Today's MBMTE Meeting
Unemployment When You've Been Called Back
and answers to some questions
Wednesday June 23, 2020

Hello Maryland AMTA Members

The Maryland Board of Massage Therapy Examiners met for their monthly meeting this morning - updates below about:
  • elective CE carryover
  • CPR Extension
  • CEs for attending meetings
  • Renewal info

A few more items:
  • Labor Department email about being called back to work
  • Mobile and onsite massage questions
  • County Updates - not much is new
  • Calendar updates.

We are sure there will be more questions - please feel to reply or visit us on Facebook for more of a discussion - our main page is https://www.facebook.com/amtamd.

Our website has been updated and it includes an archive of many of our newsletters. http://md.wp.amtamassage.org/

Take good care,

Amelia
Amelia Mitchell, LMT, LLCC, BCTMB
Board Member and Government Relations Committee Chair
for
David Madon, Mark Hamilton, and Chelsea Adams-Cook
Your AMTA-Maryland Chapter Board
Today's MBMTE Meeting
This morning the Maryland Board of Massage Therapy Examiners had their monthly meeting, they are being live-streamed and you are always welcome to attend. If you do, follow the instructions given, because you will earn one CE credit towards Ethics, if you attend three times you will earn your full ethics requirement for renewal.
Carry-Over of the 17 Elective CEs
At the recommendation of the Licensing Committee the Board voted not to carry-over the 17CEs that some of us have earned to the 2022 renewal period AT THIS TIME.

They made this choice to allow the Board in place at that time to make the decision and limit their ability to take appropriate actions for the 2022 renewal. Given the pandemic situation and how unknown the next couple of years will be, they felt it was more prudent to wait on such action.

AMTA-MD assures our members that we will circle back to this question in 2022.

CPR Renewal
All licensees and registrants are required to keep their CPR certifications up to date. The American Heart Association has provided a 120 day extension for those certifications that expire between March and June 2020. That will provide a temporary relief. Most of us will need to renew over this time and we want to remind you that you can complete your renewal entirely online.

RMPs converting to LMT
A reminder that the process of doing so with Advance Level Continuing Ed courses requires pre-approval. Please submit the course work you are considering to the Licensing Committee in advance for approval so you don't spend money and time on something that doesn't meet their requirements. The MBMTE also approved a list of college level courses that can be applied towards the advancement of RMP to LMT. Having an approved list will streamline the process.

Renewal Information
In Maryland we are required to renew by October 31, 2020, or 30 days after the state of emergency declared by Governor Hogan is lifted. The MBMTE is moving forward with opening online renewal late this summer and will extend it if necessary due to the state of emergency.

You only need your 7 required CEs plus CPR to renew in 2020. The 17 elective CEs have been waived.

Remember - the MBMTE's web page is your friend and is full of information - please head there for answers to many of your questions:
Unemployment Updates - Return to Work
Many of our members are not back at work yet and remain on Unemployment. An email went out yesterday explaining that people had to go back to work if they were called back. Employers are also required to report when people are called back to work and if they don't return. Statements like that get people worried.

We want to remind you that the letter also stated that there are a number of reasons that people could continue to not work and remain on unemployment if they are called back to work. This is a quote from the Labor Department's letter to employers:

"However, please note there are circumstances where a claimant has “good cause” to refuse an offer of work, including:
  •   Being sick or still isolated as the result of COVID-19
  • An unreasonable risk of exposure at place of employment
  • Caring for a family member who is sick or isolated as the result of COVID-19
  • Caring for a child who is unable to attend school or a childcare facility
  • The work is not “suitable.” In the context of an individual returning to work with the same employer in which the individual had been laid off or furloughed as a direct result of COVID-19, suitable employment means employment that the claimant is qualified for based on their customary occupation, experience, education level, and/or training."

If you are unable to return to work and reported as such by your employer (they are required to do so) you will be scheduled for a phone interview to determine if you qualiify to remain on unemployment. There may be an interruption to your UI payments during this process.

We are seeking more information and guidance on this topic, especially for those who are sole proprietors who cannot safely return to work for a variety of reasons. We will update as we can.
Mobile Massage and other On-Site Work
If your county is fully in Stage 2 LMTs and RMPs may return to work in any of the locations they were legally able to work pre-closures.

As far as we know, only Montgomery and Prince George's County are not fully in Stage 2.
For many who work in elder care and medical settings it will not be safe nor will you be allowed to return to work for some time.

We know many events that relied on chair massage contractors continue to be canceled and delayed.

Home Visits
A lot of members provide mobile massage and home visits. We have heard from you about your concerns about doing this work safely in a setting that is beyond your control. We cannot tell you what to do, we know you are getting calls, and the ones from people who are at risk and see you coming to them as safer are a particular challenge.

The MBMTE has pointed us to the the FSMTB Guidelines for Practice for information about how to practice safely. These guidelines are very clear that they do not consider on-site massage to be safe. That does not prevent you from doing it, it simply means you have an ethical requirement to consider all the issues and have safety protocols in place that will protect both your clients and yourself.
County Updates
At this moment we have nothing new to share on reopening in the different counties. We will update with anything we do discover!


In Closing:
Your questions and curiosities are welcome. Please feel free to reply to this email or visit us on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/amtamd

Our website has been updated and it includes an archive of many of our newsletters. http://md.wp.amtamassage.org/


For Your July Calendar
AMTA - MD's monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday July 15th at 8pm - an invitation will be emailed to our members.

The MBMTE monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday July 22nd at 10am, connection info is posted on their website the Friday before the meeting.