Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

I attended a couple of ADA webinars this week, and I wanted to share with you some of the information provided as well as some other local updates.

1. Town Hall webinar: Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Town Hall webinar last week. I would also like to thank all our Executive Council members for their help and guidance and especially our panelists: Dr. Josh Bryan, Dr. Erik Bradley, and Dr. Vince Daniels. They put a tremendous amount of time and effort into researching and presenting responses to your questions. And, of course, it would not have been possible at all without all the hard work of Dr. Joe Kelly, our moderator and unofficial Zoom expert. Please let me know if you found it useful and if you would like us to do another one soon.
2. PPE preparation: As we prepare to return to our practices for routine care (hopefully within the next few weeks), we need to prepare by having the appropriate PPE.
   
   
   1. N95 mask availability: If you have not already done so, please remember to request your N95 masks from the State with the SHOC Resource Request Form. The form can be found on our website in the COVID-19 Update section.
   2. N95 mask fit test: According to Dr. Nick Conte, Dental Director for the Division of Public Health, dentists are currently not required to be fit tested for N95 masks.
   3. KN95 masks: The FDA approved the use of KN95 masks in the U.S. until the pandemic subsides. This will hopefully increase the availability of acceptable masks for our use.
   4. Billable code for additional required PPE: The ADA is currently looking into developing a billable code that third-party payers will pay to cover the expenses of the additional PPE required during the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Return/recovery to routine dentistry: The ADA is taking a multi-faceted approach to develop a plan to help us all get back to providing regular routine care. They understand the importance of good communication with patients. They are working on a campaign to encourage patients to come back to our office and to make them feel safe.
4. ADA/DSDS membership: Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, all clinical content on the ADA website has been available to everyone, including non-members. As we move into the recovery phase, the available resources will be moved to member-only content. This will hopefully try to promote non-members to become members. I hope you have all seen the value of your ADA membership during this crisis. The ADA has spent an incredible amount of time, money, and resources to provide the most relevant, up-to-date information for us and to lobby for our best interests at the legislative level. All of this would not have been possible without our membership dues.
5. SBA Loans: The information on the various loans and tax credits available to us is constantly being updated, but this is the most current information as of Wednesday, 4/8/2020.
   
   
   1. EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan): We strongly encourage everyone to apply for this loan on the SBA website as soon as possible (there is $10 billion set aside for this on a first come, first serve basis)
      
      
      1. You can request a grant up to $10,000, which does NOT have to be repaid even if you are not approved for the loan.
      2. You can use this money to pay for operating expenses (rent, utilities, etc.) as well as payroll and benefit costs.
      3. Terms: 3.75% interest, up to 30-year repayment; 12-month no payments, but interest accrues.
      4. SBA will determine the amount of the EIDL loan based on your total collections, total operating expenses, and the applicant’s credit score.
      5. It is encouraged that you use these loans for costs other than payroll if you plan on receiving a PPP loan.
   2. PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) Loan: **You can apply for BOTH the EIDL and the PPP loans***
      
      
      1. PPP loans are provided and administered by SBA-approved banks (find them on the SBA website or contact your own bank to inquire)
      2. Terms: 1% interest up to 2-year repayment, 6 months no payments, but interest accrues
      3. The loan amount is determined by calculating 2.5 times your average monthly payroll costs (gross payroll, retirement plan contributions, health insurance and state unemployment taxes). It does NOT include federal payroll taxes, but it does include Employee/Owner Compensation up to $100,000.
      4. **75% of the PPE loan needs to be used for payroll costs.
      5. **if you use your EIDL loan for payroll, you MUST refinance the EIDL into the PPP. If you don’t, you have the option to refinance the EIDL into the PPP.
      6. PPE loan forgiveness: There will be an amount eligible for forgiveness
         
         
         1. The amount forgiven will include payroll costs and operating costs in the 8-week period following the origination of the loan
         2. The amount forgiven is contingent on having 75% of the total number of your employees back on payroll by the end of the 8-week period.
   3. ERTC (Employee Retention Tax Credit): Employers are eligible for a 50% refundable payroll tax credit on wages paid up to $10,000 during the crisis if they have seen a decrease in gross receipts of at least 50% when compared to the same quarter last year.
      
      
      1. Wages paid after 3/12/2020 and before 1/1/2021 are eligible for the credit.
      2. **If you receive a PPP loan, you CANNOT take advantage of this tax credit.

   **BOTTOM LINE: You can get both an EIDL loan and a PPP loan. You can get both an EIDL loan and an ERTC. You CANNOT get all 3 of them. You need to talk to your CPA and do the calculations for both the PPP and the ERTC and find out which of the two is going to get you more money.

6. EPA Amalgam Separator Rule: The ADA will be communicating with the EPA to try to get the amalgam separator rule deadline extended in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On a personal note, I hope you all have plans to celebrate either Passover or Easter, even if the way you celebrate will likely be different because of COVID-19. We had a virtual Passover seder last night with J.J.’s parents and his uncle in Florida, using Zoom. It was a lot of fun, despite the distancing. Interestingly, I thought the Zoom would cut off after a certain time, but we were on it for over 3 hours. So, I hope you still manage to find ways to celebrate with your loved ones during this difficult time.

As always, please reach out to me with any questions or suggestions (cathyharrisdmd@hotmail.com). We want to help you all in any way we can.

Sincerely,



Cathy Harris, DMD
DSDS President