DENTAL ASST. FEE WAIVER FOR VETERANS H.B. 5248:
SUMMARY OF HOUSE-PASSED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
House Bill 5248 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Gail Haines
House Committee: Military and Veterans Affairs
Senate Committee: Veterans, Military Affairs and Homeland Security
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to require the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to waive the application processing and license fees for a dental assistant who was an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. armed forces and had served on active duty as a military dental specialist.
Specifically, LARA would have to waive the application processing and license fees required under the Code for an initial license to engage in practice as a dental assistant if the applicant, while on active duty as a member of the armed forces, served as a military dental specialist and were separated from service with an honorable character of service or under honorable conditions (general) character of service.
The Code requires an individual seeking licensure as a dental assistant to pay a $10 application processing fee and a license fee of $10 per year, a temporary license fee of $5, or a limited license fee of $5 per year. (The Code also requires a dental assistant's examination fee of $70 for a complete examination, or $35 per part of an examination, and $20 examination review fee.)
To be eligible for a waiver of fees under the bill, the applicant would have to give LARA a Form DD214, Form DD215, or any other form that was satisfactory to the Department. (Form DD214 is the Department of Defense form for a certificate of release or discharge from active duty. Form DD215 is the Department of Defense form for making a correction to a Form DD214.)
Under the bill, "armed forces" would mean that term as defined in the Veteran Right to Employment Services Act. (That Act defines "armed forces" as the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or other military force designated by Congress as part of the Armed Forces of the United States.)
The bill would take effect on the 91st day after it was enacted.
MCL 333.16323 Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a minor, but negative fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The bill would exempt an honorably discharged veteran who served as a military dental specialist from paying application processing and license fees for initial licensure as a dental assistant. On an individual basis, depending on the type of license
applied for (regular, temporary, or limited), the exemption would cost LARA $25 or $40, as dental assistant licenses are valid for three years.
According to the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, a total of approximately 5.2 million people between the ages of 25 and 65 currently reside in Michigan. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs Population Projection Model, there were approximately 320,500 veterans between the ages of 25 and 65 in Michigan as of September 30, 2013. Dividing the number of veterans by total population provides an estimate that approximately 6.2% of people in Michigan between the ages of 25 and 65 are veterans. According to LARA, as of January 2, 2014, there were 1,653 dental assistants licensed in Michigan. Assuming that veterans are as likely to become dental assistants as the population in general, approximately 102 individuals in Michigan are both veterans and dental assistants. However, the discharge status and whether the individuals served as military dental specialists is unknown, so it is difficult to estimate how many of the estimated 102 would be eligible under the bill. Finally, the percentage of these licenses that were initial licenses is also unknown. In total, it is likely that very little revenue would be lost due to the fee exemptions under the bill.
The bill also would introduce some minor administrative costs to LARA for the licensure of dental assistants. The Department would likely have to revise its application forms to include an area for applicants to indicate whether they met the criteria for exemption, and additional staff time would have to be allocated to verify any exemption requests that LARA received.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.