24 NCAC 02D .0103         EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS

(a)  Applicants for funding from the fund shall submit a completed application within 60 days from the date of the public announcement of requests for proposals (the "application deadline").

(b)  Applications and instructions shall be available online at www.ncagr.gov.

(c)  To be eligible for consideration for funding, applicants shall complete the application, which shall be titled the "Large Animal Healthcare Enhancement Fund Application Form," and which shall contain the following information:

(1)           identifying information such as location, business name, and contact information;

(2)           statement from the applicant that acknowledges and agrees that in the event that the applicant's veterinary license expires, is revoked, or is suspended during the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded, or if the applicant fails to practice at least 30% large animal veterinary medicine in the designated counties named in the applicant's application, the applicant shall repay the entire amount received from the fund;

(3)           statement from the applicant that the applicant shall have no conflicting service obligation that would prevent the State from benefitting from the applicant's services, with the exception of service in the National Guard or military reserve;

(4)           an essay which describes the applicant's professional ambition and how those professional goals fit with the intent of the fund, which shall be submitted in a format using an eight hundred word maximum, typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, and double spaced;

(5)           three personal or professional references listing the individual's name, telephone number, and email address; and

(6)           certification that the applicant currently practices a minimum of 30% large animal veterinary medicine in at least one designated county.

(d)  Each completed application shall be evaluated by the advisory committee staff based on the information provided in the application and in accordance with the fund criteria described in this rule and in Article 88 of Chapter 106 of the North Carolina General Statutes.

(e)  The staff shall review all applications for completeness. If staff deems an application incomplete in that it does not contain information required by statute or these rules, the applicant shall be asked by the authority staff to complete the application within seven days if the application deadline has expired.

(f)  After the staff has reviewed each application for completeness, the advisory committee shall then review the applications prepared by each applicant.

(g)  All applicants shall meet the following criteria for grant eligibility:

(1)           the applicant must practice veterinary medicine in at least one of the approved counties pursuant to G.S. 106-1077;

(2)           the applicant must be a currently licensed veterinarian in the state of North Carolina; and

(3)           the applicant shall be practicing at least thirty percent cumulatively of their veterinary operation within the field of large animal care.

(h)  Grants shall be awarded contingent on the availability of sufficient funds to do so. Grants shall be conveyed to grant recipient(s) through contracts with the North Carolina Agricultural Finance Authority. If the advisory committee determines that grants are not being used for the purpose for which they were awarded, the fund shall immediately cease making payments under the grant schedule and shall demand return of all amounts from the grant pursuant to G.S. 106-1079. Grant recipient(s) must reimburse the fund all funds that the advisory committee determines to have been spent in violation of G.S. 106-1079(e).

History Note:        Authority G.S. 106-1074; S.L. 2023-134, s. 10.1(c);

Eff. July 1, 2025.