment with an eligible organization. Full-time is defined as 35 hours or more per week. 4. Applicant must be a graduate <strong>of</strong> an ABA-accredited law school within the last 10 years and must have graduated by the time <strong>of</strong> his or her first SLRAP loan payment. 5. Applicants must be: a. Licensed to practice law in <strong>Texas</strong> and be a member in good standing <strong>of</strong> the SBOT prior to receiving his or her first SLRAP loan payment and at all times during the SLRAP payment period, or b. Licensed to practice law in a state or territory <strong>of</strong> the United States, be in good standing in the jurisdiction where licensed, and be employed as an immigration attorney by a TAJF-funded immigration legal services program in <strong>Texas</strong> prior to receiving his or her first SLRAP loan payment and at all times during the SLRAP payment period. i. If a recipient qualifies for the SLRAP under 5(b), and during the loan period becomes licensed to practice law in <strong>Texas</strong>, and subsequently changes employment to a qualifying nonimmigration program, the recipient will be presumed to have qualified for the SLRAP under 5(a). 6. An applicant’s household income will be considered in relation to the total amount <strong>of</strong> the applicant’s student loan debt incurred. services 52 EduCATIonAL dEBT An applicant’s undergraduate and law school debt, and debt incurred in joint degree programs where one degree is a juris doctor, may be covered under the program. All institutional loans used for educational expenses may be covered. Loans from family and other private sources are not eligible. An applicant who is in default, forbearance, and/or deferment on a loan is eligible to apply but must remedy the default and/or remove the forbearance and/or deferment prior to receiving any SLRAP payment. InComE CALCuLATIon & RAnk oRdER oF nEEd All resources available to applicants, including applicant’s income and spouse/domestic partner earnings, will be included in the calculation <strong>of</strong> SLRAP income. Candidates will be rank ordered from highest need to lowest need based on the calculated student debt-to-income ratio. TAxABILITY The Taxpayer Relief Act <strong>of</strong> 1997 ii permitted qualified organizations to develop loan repayment programs so that loan forgiveness based on public service employment is not considered taxable income to the recipient in certain circumstances. iii Under 26 USC 108(f), as amended by the Taxpayer Relief Act <strong>of</strong> 1997, student loans canceled after Aug. 5, 1997, in exchange for public service employment generally do not cause the borrower to have taxable income provided that certain requirements are met. iv AppLICATIon pRoCEduRES Applicants must submit the following: 1. A completed application 2. Employment Certification Form(s) 3. Lender Certification Form(s) 4. <strong>Law</strong> <strong>School</strong> Certification Form 5. Resumé 6. Tax return from the year prior to the current year 7. A signed copy <strong>of</strong> the SLRAP Guidelines For complete eligibility information and to apply online, please visit http://grants.tajf.org. The midyear application deadline for SLRAP support between December and May is generally in October. The regular application process for a full year <strong>of</strong> SLRAP support opens in March <strong>of</strong> each year. Arturo Errisuriz, Acting Assistant Dean <strong>of</strong> Admissions, Scholarships & Career Services aerrisuriz@law.txwes.edu i. <strong>Texas</strong> Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program, Program Guidelines at http://www.texasbar. com/Content/NavigationMenu/<strong>Law</strong>yersGivingBack/StudentLoanRepayment/SLRAP-Guidelines.pdf. ii. Pub. L. 105-34 (1997). iii. 26 U.S.C. 108 (f). iv. Id. <strong>Texas</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Law</strong> Office <strong>of</strong> Career Services 1515 Commerce Street | <strong>Fort</strong> <strong>Worth</strong>, <strong>Texas</strong> 76102 817-212-4050 | 817-212-4059 fax | www.law.txwes.edu
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