The following terms, whenever used or referred to, have the following meanings, except where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Advisory Council" means the Mental Health Consortium Advisory Council created under Section 35 of this Act.
"Approved institution" means a public or private college or university located in this State.
"Department" means the Department of Human Services.
"Designated shortage area" means an area designated by the Secretary as a shortage area, a mental health underserved area, or a critical mental health manpower shortage area, as defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services or as further defined by the Illinois Department of Human Services to enable it to effectively fulfill the purpose stated in Section 5 of this Act. These areas may include the following:
"Enrollment" means the establishment and maintenance of an individual's status as a student in an approved institution, regardless of the terms used at the institution to describe such status.
"Fees" means those mandatory charges, in addition to tuition, that all enrolled students must pay, including required course or lab fees.
"Full-time enrollment" means enrollment by a student for at least 9 hours per school term or as otherwise determined by the institution of higher learning.
"Mental health employment obligation" means employment in this State as a licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical professional counselor, licensed clinical psychologist, licensed social worker, licensed clinical social worker, or licensed marriage and family therapist in direct patient care in a human services capacity in a designated shortage area for at least one year for each year of scholarship assistance received through the program.
"Program" means the Mental Health Graduate Scholarship Program.
"School term" means an academic term, such as a semester, quarter, trimester, or number of clock hours, as defined by an approved institution.
"Secretary" means the Secretary of Human Services.
"Student in good standing" means a student maintaining a cumulative grade point average equivalent to at least the academic grade of a "C".
"Total and permanent disability" means a physical or mental impairment, disease, or loss of a permanent nature that prevents employment with or without reasonable accommodation. Proof of disability shall be a declaration from the federal Social Security Administration, the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, the federal Department of Defense, or an insurer authorized to transact business in this State who is providing disability insurance coverage to a contractor.
"Tuition" means the established charges of an institution of higher learning for instruction at that institution.
110 ILCS 952/10