SECTIONS 1970-1976 - California Statutes

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE

SECTION 1970-1976

1970. There is hereby established in the Dental Board of California
the Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program of 2002, which shall become
operative on January 1, 2003. This program shall be known and may be
cited as the California Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program of 2002.

1970.5. It is the intent of the this article that the Dental Board
of California, in consultation with the Office of Statewide Health
Planning and Development, the dental community, including ethnic
representatives, dental schools, health advocates representing ethnic
communities, primary care clinics, public hospitals and health
systems, statewide agencies administering state and federally funded
programs targeting underserved communities, and members of the public
with health care issue-area expertise shall develop and implement
the California Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program of 2002.

1971. For the purposes of this article, the following terms have
the following meanings:
(a) "Board" means the Dental Board of California.
(b) "Office" means the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development.
(c) "Program" means the California Dental Corps Loan Repayment
Program.
(d) "Dentally underserved area" means a geographic area eligible
to be designated as having a shortage of dental professionals
pursuant to Part I of Appendix B to Part 5 of Chapter 1 of Title 42
of the Code of Federal Regulations or an area of the state where
unmet priority needs for dentists exist as determined by the
California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission pursuant to Section
128224 of the Health and Safety Code.
(e) "Dentally underserved population" means persons without dental
insurance and persons eligible for the Denti-Cal and Healthy
Families Programs who are population groups described as having a
shortage of dental care professionals in Part I of Appendix B to Part
5 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(f) "Practice setting" means either of the following:
(1) A community clinic, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section
1204 and subdivision (c) of Section 1206 of the Health and Safety
Code, a clinic owned or operated by a public hospital and health
system, or a clinic owned and operated by a hospital that maintains
the primary contract with a county government to fulfill the county's
role pursuant to Section 17000 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,
which is located in a dentally underserved area and at least 50
percent of whose patients are from a dentally underserved population.
(2) A dental practice or dental corporation, as defined in Section
1800 of this code, located in a dentally underserved area and at
least 50 percent of whose patients are from a dentally underserved
population.
(g) "Medi-Cal threshold languages" means primary languages spoken
by limited-English-proficient (LEP) population groups meeting a
numeric threshold of 3,000, eligible LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries
residing in a county, 1,000 Medi-Cal eligible LEP beneficiaries
residing in a single ZIP Code, or 1,500 LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries
residing in two contiguous ZIP Codes.
(h) "Fund" means the State Dentistry Fund.
(i) "Account" means the Dentally Underserved Account which is
contained within the fund.

1972. (a) Program applicants shall possess a current valid license
to practice dentistry in this state issued by the board pursuant to
Section 1626.
(b) The board, in accordance with Section 1970.5, shall develop
the guidelines for selection and placement of applicants.
(1) Guidelines shall provide priority consideration to applicants
who are best suited to meet the cultural and linguistic needs and
demands of dentally underserved populations and that meet one or more
of the following criteria:
(A) Speak a Medi-Cal threshold language.
(B) Come from an economically disadvantaged background.
(C) Have received significant training in cultural and
linguistically appropriate service delivery.
(D) Have worked with dentally underserved communities for at least
three years.
(E) Recently received a license to practice dentistry.
(2) The guidelines shall include a process for determining the
needs for dentist services identified by the practice setting. At a
minimum, the practice setting shall meet the following criteria:
(A) The practice setting shall be located in a dentally
underserved area.
(B) The practice setting shall ensure that the program participant
serves a patient population that consists of at least 50 percent
dentally underserved populations.
(3) Guidelines shall seek to place the most qualified applicants
under this section in the areas with the greatest need.
(4) Guidelines shall include a factor ensuring geographic
distribution of placements.
(c) Program applicants shall be working in or have a signed
agreement with an eligible practice setting. The program participant
shall have full-time status. Full-time status shall be defined by the
board, and the board may establish exemptions to this requirement on
a case-by-case basis.
(d) Program participants shall commit to a minimum of three years
of service in a dentally underserved area. The board, in accordance
with Section 1970.5, shall develop the process for determining the
maximum length of an absence and the process for reinstatement. Loan
repayment shall be deferred until the dentist is back to full-time
status.
(e) The board, in accordance with Section 1970.5, shall develop
the process if a dentist is not able to complete his or her
three-year obligation.
(f) The board, in accordance with Section 1970.5, shall develop a
process for outreach to potentially eligible applicants.
(g) The board may adopt any other standards of eligibility,
placement and termination appropriate to achieve the aim of providing
competent dental services in these approved practice settings.

1973. (a) The Dentally Underserved Account is hereby created in the
State Dentistry Fund.
(b) The sum of three million dollars ($3,000,000) is hereby
authorized to be expended from the State Dentistry Fund on this
program. These moneys are appropriated as follows:
(1) One million dollars ($1,000,000) shall be transferred from the
State Dentistry Fund to the Dentally Underserved Account on July 1,
2003. Of this amount, sixty-five thousand dollars ($65,000) shall be
used by the Dental Board of California in the 2003-04 fiscal year for
operating expenses necessary to manage this program.
(2) One million dollars ($1,000,000) shall be transferred from the
State Dentistry Fund to the Dentally Underserved Account on July 1,
2004. Of this amount, sixty-five thousand dollars ($65,000) shall be
used by the Dental Board of California in the 2004-05 fiscal year for
operating expenses necessary to manage this program.
(3) One million dollars ($1,000,000) shall be transferred from the
State Dentistry Fund to the Dentally Underserved Account on July 1,
2005. Of this amount, sixty-five thousand dollars ($65,000) shall be
used by the Dental Board of California in the 2005-06 fiscal year for
operating expenses necessary to manage this program.
(c) Funds placed into the Dentally Underserved Account shall be
used by the board to repay the loans per agreements made with
dentists.
(1) Funds paid out for loan repayment may have a funding match
from foundation or other private sources.
(2) Loan repayments may not exceed one hundred five thousand
dollars ($105,000) per individual licensed dentist.
(3) Loan repayments may not exceed the amount of the educational
loans incurred by the dentist applicant.
(d) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government Code, the
board may seek and receive matching funds from foundations and
private sources to be placed into the Dentally Underserved Account.
The board also may contract with an exempt foundation for the receipt
of matching funds to be transferred to the Dentally Underserved
Account for use by this program.
(e) Funds in the Dentally Underserved Account appropriated in
subdivision (b) or received pursuant to subdivision (d) are
continuously appropriated for the repayment of loans per agreements
made between the board and the dentists.
(f) On or after July 1, 2010, the board shall extend the
California Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program of 2002 and distribute
the money remaining in the account until July 1, 2012. Regulations
that were adopted by the board for the purposes of the program shall
apply.

1975. The terms of loan repayment granted under this article shall
be as follows:
(a) After a program participant has completed one year of
providing services as a dentist in a dentally underserved area, the
board shall provide up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for
loan repayment.
(b) After a program participant has completed two consecutive
years of providing services as a dentist in a dentally underserved
area, the board shall provide up to an additional thirty-five
thousand dollars ($35,000) of loan repayment, for a total loan
repayment of up to sixty thousand dollars ($60,000).
(c) After a program participant has completed three consecutive
years of providing services as a dentist in a dentally underserved
area, the board shall provide up to a maximum of an additional
forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000) of loan repayment, for a total
loan repayment of up to one hundred five thousand dollars ($105,000).

1976. (a) On January 1, 2003, applications from dentists for
program participation may be submitted.
(b) The board shall report to the Legislature, no later than
October 1, 2004, the experience of the program since its inception,
an evaluation of its effectiveness in improving access to dental care
for underserved populations, and recommendations for maintaining or
expanding its operation. The report to the Legislature shall also
include the following:
(1) The number of the program participants.
(2) The practice locations.
(3) The amount expended for the program.
(4) The information on annual performance reviews by practice
settings and program participants.
(c) The board may promulgate emergency regulations to implement
the program.