NHSC FY2026 raises loan-repayment awards (primary care up to $80K) — but the federal workforce-funding pipeline behind it is on a cliff

The FY2026 National Health Service Corps cycle (applications closed March 31, 2026; awards by Sept 30) raised maximum loan-repayment amounts for clinicians at NHSC-approved FQHC sites: the standard Loan Repayment Program now pays primary-care providers up to $75,000 for a 2-year full-time commitment, plus a new $5,000 Spanish-language-proficiency enhancement (up to $80,000); the Rural Community LRP goes up to $105,000; and Students-to-Service adds a maternity-care supplement worth up to $40,000 more (up to ~$160,000). The catch sits upstream: NHSC mandatory funding was extended only through Jan 30, 2026 and now runs on a continuing resolution (~$350M/yr vs. NACHC's $950M/yr ask), the Community Health Center Fund expires Dec 31, 2026, and the FY2027 President's Budget proposes zeroing out 14 Title VII/VIII workforce-pipeline programs (HCOP, SDS, AHEC, PCTE, nursing-workforce grants). FQHC recruiters should bank the richer FY2026 awards now and pre-qualify candidates for the next cycle (~early 2027), while leadership treats the Dec 31 funding cliff as the real workforce risk.