Volume 10, Issue 5 │February 13, 2026

Editor's note: The IOA office will be closed on Monday February 16, 2026 in observance of Presidents Day.

Don’t miss this weekend’s continuing education opportunity!

Join us on Sunday, February 15 in Effingham for a great lineup of CE designed to keep you informed, engaged, and ahead in your practice.

DON'T FORGET to get 12 tested hours this renewal period! We still have THREE opportunities to get tested CE.

All courses will be 6 hours TQ and run from 9am-4pm. All courses are automatically available as tested CE. The test will be automatically emailed out for every course where the attendee scans in and out. 

Licenses expire on March 31, 2026, so don't forget to complete your CE before the licensing cycle ends!

Attention: Illinois Controlled Substance license holders!

Please be aware that when renewing an Illinois controlled substance license, IDFPR has the previous requirement of 3 hours of continuing education listed as a condition of renewal. This was changed on 1/1/2025 to 1 hour of continuing education. Only one hour of CE on safe opioid prescribing is required per state law.

Love Your Eyes Campaign: Feel free to download and share these graphics on your practice’s social media pages to remind patients to take breaks and care for their eyes. ❤👁✨

February is Low Vision Awareness Month!

Here are some ways to spread awareness during Low Vision Awareness Month:

• Raise awareness through in-office and digital outreach
• Identify patients early, especially those with chronic eye disease
• Educate patients on low vision care and rehabilitation options
• Promote low vision devices and assistive technology
• Engage staff and caregivers in the care process
• Focus messaging on independence and quality of life

Do you provide home visits? Eye exams in Spanish? Aviation vision? Update your doctor profile today!



Every week patients use the doctor lookup feature on the IOA/AOA website or call the IOA looking for an OD in their area. Oftentimes they are looking for services such as home visits or optometrists who speak a certain language. Update your IOA/AOA profile so patients can easily find you by logging into your profile at the link below.

Please join the Southern Illinois Optometric Society and the IOA in supporting State Rep Paul Jacobs, O.D., in his race for the Illinois Senate!

An IOA member Rep. Jacobs is currently running for the Illinois Senate in the 59th district to replace retiring Senator Dale Fowler. Join your fellow optometrists in supporting the ONLY optometrist in the Illinois General Assembly. Your contribution will help support the campaign for State Rep. Paul Jacobs, O.D. as he runs for the Illinois Senate.

Contributions may be made to the campaign via check.

About Rep. Paul Jacobs, O.D.

Representative Paul Jacobs has been an optometrist for over 45 years, practicing in several communities throughout Southern Illinois. He currently serves in the 118th district as the elected representative for all of Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties and portions of Jackson and Williamson Counties. Some of his committee assignments include Appropriations-Higher Education, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT, Health Care Licenses, Higher Education, Veterans' Affairs, and Higher Ed-Degree Conferral. 

Dr. Jacobs has been a strong advocate for the Illinois Optometric Association, supporting their efforts to enable optometrists to practice to the full scope of their license in VA hospitals, ensuring that our nation's veterans receive essential eye care. 

Representative Jacobs also sponsored SB764, known as the Vision Care Plan Regulation Act, which introduced reforms to ensure fairness and transparency in contracts with vision plans. A key provision of this legislation prohibits vision care plans from limiting an eye care provider's freedom to choose their suppliers, materials, or labs, or from requiring them to purchase materials from a source owned by the entity that issued the vision care plan. SB764 also mandates that eye care providers post a notice to patients if they do not accept the fee schedule set by the insurer for vision plans. 

MEMBER BENEFIT: Have a Billing and Coding Question?

Submit it to the experts at OBC Insurance Billing Specialists! Click here to submit your questions.

The Eyes on Tomorrow Fund, previously known as the Legislative Equity Fund, is a dedicated resource created by and for optometrists to support the Illinois Optometric Association’s (IOA) state-level advocacy efforts. This fund directly empowers optometry’s fight for scope expansion, the regulation of Vision Benefits Managers (VBMs), and other legislative battles crucial to protecting the profession and ensuring patient care. Unlike political action committees (PACs), this fund is not used to support candidates but instead provides critical resources for advancing optometry in Illinois.

The PAC (Political Action Committee) is a group organized to promote its members' views on selected issues, usually through raising money that is contributed to the campaign funds of candidates who support the group's position to keep our friends in office. Now more than ever, we need strong, principled leaders who will fight for equal rights, and access to essential services —Will you pitch in today to help us protect our profession and the patients we serve?

Contributions to the IOA PAC can be made as a One-Time Donation or as Recurring Monthly Donation and deducted automatically from donor's bank account or charged to their credit card. Selecting to contribute a set amount on a monthly basis is a painless and effortless way to contribute to and support the IOA PAC. Contributions to the IOA PAC fund are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Eye care practitioners should report all violations of the FCLCA, including instances in which contact lens sellers fail to comply with the prescription verification provisions of the law.

Filing a complaint? Use the resources below to get started.

If you believe a health insurance company is violating the Vision Care Plan Regulation Act, please file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance by following the link below. If appropriate, please also encourage your patients to file a complaint. Doing so is what drives the Department of Insurance to take action against insurance companies who aren’t following the law. File a complaint with the Department of Insurance at the link below. 

Vision Plans & Insurance Companies:

Dept of Insurance Complaint Submission - How to File a Complaint

Office of the Illinois Attorney General - File a Complaint

Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC:

Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act compliance and safety | AOA

IDFPR:

IDFPR | File a Complaint

Medicaid Managed Care Complaint Portal:

Managed Care Provider Resolution Portal | HFS

AOA CIP Independent Practice Institute Now Accepting Applications

The AOA Center for Independent Practice (CIP) is accepting applications for its 2026-2027 class of Independent Practice Institute (IPI) participants. Applications are due by Feb. 27 with selected participants notified in April.

• Access the IPI application form



The AOA CIP Independent Practice Institute is a 12-month, member-benefit program designed to engage and equip the upcoming generation of doctors with the business basics of running an independent practice. Through a combination of virtual and in-person training, participants will obtain the skillset and confidence to start or step into an independent practice.

Open to all active AOA member students and doctors, particularly those early in their careers, the Independent Practice Institute is accepting applications for the 2026-27 program. Applications are due by Friday, Feb. 27.

Learn more about the Independent Practice Institute here.

6 AOA Advocacy Wins in 2025 that Set the Stage for 2026

The AOA’s federal advocacy achieved significant progress in 2025, securing and advancing a half dozen key priorities that directly benefit optometry practices and patients. Now, advocates intend to press that momentum with a newly envisioned summit that hones optometry’s legislative influence. 

Registration is open for AOA on Capitol Hill | AOA Federal Keyperson Summit 

Here’s a summary of what the AOA’s federal and payer advocacy achieved in 2025 thanks to persistent AOA doctor and student efforts: 

1.    AOA restored $12.1 million of doctor of optometry reimbursements from wrongful plan denials. Ongoing, direct AOA advocacy since 2023 has delivered measurable financial relief to the tune of $12.1 million to optometrists by targeting improper plan denials, downcoding, credentialing and claim edit errors. AOA advocates, including the AOA Third Party Center, provide AOA members a means for direct outreach to plans to ensure that time-intensive records requests, inappropriate denials, Medicare Risk Adjustment Audits and downcoding delays were adequately compensated or halted with more than $4.6 million restored in the final half of 2025 alone.  

If you experience payer issues, please contact stopplanabuses@aoa.org to enlist AOA support on your behalf.

2.    AOA achieved a 2.5% Medicare physician pay increase for 2026. Staring down the reality of a fifth straight year of automated statutory reductions to Medicare physicians’ pay, AOA advocates successfully appealed to Congress to include a 2.5% physician pay increase for 2026 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The AOA's leading, perennial advocacy role has laid the groundwork for longer-term reforms to mandate annual positive pay updates.

3.    AOA achieved a permanent 20% tax deduction for optometry small businesses. Also, as part of the OBBA that passed in July 2025, AOA advocates secured a full suite of tax benefits aimed at boosting small- to mid-sized optometry practices, including a permanent extension of the 20% small business pass-through tax deduction. Set to expire in 2026, the tax deduction is estimated to generate $6,000 annual tax savings for doctors. What’s more, AOA advocates prevented a provision that would have barred optometry practices from deducting state and local taxes at the pass-through entity level, preserving a critical financial tool for practices.

4.    AOA achieved legal recognition as a physician-level certifying body for DEA training. Doctors required to complete controlled substances prescriber training will be able to turn to the AOA for an optometry-specific course to meet Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) training and education requirements. AOA advocates ensured a Dec. 1, 2025, law authorized the AOA as a trusted provider of opioid-related education. This new course will be available for optometrists at Optometry’s Meeting®, June 17-20, in Phoenix, as well as on demand in the AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub.

5.    AOA ensured optometry on par with medicine and others for federal student loans. Where the OBBA imposed strict federal student loan limits for 2026-2027—capping loans at $20,500 annually and $100,000 aggregate for programs not considered “professional programs" and $50,000 / $200,000 respectively for “professional programs”—AOA advocates secured optometry’s inclusion under the latter, on par with medicine, law and dentistry. To be certain, the AOA expressed concern about the far-reaching consequences of restricting access to educational funding, especially on optometry students, and shared a fact sheet for helping students navigate the changes to federal student aid.

6.    AOA building bipartisan support for VBM reform as Congress looks at health costs. A pair of bills, the Dental and Optometric Care (DOC) Access Act, as well as the Vision Lab Choice Act, garnered over 100 bipartisan Congressional supporters in 2025-2026 as the national conversation on health care policy, access and affordability takes center stage in Washington, D.C. AOA advocates pressed for enhanced federal crackdown on VBMs, resulting in growing oversight and federal investigations, including a new anti-trust probe into doctor tiering, patient steering and optometry practice acquisition strongarm tactics. Now, lawmakers signal their desire to tackle a larger health care legislative package in 2026 that may provide an opening for VBM reform—one that AOA advocates will be sure to leverage as they look to return to Capitol Hill in less than two months. 

Optometry’s advocates are needed in Washington, D.C., March 15-17, to advance these federal priorities with our nation’s health policy leaders as part of AOA on Capitol Hill | AOA Federal Keyperson Summit. 

This newly envisioned meeting aims to harness the power of the AOA’s 500-strong Federal Keyperson Program. While still open to all advocacy-minded AOA members, AOA on Capitol Hill | AOA Federal Keyperson Summit will convene the core of optometry’s legislative influencers together to amplify optometry’s impact in Washington, D.C. 

 

Attendees can expect to: 

• Participate in important issues briefings and policy sessions from Capitol Hill leaders.
• Connect with fellow keypersons and seasoned advocates to receive training, develop strategies and align resources for advancing optometry’s federal priorities.
• Drive action on our collective advocacy, ensuring optometry’s voice leads to even higher levels of legislative action and progress. 

Lawmakers’ focus on plan abuses make this a consequential time on Capitol Hill to build the support needed to advance key VBM action and other top advocacy priorities. Register now to amplify optometry’s message at AOA on Capitol Hill | AOA Federal Keyperson Summit. 

Illinois Sues Trump Administration Over More Than $100 Million in Planned Cuts to Health Care Grants

Chicago Tribune | By Lisa Schencker & Talia Soglin

February 12, 2026

President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to cut more than $100 million in federal health care grants for Illinois, a step that was quickly met with a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his peers in three other states.

Illinois, California, Colorado and Minnesota sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the Office of Management and Budget’s directive to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut more than $600 million in grants to those states. The grants, which could be terminated as soon as Thursday, are for states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems and collect public health data, according to the lawsuit.

“Rather than making life easier and more affordable for our families, Donald Trump is stripping critical public health funding with the singular goal of harming states he does not like,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “It’s a slap in the face to the people of Illinois and the public health leaders who have stepped up as his (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) takes a sledgehammer to public health infrastructure. Illinois will not stand by idly as Trump illegally cancels the Congressionally-allocated funding we are owed.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening, but a spokesperson said earlier this week in a statement, “These grants are being terminated because they do not reflect agency priorities.”

In Illinois, the grant dollars targeted for cuts include more than $86 million slated to go to the Illinois Department of Public Health for public health efforts and prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, and more than $61 million for the Chicago Department of Public Health for similar work, according to information obtained by the Tribune.

The largest grant at risk is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, which in Illinois funds lead poisoning prevention grants to 25 local health departments and grants that support 674 public health jobs at 96 local agencies, according to the lawsuit. If Illinois were to lose that money, it would have to terminate 99 Illinois Department of Public Health employees, harming the state health department’s ability to “perform core public health functions” including disease surveillance, data analysis, workforce management and regulatory compliance, according to the lawsuit.

Grant money for other nongovernmental organizations in Illinois is also at risk. The list of grants to be canceled includes $5.2 million for Lurie Children’s Hospital for HIV prevention, according to information reviewed by the Tribune. It also includes $7.2 million that was supposed to go to the Chicago-based American Medical Association to increase screenings for infectious diseases, improve blood pressure control, help physicians navigate brain health and dementia care, and improve care for people living with pain.

Governor JB Pritzker Quantifying how Federal Budget Cuts will Impact the State Budget

NPR | By MIchelle Eccles

February 9, 2025

The governor's office sought to quantify the cost of federal funding cuts, freezes, and policy changes less than 2 weeks before the governor is scheduled to give his annual budget address.

The biggest change will be to costs associated to Medicaid, food assistance and childcare if the courts allow a threatened funding freeze to happen.

The report is likely to send a message to advocates and lawmakers that the state doesn't have room for new spending programs in the upcoming 2027 fiscal year.

The report notably didn't touch on fiscal pressures related to structural shortfalls and ongoing revenue compared to expenditures in Illinois' budget.

JB Pritzker will give his budget address on Wednesday, February 18th.

VIEW Optometry Launches Doctor-Led Alliance to Strengthen Independent Eyecare

Vision Monday| By Staff

February 6, 2025

BRENHAM, Texas—VIEW Optometry, a new doctor-led alliance dedicated to supporting private practice optometrists and protecting their independence, officially announced its launch yesterday. Founded by Tommy Lucas, OD, and Mary Kate Walters, OD, FAAO, the group aims to preserve and grow the private practice market segment, improve profitability and lessen financial pressures on optometry practices, and “stand as a counterweight against increasing managed care influence and corporate consolidation within the industry,” according to the announcement from VIEW Optometry.

“Our mission is to improve the sustainability of privately-owned optometry practices while preserving doctor clinical autonomy, forever,” said Dr. Walters, CEO, VIEW Optometry, in the announcement. “Together, we can stabilize and revolutionize our profession, stop the bleeding caused by corporate interests, and ensure patients receive the personalized, high-quality eyecare they deserve in every community across America. We are now inviting all optometrists who own a private practice to join VIEW Alliance to begin receiving program benefits and start standing up for your profession in a very meaningful way.”

VIEW Optometry is led by doctors who not only have extensive backgrounds championing advocacy, but who have also been in the trenches fighting for optometry for years, while at the same time owning and operating their own practices, Dr. Lucas and Dr. Walters told VMAIL in an exclusive conversation.

“We understand and know the challenges that doctors are experiencing, and we are bringing forward a new business solution for practices that will address those challenges,” they said. “Our alliance is also unique in that 100 percent of our doctors are members of the American Optometric Association and their state affiliate association. We know first-hand how important advocacy is to our profession, and its mission critical to support AOA and the states in their good work.”

According to the launch announcement, VIEW Optometry’s goal is to unite independent, private optometry practices across the United States under a shared mission to protect clinical autonomy, enhance business sustainability and deliver exceptional patient experiences. The group invites like-minded optometrists to join forces with VIEW Optometry in one of the two following ways:

• VIEW Alliance - provides a suite of benefits designed to improve practice profitability, including consolidated vendor billing, operational analysis/consulting/training, strategic industry partnerships, and colleague collaboration.
• VIEW VSO (vision support organization) - includes all the benefits of the VIEW Alliance, plus integrated clinical operations and the ability to operate under the VIEW Optometry brand.

“Here’s the situation our profession is facing,” said Dr. Lucas, president of VIEW Optometry, in the announcement, “large corporations have been defragmenting and consolidating the vision care industry in the name of profit, and that has had a dramatic effect on our profession over the last 20 years. We’ve witnessed retail optical expansion, buyouts of regional and national groups, private equity opportunism, and ruthless, slow starvation of doctors by vision plans. VIEW Optometry is now our profession’s alliance dedicated to resisting these troubling trends and putting the optometrist and the patient back in control of eyecare given and eyecare received.”

Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!

Chicago:

Optometrist Needed in Chicago (Read more)

Northern IL:

Subcontracting Opportunity with Illinois Department of Corrections (Read more)

Small Private Practice in Morris, IL Seeking PT Optometrist (Read more)

Chicago Suburbs:

Full Time OD Needed in Highland Park (Read more)

Optometrist Needed in Algonquin & Mundelein (Read more)

Associate Optometrist – Part-Time with Path to Ownership (Read more)

Great FT or PT Opportunity at Primary Eyecare Center in Rockford, IL (Read more)

Part Time OD Needed at Private Practice in Schaumburg, IL (Read more)

Optometrist – Full Time - Private Practice - Yorkville, IL (Read more)

Excellent Private Practice Opportunity for Part-Time Associate in Northbrook, IL (Read more)

Optometrist Opportunity — Lake Zurich & Grayslake, IL (Read more)

Optometrist Needed in Western Suburbs (Read more)

Full-Time Optometrist Needed at Geneva Eye Clinic in Geneva, IL (Read more)

Central IL:

Join the Community Eye Care Family! Full-Time Optometrist – Pana & Taylorville, IL (Read more)

Join the Community Eye Care Family! Full-Time Optometrist – Mt. Zion, IL (Read more)

Southern IL:

On-Site Opportunity with IL Dept of Corrections (Read more)

Out of State:

Yooper Optometrist Wanted - Escanaba, MI (Read more)

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