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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 29, February 7, 2024

U.S. Department of Education Once Again Delays FAFSA Processing Until March
 
The Department of Education (ED) announced [ [link removed] ] Jan. 30 that there will be a delay in sending applicant data to colleges for financial aid processing due to a mistake in the recently updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Originally planned for late January, financial aid information from FAFSA forms will now be transmitted to colleges beginning in March, resulting in colleges needing additional weeks to process and generate aid offers. This delay means students may not know their aid eligibility until April, leaving limited time for decision-making before the May 1 “College Decision Day”. The new FAFSA was introduced last month as part of a congressional mandate to simplify the application, with 3.1 million people having already submitted the form.
 
ED has asked colleges to consider extending the acceptance deadline for students affected by the delays. The Department also plans to inform students when their information has been shared with their schools and when they can access official aid calculations on studentaid.gov [ [link removed] ] .
 
The delays in transferring applicant data are exacerbated by the need to fix an error [ [link removed] ] in the FAFSA, involving an outdated formula. ED was notified that the variables they were using in their federal aid formula were incorrect because they were not in compliance with instructions laid out in the FAFSA simplification bill passed by Congress. Specifically, the bill called for an increase in the amount of income shielded from the formula that determines how much students must pay and the aid they can receive. Congress directed ED to raise the amount of income protected by 20% for parents, 35% for dependent students and almost 60% for students with children of their own, as well as to adjust the numbers for inflation annually.
 
ED’s formula did not incorporate the adjustments, which were also supposed to be calculated using the Consumer Price Index from April 2020 to April of this year—a period of record-high inflation. ED initially refused to correct the formula, citing the delays that it would cause, but the agency eventually reversed course and agreed to fix the formula. The changes made in the calculations will allow 1 million students to receive more Pell Grant money and 159,000 more students will now be eligible for the grant.
 
The FAFSA overhaul was originally intended to be finalized and implemented by 2022.
 
College Cost Reduction Act Passes Out of U.S. House Education Committee
 
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education and Workforce Committee passed the Republican-sponsored H.R. 6951, “College Cost Reduction Act” [ [link removed] ] , by a party line vote of 22 to 19. Democrats offered 30 amendments to the bill, none of which passed.
 
The “College Cost Reduction Act” addresses raising college costs, including student loan debt, and low college completion rates. It seeks to increase college affordability and accountability.

Wisconsin Governor Signs Five Bills That Impact Licensure and Workforce of Oral Health Practitioners
 
On Jan. 31, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed five bills [ [link removed] ] that will impact oral health practitioners and students in the state. This legislation was discussed in greater detail [ [link removed] ] in a previous issue of the ADEA Advocate. A summary of each bill is below:
 
 •  SB 692 [ [link removed] ] ratifies the dentist and dental hygienist compact, making Wisconsin the fourth state [ [link removed] ] to join the compact.
 • SB 689 [ [link removed] ] provides for the licensure of dental therapists.
 • SB 702 [ [link removed] ] authorizes up to $20,000,000 in funding for technical college programs to expand the state’s oral health care workforce.
 • SB 706 [ [link removed] ] modifies a scholarship program so that only students enrolled in the Marquette University School of Dentistry are eligible.
 • AB 62 [ [link removed] ] allows an individual insured under a health benefit plan that includes coverage of dental services to assign reimbursement for dental and related services directly to a dental provider.

Indiana and Virginia House Each Pass Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact
 
On Jan. 31, the Indiana House overwhelming voted to pass the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. That same day, members of the Virginia House unanimously voted in favor of the compact. The legislation will now be sent to each state’s respective Senate for consideration.
 
Once enacted by seven states, the compact will create a pathway to licensure portability for dentists and dental hygienists who are licensed in member states. Licensees who live in states that are compact members can apply for a “compact privilege” that will allow them to practice in another member state. Under the model compact [ [link removed] ] written by The Council for State Governments, license holders will be granted the opportunity to apply for compact privilege if they do the following:
 
 • Hold a license as a dentist or dental hygienist;
 • Graduate from a Commission on Dental Accreditation-accredited program;
 • Successfully complete a clinical assessment for licensure, with “clinical assessment” currently defined as an examination or process required for licensure as a dentist or dental hygienist, as applicable, that provides evidence of clinical competence in dentistry or dental hygiene;
 • Have passed a National Board Examination of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations or another examination accepted, by rule, as a requirement for licensure;
 • Meet any jurisprudence requirements;
 • Complete a criminal background check;
 • Submit an application and pay applicable fees; and
 • Comply with requirements to submit specified information for administrative purposes.

 
The compact has already been enacted in Iowa [ [link removed] ] , Tennessee [ [link removed] ] , Washington [ [link removed] ] and Wisconsin [ [link removed] ] . As of Feb.2, legislation to adopt the compact has been introduced in 12 additional states [ [link removed] ] .
 
2024 ADEA/AADOCR/Friends of NIDCR Advocacy Day
 
On Thursday, April 11, ADEA, the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) will join forces for our 2024 Advocacy Day.
 
This event will be held in-person on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Participants will receive a legislative briefing and advocacy training on Wednesday, April 10, that will feature speakers from Congress, Health Resources and Services Administration and NIDCR. The next day will be dedicated to group meetings on Capitol Hill with targeted congressional offices, including participants’ own elected officials.
 
The deadline to register [ [link removed] ] for the 2024 Advocacy Day is Feb. 23. We hope to see you there!

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ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
 
Issues and Resources
 • ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day, Apr. 7-9, 2024. Register here [ [link removed] ] .
 • The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making concerning the “Accessibility of Medical Diagnostic Equipment of State and Local Government Entities [ [link removed] ] .” MDE includes dental chairs. Interested parties my comment on or before Feb. 12, 2024.
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
 
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
 
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
 
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Senior Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Contact Us:
[email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ]

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