Coronavirus Developments: Stimulus Package & Telemedicine
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As Coronavirus cases continue to rise and impact our home and our profession, I wanted to provide you with a summary of the latest developments that outline how we practice veterinary medicine.
The passing of the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) was approved by Congress and signed by President Trump. This stimulus package contains many provisions that will aide veterinarians. They are as follows:
Individual rebates/tax credits. The bill provides a tax credit of $1,200 for individual filers ($2,400 for joint filers) plus $500 per child. The credit is phased out for individuals with adjusted gross income over $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers) and is phased out completely at $99,000 for individuals ($198,000 for joint filers).
Federal student loan relief. The bill provides for six months of relief on federal student loan payments and suspends interest accrual through Sept. 30, 2020.
Expanding unemployment benefits and paid leave
Access to forgivable loans to be used for payroll and operating costs for small businesses.
To better understand the significance of this bill on you and your practices, please visit the AVMA (linked).
In the face of this pandemic, we have been faced with he challenge of continuing to provide care to our patients while practicing strict measures to ensure the safety and prevent the spread of the virus to our ourselves, our staff, and our clients. Many of you are practicing limited contact appointments or have elected to quarantine and close your practices altogether. Until recently, Florida did not recognize veterinary telemedicine without a valid VCPR. The State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations issued an emergency order ( Order # 2020-04), temporarily allowing veterinarians to practice telemedicine during this difficult time. This order gives us an alternative method of providing care for our patients while our doors are closed. An excerpt from the bill is found below:
Any restriction in chapter 474, Florida Statutes, or chapter 61G-18, Florida Administrative Code, which would prohibit active Florida licensed veterinarians in good standing from practicing telemedicine on their patients is suspended provided the attending veterinarian is comfortable assessing the patient remotely and feels able to exercise good clinical judgement to assist the patient.
In writing this message I hope to summarize and distribute developments that support the veterinary community. Again, the SFVMA is here for you and we want you to know that we are all in this together. Thank you for continuing to uphold the care and welfare of your patients during these trying times.
Sincerely,
Jackie Dueñas, DVM