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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 21, August 3, 2021

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
 • Provider Relief Fund Reporting portal [ [link removed] ]
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • 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] ] .

CDC Revises Mask Wearing Guidance
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its COVID-19 guidance [ [link removed] ] . The revised guidance made the following changes:
 • Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission [ [link removed] ] .
 • Added information that fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask, regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease [ [link removed] ] from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated.
 • Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people who have a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.

The revised guidance is based on a study [ [link removed] ] detailing a COVID-19 outbreak that started July 3 in Provincetown, Mass., involving 469 cases. It found that three-quarters of cases occurred in fully vaccinated people. Massachusetts has a high rate of vaccination; about 69% among eligible adults in the state at the time of the study. The study also showed that unvaccinated and vaccinated people, who were infected with the Delta variant, carry similar viral loads, which means that vaccinated people can also infect others.
 
In response to the revised guidance, the Biden administration has ordered federal government employees [ [link removed] ] and onsite contractors to attest to their vaccination status. Employees who have not been vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, take a weekly or twice weekly COVID-19 screening test and be subject to restrictions on official travel.

House Passes Dental Education Programs Appropriations Bill
 
On July 29, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4502 containing appropriations for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education by a party line vote of 219 to 209. The breakdown on the important funding was contained in a previous ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] and did not change. AGR will report on the bill’s progress in the Senate in the coming weeks.

NIDCR Seeks Input on Five Proposed Concepts
 
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is seeking input [ [link removed] ] on five proposed concepts that were presented at the May advisory meeting. The proposed concepts are:
 • Conducting Dental Practice-based Research in Dental Schools to Provide Clinical Research Experience and Educational Opportunities;
 • NIDCR Dentist Scientist Career Transition Award for Intramural Investigators;
 • NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award;
 • NIDCR Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Diversity in the Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Workforce; and
 • Transformative Approaches to Developing a Dentist Scientist Clinical Research Workforce.

Comments on the proposed concepts are due by Aug. 31.

Two Student Loan Servicers End Contracts with ED
 
Within the past month, two major student loan servicers have notified the Department of Education (ED) of their decision to end in December 2021 their contracts to service student loans. FedLoan Servicing, also known as the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) [ [link removed] ] , was the first to notify ED of its decision. It was followed two weeks later by the Granite State Management and Resources, which is run by the New Hampshire Higher Education Association Foundation (NHHEAF) [ [link removed] ] Network.
 
FedLoan Servicing services student loans for approximately 8.5 million student loan borrowers, which represents about 20% of all federal student loan borrowers, while Granite State Management and Resources handles 1.3 million student loan accounts.
 
The student loan servicing industry has come under heightened public and legal scrutiny following accusations of account mismanagement. For example, FedLoan Servicing is the only servicer responsible for administering the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. With a less than 2% approval rate of PSLF applications, FedLoan Servicing has come under congressional, public and legal scrutiny for its handling of the PSLF program.
 
Currently, federal student loans have had a “pause” in repayment. However, repayment is slated to restart after Sept. 30. By the end of the year, the federal government will have to transfer over 10 million student loan accounts to other servicers.

California to Require Regular COVID Testing for Unvaccinated Health Care Workers
 
A July 26 order [ [link removed] ] from the California State Public Health Officer will require most health care workers in the state to provide proof of vaccination or be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing. The order applies to dental offices [ [link removed] ] . In addition to weekly testing, those who are unable to provide proof of vaccination will be required to wear masks. The order takes effect Aug. 9.

Missouri Supreme Court Rules Medicaid Expansion Ballot Initiative Constitutional
 
In a unanimous ruling [ [link removed] ] , the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the decision of a lower court that found the state’s Medicaid expansion ballot initiative unconstitutional. The July 22 ruling determined that the lower court had erred in its decision that the ballot initiative violated the state constitution because it forced the state to spend state funds without identifying a funding source.
 
A review of the ballot initiative was appealed to the state’s Supreme Court after members of the legislature refused to provide funding for the expansion. As a result, Gov. Mike Parson (R) dropped plans for expanding the program [ [link removed] ] . The decision to drop the program was quickly challenged in the state’s court system. A lower court sided with the state [ [link removed] ] in June.
 
Despite the most recent ruling, details surrounding implementation of the program remain unclear. The state’s Supreme Court ruling requires the lower court to work out some of the details for implementation. Gov. Mike Parson (R) has also stated that he doesn’t have the budget authority to implement the program, and that he was looking into available options.

ADEA State Calendar [ [link removed] ]

ADEA Washington Calendar [ [link removed] ]

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

Key Federal Issues [ [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.
 
©2021
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-7201, 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 Director of State Relations and Advocacy
 
Brian Robinson
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
 
[email protected] [ [link removed] ]

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