{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.7870","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.7870","heading":"Optometry Scholarship Program.","body":"(1) The General Assembly hereby establishes the Optometry Scholarship Program to\nprovide eligible Kentucky students the opportunity to attend an accredited school of\noptometry to become certified practitioners rendering medical service in the\nCommonwealth.\n(2) For purposes of this section:\n(a) \"Authority\" means the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority;\n(b) \"Eligible institution\" means an accredited school of optometry that:\n1. Is the Kentucky College of Optometry; or\n2. a. Has a main campus outside the Commonwealth; and\nb. Executes an agreement with the authority on terms the authority\ndeems necessary or appropriate for administration of the program;\n(c) \"Eligible program of study\" means a program accredited by the Accreditation\nCouncil on Optometric Education that leads to a Doctor of Optometry degree;\n(d) \"Eligible student\" means any person who:\n1. Is a United States citizen;\n2. Is a Kentucky resident as determined by the institution in accordan ce\nwith criteria established by the Council on Postsecondary Education for\nthe purposes of admission and tuition assessment;\n3. Is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an eligible institution in an\neligible program of study on a full-time basis;\n4. Completes and submits an optometry scholarship application to the\nauthority; and\n5. Is not in default on any program under Title IV of the federal act or any\nobligation to the authority under any program administered by the\nauthority under KRS 164.740 to 164.78 5 or 164.7894, except that\nineligibility for this reason may be waived by the authority for cause;\nand\n(e) \"Optometry Scholarship Committee\" means a group of individuals selected in\naccordance with regulations promulgated by the authority whose membership\nshall be composed of:\n1. A representative from the Kentucky Optometric Association;\n2. A representative from the Kentucky College of Optometry;\n3. Two (2) at-large members with optometric education experience; and\n4. One (1) representative from an eligible  institution located outside the\nCommonwealth.\n(3) The authority shall administer the Optometry Scholarship Program and shall\npromulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A as may\nbe needed for the administration of the program.\n(4) Beginning with the 2021 -2022 academic year, the authority may award an\noptometry scholarship under this section, to the extent funds are available for that\npurpose, to any eligible student who is selected by the Optometry Scholarship\nCommittee to be a recipient.\n(5) A minimum of one -third (1/3) of the amount appropriated for scholarships under\nthis section shall be awarded to eligible students attending an eligible institution\nlocated in the Commonwealth.\n(6) Should funds be insufficient to award all eli gible students, those previously\nreceiving tuition assistance through the optometry contract spaces program\nadministered by the Council on Postsecondary Education shall receive priority until\nsuch time they complete or withdraw from an eligible program of study or have\nreceived assistance for four (4) years of study.\n(7) The authority shall provide an annual report on the Optometry Scholarship Program\nto the General Assembly that includes the:\n(a) Number of students served by the scholarship, the total amou nt disbursed, and\ndistribution by institution;\n(b) Number of recipients completing an eligible program and the number\npracticing in Kentucky following program completion; and\n(c) Geographic distribution and occupational demand of optometrists in the state.\n(8) (a) The Optometry Scholarship Program fund is hereby created as a trust fund in\nthe State Treasury to be administered by the authority for the purpose of\nproviding scholarships described in this section.\n(b) The trust fund shall consist of state gener al fund appropriations, gifts and\ngrants from public and private sources, and federal funds. All moneys\nincluded in the fund shall be appropriated for the purposes set forth in this\nsection.\n(c) Any unalloted or unencumbered balances in the trust fund shal l be invested as\nprovided in KRS 42.500(9). Income earned from the investments shall be\ncredited to the trust fund.\n(d) Notwithstanding KRS 45.229, any fund balance at the close of the fiscal year\nshall not lapse but shall be carried forward to the next fi scal year and\ncontinuously appropriated only for the purposes specified in this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=50210","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:17Z","sha256":"17d6f7001e7be180d1019bb97991a261d5c71a2f217f2b393c451296c90cdbe4","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.787","next":"us-ky/krs-164.7871"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}