Teresa Marie Clark 1952–2009

Our dear friend and colleague passed away on October 7, 2009, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Teresa was beloved by numerous colleagues and friends. More.…

CAA Legislative Update - AB1535 signed

On Sunday, October 11, Governor Schwarzenegger signed 79 bills out of the 704 on his desk.  Among those signed, and of interest to us were SB 821 and AB1535.

Here are the main highlights of these bills:

1. Eliminates Dual Licensure for California audiologists
2. Abolishes the Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau (HADB) and merges the Bureau with the Speech, Language and Audiology Board (SLPAB)
3. Reduces duplicative licensing fees for California's dispensing audiologists
4. Reduces duplicative CEU requirements.
5. Eliminates three hearing aid advertisement regulations that contradict our scope of practice but will remain in effort for HADs.
6. Changes entry level degree in California to an AuD for audiologists graduating after 2007.
7. Relaxes supervisory requirements for Audiology aides from direct to general supervision for many tasks.
8. Changes RPE licensure requirements for 4th year AuD students

This was an aggressively fought battle, but thanks to our Sacramento and grass roots advocacy we won!  We look forward to the improvement in regulatory enforcement which will undoubtedly result in improved hearing health care delivery for Californians.  See Dave Jones' press release.

Here is the official text of AB 1535.

Here is the official text of SB 821.

As discussed at conference, the hearing which will challenge the reduction in Medical fees and benefits including the elimination of Medical Optional benefits (Gray Panthers of  S.F. vs. Governor Schwarzenegger) will take place on October 22nd. Stay tuned to the website for updates. (Posted 10/12/2009)

New Entry Level Standards For Licensure

The Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee has agreed to carry the language which would raise the entry-level standards for audiologists to the doctorate degree as of December 31, 2007 (with grandfathering provisions for audiologists who graduated prior to the specified date). With the help and support of Barry Brokaw (representing CAA), the executive officer of SLPAB, Annemarie DelMugnaio, properly educated the Republican Senate staff on the clean-up provisions and received their approval to move forward with placing the language in a Committee omnibus bill. Since the Committee bill is already in print and released, the audiology doctoral training language will be amended into the bill in approximately 30 days. This is something to celebrate!
(Posted 3/2/2009)

SB 821 passed senate without opposition.
(Posted 05/06/2009)

California Dept. of Consumer Affairs:
AARP/HearUSA Decision

An official decision regarding the AARP/HearUSA hearing aid referral and discount program has now been issued. Read the memorandum from the California Department of Consumer Affairs regarding this decision. (Posted 2/25/2009)

Call for Papers

CALL FOR PAPERS

California Academy of Audiology
Annual Conference
September 30 - October 2, 2010
San Francisco, CA

Contact:
June McCullough, PhD, Conference Coordinator
June.McCullough@sjsu.edu

PLEASE SUBMIT BY FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 12, 2010

2009 CAA Conference

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2009 CAA Conference Presentations

CAA Members and 2009 Conference attendees now have access to copies of the 2009 Conference Presentations.

Mark Your Calendar!

The 11th Annual CAA Conference will be held at the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco from September 30–October 2, 2010.

DHCS Responds

DHCS answers questions regarding Audiology and hearing aid services for adults after 6/30/09.

Please note the Department of Health Care Services did not answer all of the questions posed by CAA and the SLPAB members.

(8/3/2009)

Medi-Cal OpBens Update

TEN-PERCENT MEDI-CAL FEE REDUCTION FOUND TO BE ILLEGAL—
OPTIONAL BENEFITS MAY BE SAVED

On July 9 2009, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) violated federal law last year by reducing Medi-Cal payments to health care professionals by ten percent. The 3-0 decision found that the financial problems being experienced by California could not take precedence over federal law that stipulates funding levels for health care for the poor. This decision may have an impact on the more recent elimination of several optional benefits categories for Medi-Cal patients including audiology services.

http://files.medi-cal.ca.gov/pubsdoco/newsroom/newsroom_10457_2.asp

On June 29, 2009, the California Academy of Audiology submitted a list of 16 questions to the DHCS regarding these reductions in Medi-Cal optional benefits. The questions sought to clarify a number of classifications and descriptors that were unclear and somewhat confusing.

While CAA has not received a response from the DHCS, it has been learned that an August 12th hearing has been scheduled for the San Francisco federal district court on a Medicaid Defense Fund lawsuit to overturn the elimination of these and other Medi-Cal optional benefits.

Check the CAA website regularly for updates on these important Medi-Cal matters.

(7/16/2009)

Find your
Assembly District Representative
by City of Residence or Employment

Not sure who the legislative representative is in your assembly district? Look it up here .

Volunteer Opportunities

The CAA board has started a volunteer opportunity program designed for you, the Audiologists of California, to get involved in various State programs and issues. More...

Ethics Questions

Do you have any questons about appropriate ethical practices? Ask our Ethics Panel Coordinator.