Active — first-come, first-served recruitment programAtlas Opportunity Score 20/100
South Dakota Recruitment Assistance Program (RAP) 2026
<p>South Dakota's Recruitment Assistance Program provides rural recruitment incentives of $258,702 for qualifying physicians/dentists and approximately $71,933.20 for qualifying advanced-practice clinicians in exchange for three years of service. Participation is first-come, first-served.</p>
Funding$258,702 for a qualifying physician or dentist; approximately $71,933.20 for a qualifying physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife or certified registered nurse anesthetist, beginning July 1, 2026.
DeadlineNo single annual application deadline is published. Participation requests are reviewed first-come, first-served after community/facility eligibility assessment.
Last verifiedOctober 1, 2026
Required next actionInterested eligible rural communities or facilities should contact the South Dakota Office of Rural Health to request the required eligibility and provider-need assessment before pursuing participation.
Broad Eligibility
Qualifying clinicians agreeing to three continuous years of practice in a South Dakota rural community or facility that passes the Department of Health eligibility and need assessment, subject to statutory and program requirements.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score 20/100. South Dakota's Recruitment Assistance Program is an active rural healthcare workforce incentive program, not a general equipment or service grant. Qualifying clinicians commit to three continuous years of practice in an eligible rural community; participation requests are reviewed first-come, first-served after community or facility eligibility assessment.
The South Dakota Department of Health Office of Rural Health administers the Recruitment Assistance Program (RAP), which provides incentive payments to qualifying physicians, dentists, physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists in return for three continuous years of practice in an eligible rural South Dakota community.
Beginning July 1, 2026, the incentive is $258,702 for a qualifying physician or dentist and approximately $71,933.20 for a qualifying physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife or certified registered nurse anesthetist. Participation requests are reviewed first-come, first-served. A community or facility representative must contact the Office of Rural Health for an assessment of community eligibility and provider need.
Community participation includes a population-based local payment share, and the state assesses factors such as community population, provider FTEs, service-area population and provider-to-population ratios. The official page does not publish a single annual application deadline.
Atlas fit note: Atlas Opportunity Score 20/100. N9+ Fit 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit 0/100. RAP is a clinician-recruitment incentive rather than a technology, telehealth equipment or clinical-services procurement, so Atlas does not infer an N9+ or QC Healthcare opportunity.
Source verificationOfficial government source · doh.sd.govAtlas last verified this record October 1, 2026. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
