(a) The Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion Board shall award planning grants to enable entities with existing graduate medical education programs to:
(1) Increase the number of first-year residency positions; and
(2) Provide for the establishment of new graduate medical education programs with first-year residency positions.
(b) The board shall determine the number of planning grants awarded under this section and the amount of each planning grant awarded under this section.
(c) A planning grant under this section shall be used to support the direct resident costs to the graduate medical education program, including without limitation stipends and benefits.
(d) An entity applying for a planning grant under this section shall:
(1) Include a plan for receiving accreditation for the increased number of residency positions or for the new graduate medical education program, as applicable; and
(2) Be submitted to the board no later than October 1 preceding the academic year for which the planning grant is made.
(e) The board shall:
(1) Award a planning grant under this section no later than January 1 of the year in which the planning grant will be used; and
(2) Distribute a planning grant amount for a residency position under this section only upon receiving verification that the applicable residency position has been filled.
(f)
(1) A planning grant awarded under this section shall be in effect for no more than three (3) consecutive fiscal years.
(2) For each first-year residency position for which an entity with a graduate medical education program receives an initial planning grant under this section, the board shall award the entity with the graduate medical education program an equal planning grant amount for the following fiscal year, not to exceed three (3) fiscal years.