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American Dental Education Association


Volume 3, No. 42, May 15, 2024

ED Temporarily Pauses Processing of PSLF Applications
 
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) initiated a temporary halt on processing applications for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program [ [link removed] ] . This “pause” in processing began on May 1.
 
The program forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after ten years of qualifying payments. The pause was implemented to facilitate the transfer of PSLF accounts away from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA), the previous sole servicer responsible for managing the program. After facing challenges such as inaccurate payment counts and strained customer service resources, MOHELA requested the transfer of over a million borrowers from its portfolio to other servicers. Multiple companies will take over management of PSLF accounts during this transition, with borrowers being able to monitor their PSLF status directly through studentaid.gov [ [link removed] ] rather than relying on individual servicers.
 
The transition process is anticipated to conclude in July, at which point, borrowers will regain access to their account information. Until then, borrowers can still submit PSLF applications, but they will not be processed until the transition process has concluded.
 
Please note that student loan payments are still due during this transition period, despite the temporary halt in processing applications.
 
This transition forms part of ED’s efforts to streamline the student loan repayment system for easier borrower access.

U.S. Rep. Pallone Urges Increased Funding for Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program
 
In a bid to bolster health care access in underserved communities, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter [ [link removed]. Letter re THCMGE PRA.HE_.pdf ] to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Carole Johnson regarding the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program. He urged HRSA to increase the per-resident allocation (PRA) for the THCGME program by $10,000 before the next academic year begins July 1, 2024.
 
“When the THCGME program was established over a decade ago, the PRA was determined to be $150,000. Since then, the PRA has only been increased once, by $10,000, when it was mandated in 2021 by the American Rescue Plan Act,” Pallone wrote to Administrator Johnson. “While this increase is certainly helpful, a study commissioned by HRSA in 2022 found that the current PRA of $160,000 is $50,000 less than the national median for true training costs. This leaves Teaching Health Centers, which are predominantly federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics, responsible for covering the outstanding costs associated with training residents. I am concerned that the discrepancy between the PRA and the true costs of training a resident has the potential to threaten the viability of the THCGME program.”
 
The THCGME program closes critical gaps in primary, mental and dental health care access in underserved communities. Pallone noted that THCGME distinguishes itself as the sole federal initiative dedicated to training physicians within community settings, diverging from the traditional hospital-centric model.

Maryland Joins Colorado and Virginia in Banning Legacy Admissions
 
Effective July 1, legacy admissions will no longer be permitted at Maryland institutions of higher education that receive state funds. Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed legislation [ [link removed] ] outlawing the practice on April 25, making Maryland the third state to prohibit legacy admissions. Colorado [ [link removed] ] became the first state to ban the practice in 2021 and Virginia [ [link removed] ] became the second in March of this year.
 
Similar legislation has been proposed in Colorado [ [link removed] ] , Massachusetts [ [link removed] ] , New York [ [link removed] ] and Connecticut [ [link removed] ] . While the bills are still under consideration in most states where they have been proposed, Connecticut’s bill has been amended and no longer bans legacy admissions. The bill in Connecticut now requires institutions to either submit to the legislature a statement affirming that it does not consider a prospective student’s familial relationship during the admissions process, or a report that includes information about familial relationships to graduates or donors of admitted students—disaggregated by race and gender—for each of the prior five academic years.
 
Interest in banning legacy admissions gained momentum [ [link removed] ] shortly after the Supreme Court ended race conscious admissions in 2023.

Colorado To Become Eighth State to Join Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact
 
Colorado [ [link removed] ] may become the eighth state to join the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact [ [link removed] ] . On May 7, the bill was sent to Gov. Jared Polis (D) for signature.
 
The compact is currently in the implementation phase. Participating states can take steps toward forming the Compact Commission which will oversee the compact and work toward implementation. Each participating state will have one commissioner selected by each state’s licensing authority.
 
Following implementation, 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] ] that was 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 also been adopted by Iowa [ [link removed] ] , Kansas [ [link removed] ] , Tennessee [ [link removed] ] , Maine [ [link removed] ] , Virginia [ [link removed] ] , Washington [ [link removed] ] and Wisconsin [ [link removed] ] . Legislation to adopt the compact is also active in eight other states [ [link removed] ] , including Colorado.

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
 • 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.
 
©2024
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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