August 7, 2020 - It appears that the Board of Chiropractic Medicine (BOCM), in its 9-hour virtual meeting yesterday, adopted an emergency rule to allow Florida licensed DCs to attain all 40 license renewal CE hours through synchronous learning (livestreaming of an approved event) or through online CEs for the current biennium, due to COVID. We are unsure of the text of the emergency rule and it was difficult to understand the final motions. Please stay tuned for further reports when the emergency rule text is made available.  

Chiropractic graduates having difficulty taking the licensing exams due to Covid-19 virus cancellations can rest assured that any resulting delinquency in student loan payments will not be a bar to Florida licensure, thanks to a new Florida law. Delays in exam administrations and employment may cause some graduates to fall delinquent for lack of a job.

A bill providing a temporary extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, which was initially set to expire on June 30, was signed into law by President Trump last Saturday. Businesses that have not yet applied for PPP funds may do so through August 8. Approximately $130 billion of the $660 billion earmarked for the program is still available to businesses affected by COVID-19 who qualify for relief under the CARES Act.  Here are some further facts as reported by the Lowndes Lawfirm:

Q.: What type of test does the CDC recommend for someone who wants to return to work who has either been exposed to COVID or has COVID?

Read on for a 7-point list of steps to take should you or a staff member or patient test positive for COVID-19, based on current CDC guidance: 

On Wednesday of this week, the U.S. Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 7010, passed by the House last week) which provides greater flexibility and time for borrowers to use the funds as intended - keeping employees on the payroll. The President signed the legislation today.

• The new law extends the forgiveness period that borrowers can spend funds from 8 weeks to 24 weeks and lessens the payroll expenditure requirement from 75% to 60%.
• With regard to forgiveness requirements for headcount levels, borrowers have the 24 week period to restore workforce levels to pre-pandemic levels.  If borrowers are unable to restore to full levels, there are two exceptions including the inability to rehire past employees and find new employees or the inability to return to the same level of business activity due to compliance with safety operating requirements. 
• Repayment of the loans can be extended to five years, instead of two, and some payroll taxes can be deferred.