7 CFR § 4280.43 - Discretionary points.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t7/s4280.43"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "7 CFR § 4280.43 - Discretionary points."
title_number: 7
title_name: "Agriculture"
section_number: "4280.43"
section_name: "Discretionary points."
chapter_name: "RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE"
part_number: "4280"
part_name: "LOANS AND GRANTS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "7 U.S.C. 1989(a), 7 U.S.C. 2008s."
regulatory_source: "70 FR 41303, July 18, 2005, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "4280"
---


# 4280.43 Discretionary points.

The RBS Administrator has the discretion to designate up to 25 points (no more than 5 points for each of the following elements) based on whether the Project:

(a) Is located in a Rural Empowerment Zone, Rural Economic Area Partnership Zone, Rural Enterprise Community, or Champion Community;

(b) Is located in a county that has experienced the loss, removal, or closing of a major source or sources of employment in the last 3 years which causes an increase of 2 percentage points or more in the county's most recent unemployment rate compared with the same period immediately before the dislocation;

(c) Is located in a county that has experienced chronic or long-term economic deterioration;

(d) Is located in a county that was designated a disaster area by the President of the United States that significantly affected rural economic development and job creation. The county must have been designated within 3 years prior to filing of the completed application with Rural Development; or

(e) Is consistent with the Rural Development State Office's approved strategic plan and mission area objectives and is identified as a priority area for assistance in the States' plan.