Corporate Transparency Act Blocked

The Corporate Transparency Act was put on hold by a judge recently, so no filings are required at this time. For more information on this action click this link -  Federal Court Blocks Enforcement of BOI Reporting Under the Corporate Transparency Act. This law required all U.S. registered legal entities to disclose information regarding their beneficial owners and any individuals with significant control to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Treasury, by year’s end. This action is under appeal and we will keep you up to date on the status of the Corporate Transparency Act as it goes through the appeals process.

Register now for the ALOA and VisionAmerica 2025 Paraoptometric Technician Courses!

Register your paraoptometric technicians for the 2025 ALOA Paraoptometric Technician Courses to be held at VisionAmerica in Birmingham.

Level I - January 11

Level II - February 15

Level III - April 12

These courses are designed to provide educational development for optometric staff members who are currently functioning as paraoptometric technicians or want to become paraoptometric technicians. Make sure you register by January 5th to receive the early bird pricing! Click HERE for registration information and more information about the tech course.

Charge Fee on Credit Card Transactions? Read This!

Interested business groups have recently sought clarification recently from the Alabama Department of Revenue about surcharges placed on credit-card transactions and the applicable sales and use taxes on transactions with such charges.

In response, Alabama Revenue Department officials issued this statement:

“A credit card fee, even if separately stated, is part of the retailer’s cost of doing business, and the entire consideration for the sale of tangible personal property is subject to sales and use taxes.”

A sales and tax division spokesman added, “if you buy a part AND pay for labor to install it, and it is on one credit card charge/bill of sale, then the whole fee would be taxable. To make the credit card fee for the labor portion non-taxable, you’d have to do two separate bills of sale/credit card charges.”

For more information on this topic, please click HERE for a fact sheet from the Alabama Retail Association

Invoicing Changes for the 2025 ALOA/AOA Dues

You will be receiving an emailed dues invoice in the next few days and you may notice a change to the remittance of your dues payment. We are excited to announce that the Alabama Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association (AOA) have joined efforts in the invoicing and collection of membership dues. We are hopeful that this collaboration will streamline the process and allow staff more time to focus on the key matters and programs that are most important to your continued success as a member!   With this transition in dues payments for 2025, please note the following: 

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON A MONTHLY DUES DRAFT ON YOUR CREDIT CARD:

Please go to the “My Account” section on the ALOA website at https://alabama.aoa.org and update your credit card. (Here is a screenshot for directions) This action will give the AOA permission to use the card for a monthly draft. You may also call the AOA Dues Accounting Department at 800-365-2219 if you prefer to update your credit card over the phone.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON A MONTHLY DUES BANK DRAFT:

The AOA does not accept payment by bank drafts. If you would like to continue on a monthly dues draft you can switch to a monthly credit card draft. Please go to the “My Account” section on the ALOA website at https://alabama.aoa.org and add your credit card. (Here is a screenshot for directions) This action will give the AOA permission to use the card for a monthly draft. You may also call the AOA Dues Accounting Department at 800-365-2219 if you prefer to update your credit card over the phone.

Some other things to note:

• Monthly drafts for ALOPAC are not affected by these changes. The ALOA will continue to collect ALOPAC funds by both credit card and bank draft.

• Payments for dues via check will now be made payable to the American Optometric Association. Please note the new remittance address:     

American Optometric Association 

Attn: Dues Accounting 

243 N Lindbergh Blvd 

St. Louis, MO 63141 

With this transition, the first point of contact regarding your dues will be with the AOA. You can contact the Dues Accounting team at 800-365-2219. The AOA staff have full access to your membership records and are well equipped to answer any questions you may have. The ALOA will be working closely with the AOA and will always remain available for our members. If you have any questions about the dues process you may contact Teri Hatfield at teri@alaopt.com. We are working hard to make sure this transition is as seamless as possible for our members.

Sign up for an ALOA Committee!

Sign up for an ALOA committee and get involved! Our committees meet through Zoom or conference calls so your time away from your practice is minimal. Signing up is simple - just click HERE and choose which committee(s) you would like to serve on.

Education Committee - Dr. Patricia Fulmer, Chair

Takes responsibility for meetings sponsored by the organization. With the assistance of staff, the committee should plan cost effective, profitable events that further the continuing education goals of optometrists.

Eye Care Benefits Committee - Dr. Robbie Hayes, Chair

Acts as consultant and liaison to insurance plans, managed care systems, large employers, vision plans, employer coalitions, and other organizations involved with third party health care delivery. The committee assists members in coding issues and reimbursement issues with third party payers.

Government Relations Committee-Dr. Caleb Gardner, Chair

Reviews proposed laws and rules, taking timely action to support or oppose issues that affect the organization and the profession. Organizes efforts to block unfavorable regulations and support favorable laws in state agencies and in legislature, and works with the ALOA contract lobbyist.

Industry Relations Committee - Dr. Rob Svensen, Chair

Works with ALOA Industry Partners to design a marketing and promotion packet and contacts companies to recruit them into the partnership program. 

Membership Committee - Dr. Bonnie-Kim Schwertz, Chair

Targets audiences for membership, successfully enrolling new members while retaining current members. Encourage diversity and inclusion in membership recruitment efforts and across the association. Focus on student issues and proactively encourage their participation in the association.

Young OD Committee - Drs. Mason and Giselle Childers, Co-chairs

Plans events and programs for optometrists that have been in practice for 10 years or less encouraging their growth in their practice and involvement in the ALOA.

Alabama Medicaid Requiring Two Factor Identification in Web Portal

Beginning in December 2024, the Alabama Medicaid Agency (Medicaid) will implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requirements when accessing the Medicaid Interactive Web Portal. This process will be conducted in phases based on web portal user account type. Upon Interactive Web Portal login, selected enabled user accounts will be prompted to complete MFA setup.

Users will be required to download and set up a Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) MFA program of their choice to a personal computer (PC) or mobile device. For your convenience, Gainwell Technologies has included a list of MFA mobile applications (apps) that can be installed at no charge:

• Microsoft Authenticator
• Google Authenticator

For more instructions on setting up two factor identification for the Alabama Medicaid Agency, click HERE