Challenging National Health Service Corps Fines
Waivers
The National Health Service Corps (“NHSC”) provides student loan assistance to qualifying individuals who provide healthcare services to underserved communities. Unfortunately, the program imposes extraordinary fines on individuals who cannot meet their service obligation, regardless of circumstance. We work with individuals who seek a waiver of these fines through the administrative process.
We’ve submitted 14 waiver requests for clients seeking relief from the NHSC program’s prohibitive fines. Health and Human Services has granted five of these waiver requests, saving our clients over $1,000,000.
We have also prepared a self-help guide (could upload that here) that serves as a resource for individuals who are navigating the waiver process on their own.
Litigation
Total saved in waivers granted so far.
We sued the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of 3 NHSC clients after their waiver requests were denied. As a result of this work, we’ve prevailed in two lawsuits challenging imposition of punitive fines, saving our clients nearly $330,000. The third is ongoing.
In 2022, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of a nurse practitioner in Great Falls, MT. We filed a complaint on her behalf and proceeded to settlement, saving her over $92,000.
In 2024, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of a nurse practitioner in Eufala, AL. The compliant filed on her behalf and subsequent waiver grant saved her $237, 535.
In 2026, we filed a lawsuit challenging the imposition of punitive fines on a social worker in Brooklyn, NY.
Flores v. Kennedy
If you have more questions, or are interested in setting up an initial call to discuss your experience with HRSA, please email contact@uppersevenlaw.con