Regulatory Compliance

Document employee’s refusal of employer's offer of the Hepatitis B vaccination on this form which has mandated language. This form is part of the Regulatory Compliance Manual. Updated June 2024.

Customize sample plan to describe how the practice complies with safe work practices, communicates with staff and more. This resource is part of the Regulatory Compliance Manual. Updated June 2024.

Use this sample form to describe the practice’s sterilization protocol, as required by the Dental Board. This resource is part of the Regulatory Compliance Manual. Updated June 2024.

Intro to Hand Hygiene to help protect you and your patients.

Employers who use the IRS standard mileage to reimburse employees who drive their personal cars on company business rate will need to pay a little more in 2025. The IRS announced on December 19 that the standard mileage rate for business use will increase to 70 cents per mile on January 1, 2025, up from 67 cents in 2024. These rates apply to electric and hybrid-electric automobiles, including gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

This information aims to assist members in safeguarding themselves by outlining the steps they can take when faced with attempted scams.

Dental practices must post California's Whistleblower Protection notice, printed no smaller than 8.5 inches by 14 inches, as well as Notice to Employees – Injuries Caused by Work, in both English and Spanish if dentists have Spanish-speaking employees.

The minimum wage for a large employer with 26 or more employees in California will increase from $10 per hour to $10.50 per hour, and employers with 25 or fewer employees will remain at $10.00 until Jan. 1, 2018. Some cities and counties have their own ordinances beyond what is required by state law, with more expected to follow. CDA provides a guide to minimum wage ordinances by city and county and employers are advised to check with their local jurisdictions to ensure they are in compliance.

Employers with 10 or more employees must register with the Employment Development Department's e-Services for Business and file all wage reports and employment tax returns and pay all contributions for unemployment insurance premiums electronically. All employers will be required to register and file under this new law beginning Jan. 1, 2018.

Written informed consent forms for the sedation/anesthesia of a minor patient must now include specific language. CDA has updated the forms to reflect the change. The language is as follows: “The administration and monitoring of general anesthesia may vary depending on the type of procedure, the type of practitioner, the age and health of the patient, and the setting in which anesthesia is provided. Risks may vary with each specific situation. You are encouraged to explore all the options available for your child’s anesthesia for his or her dental treatment, and consult with your dentist or pediatrician as needed.”

Senate Bill 501, which changed requirements to hold general anesthesia and sedation permits, took effect. Any holder of a general anesthesia, conscious sedation or oral conscious sedation for minors permit is required to apply for a new permit once their current permit expires after Jan. 1, 2022. Implementing regulations and permit applications became available in August 2022. See the news article for more information.

New C.E. requirements include a mandated opioid course for dentists and new activity eligible for earning C.E. credit. For more information see “Continuing Education Requirements and FAQ.”

Practice owners who are hiring or planning to hire new employees must use the new Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. As of Jan. 21, 2017, all previous versions of the form will become invalid. The new form is designed to be easier to use. It clarifies several points of confusion for employers, and includes embedded instructions for completing fields. The new form can be accessed via the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

The new law amends the Labor Code to specify that an employer may now ask for an applicant’s salary expectations for the position being applied for, only external applicants (not current employees) and are entitled to request a pay scale for the position they are applying for, but only after completing an initial interview. The pay scale provided only needs to include salary and hourly wage ranges. AB 2282

Dentists who order or provide Medicare-covered items and services (clinical laboratory services, imaging services or durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies) will need to either enroll in Medicare using form CMS-855-I (PDF) or the shorter enrollment form CMS-855-O (PDF) or formally opt out of Medicare by Jan. 1, 2019. To assure one's status with Medicare and that patients' Medicare benefits do not lapse, dentists should allow sufficient time for processing whichever form is submitted. Learn more about enrollment requirements by visiting the ADA’s Facts and FAQ on Medicare.

The minimum wage for a large employer with 26 or more employees in California will increase from $11 per hour to $12 per hour, and employers with 25 or fewer employees will increase from $10.50 per hour to $11 per hour on Jan. 1, 2019. Some cities and counties have their own ordinances beyond what is required by state law, with more expected to follow. CDA provides a guide to minimum wage ordinances by city and county and employers are advised to check with their local jurisdictions to ensure they are in compliance.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, a prescriber is required to discuss the following with a minor or the minor’s parent or guardian before issuing the first opioid prescription in a single course of treatment:

1. The risks of addiction and overdose associated with the use of opioids.
2. The increased risk of addiction to an opioid to an individual suffering from both mental and substance-abuse disorders.
3. The danger of taking an opioid with benzodiazepine, alcohol or another central nervous system depressant.

A new informed consent form, Consent to Prescribe Opioid to a Minor, (Spanish version) has been developed and is available on the TDIC and CDA Practice Support websites.

When performing procedures on exposed dental pulp, water or other methods used for irrigation must be “sterile or contain recognized disinfecting or antibacterial properties.”

As of Jan. 1, 2019, a prescriber must offer a patient a prescription for naloxone hydrochloride or other FDA-approved drugs for the complete or partial reversal of opioid depression when one or more of the following conditions are present:

1. The prescription dosage for the patient is 90 or more morphine milligrams equivalent of an opioid medication per day. (See this CDC document on how to calculate MME.)
2. Opioid medication is prescribed concurrently with a prescription for benzodiazepine.
3. The patient presents with an increased risk for overdose, including a patient with a history of overdose, a patient with a history of substance use disorder or a patient at risk for returning to a high dose of opioid medication to which the patient is no longer tolerant.

Additionally, a prescriber must provide education to a patient, or the patient’s guardian if the patient is a minor, receiving a prescription per the above circumstance on overdose prevention and the use of naloxone hydrochloride or other FDA-approved drugs for the complete or partial reversal of opioid depression. AB 2760

See the IRS’s press release. For business expense reimbursement, the 2019 rate is $0.58 per mile. That’s up $0.035 from last year. California employers need to reimburse such common expenses as work-related travel, dining expenses and mileage when an employee uses a personal car for work-related business. However, employees who can prove they spend more than $0.58 per mile to operate their personal vehicles for business use may be entitled to reimbursement of the actual expense. It’s up to the employees to prove their expenses, however.

Section 1031 of the Labor Code has now been updated to specify that employers should provide a location other than a bathroom. Employers must make reasonable efforts to provide the employee the use of a room, other than a bathroom, in close proximity to the employees work area to express milk in private. Employers should update their employee policy to reflect the new
lactation accommodation requirements. Sample Employee Manual (Doc)

SB 1109  requires a warning notice be prominently displayed on the label or container of an opioid dispensed to a patient for outpatient use. The notice must state: "Caution. Opioid. Risk of overdose and addiction." The law requires the notice be displayed "by means of a flag or other notification mechanism attached to the container."

The minimum wage for a large employer with 26 or more employees in California will increase from $12 per hour to $13 per hour, and employers with 25 or fewer employees will increase from $11 per hour to $12 per hour on Jan. 1, 2020. Some cities and counties have their own ordinances beyond what is required by state law, with more expected to follow. CDA provides a guide to minimum wage ordinances by city and county and employers are advised to check with their local jurisdictions to ensure they are in compliance.

A dental practice that administers general anesthesia or deep or moderate sedation must use a written informed consent form that includes language specified in AB 1622 which the governor signed October 2019. Check out CDA's news article for more information, and access updated informed consent forms from the Practice Support Resource Library.

Employers of five or more employees must begin to provide up to 12-weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to eligible employees. Employees who meet the eligibility requirements can take leave for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child or for a serious health condition of the employee or a specified family member. Employers should watch for updated notices and update practice leave policies. Check here later for additional resources.

The program is expanding to offer benefits to any employee who takes time off to attend to situations (qualifying exigencies) related to the covered active duty status of the employee’s spouse, registered domestic partner, child or parent who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. This new law does not create a right to take a protected leave of absence, merely the ability to collect PFL benefits (after Jan. 1, 2021) if the employee does take the time off.