Effective March 1, 2024
Purpose:
- Support for housing costs for rural GME electives will be prioritized to support the intent of the grant funding from the State of Maine: “This initiative is focused on building the healthcare workforce capacity in Rural Areas”
- The housing initiative of the MERGE Collaborative aims to provide appropriate learner housing for most resident physicians who want to do a rural medicine elective in Maine. With limited housing resources the following policy ensures that state resources are distributed fairly.
Policies and Procedures:
- Once a MERGE elective rotation site is selected by a resident, the MERGE Collaborative will seek housing support from the site when it is open and available free-of-charge. Learners will be expected to utilize this housing when it is available.
- University housing options will serve as the second-choice option if free housing is not available.
- If no on-site or university housing is available, the resident will be able to submit lodging receipts for reimbursement, up to the amount listed in the funding cap. See details on funding caps and limitations below.
- Residents may be reasonably expected to drive up to 35 minutes each way for a rural rotation. There is no guarantee that housing will be immediately adjacent to the rural elective site.
- MERGE can only reimburse lodging to the individual resident. If a MERGE elective site chooses to bill for its on-site housing, the bill should be sent directly to the resident. The resident may choose to seek reimbursement from the MERGE program.
- Residents who are in the last 4 months of training will be ineligible for housing support for elective rotations.
- Residents who have accepted (verbally or in writing) a job offer for post-graduate employment will not be eligible for housing reimbursement unless the job is in rural Maine.
- An exemption to this will be residents in military service or other public service commitments of employment after residency (i.e. IHS commitment). These commitments of employment will not exclude residents from housing reimbursement.
- Any exemption to the listed rules must be approved by the MERGE Collaborative Rural GME Directors and/or Executive Council.
Resident Funding Cap and Reimbursement Limitations:
- A resident may receive up to $1,500 of reimbursement funds to support one or more rural elective rotations. When housing is not made available by the rotation site, a resident must reserve and pay for their lodging. Receipts may be turned into the MERGE Collaborative Program Manager for reimbursement. Receipts must be submitted within two weeks of the completed rotation. Any receipt submitted after two weeks will not be guaranteed reimbursement.
- A rural elective must be set for at least two consecutive weeks for a resident to be eligible for housing reimbursement.
- Housing reimbursement will only be provided for the standard rate of an individual adult. If extra fees are added to the receipt for other family members, pets, or extra services, then those extra fees will not be reimbursed.
- If another reasonable professional housing option is available in the area for a significantly lower rate, MERGE will only reimburse up to the amount of the lower cost housing option.
- If a resident is seeking reimbursement, they are expected to reserve their room when they confirm participation in the MERGE Rotation. If a resident delays their reservation and the lodging rates increase due to the delay, MERGE will only reimburse up to the amount of the lodging when the rotation was established.
