The Commissioner of Health may delay or defer the reporting date, the service obligation or the repayment obligation incurred by a State Health Service Corps recipient due to extreme hardship. Extreme hardship includes, but is not limited to: serious illness or injury of the recipient or an immediate family member and other circumstances beyond the control of the recipient that would make it difficult or impossible for the recipient to fulfill the service obligation or repay the State of New York.

The Commissioner of Health may waive all or part of the service obligation and/or any repayment obligation incurred by an award recipient for reasons described in subdivision (a) of this section.

The recipient must submit, in writing, ample evidence of hardship when requesting a deferral or waiver. Applications for deferral or waiver shall be submitted on forms prescribed by the Department of Health and may include sworn statements and appropriate documentation of the recipient's claim.