New York A 10958: Relates to permitting waiver of dental residency requirements for licensure in underserved areas under supervised practice

Bill Text

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A10958 Summary:

BILL NOA10958 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORGray

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COSPNSRBlankenbush

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §6604, Ed L

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Provides that the department of education may waive the residency requirement for a license as a dentist for certain applicants who agree to practice in an underserved area of the state under the supervision of a dentist licensed and practicing in the state.

Go to top A10958 Actions:

BILL NOA10958 

&nbsp

04/14/2026referred to higher education

Go to topA10958 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA10958 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA10958 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 10958

 IN ASSEMBLY

 April 14, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Higher Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to permitting waiver of
 dental residency requirements for licensure in underserved areas under
 supervised practice

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby
 2 finds that many rural and underserved communities across the state face
 3 significant shortages of licensed dental professionals, resulting in
 4 reduced access to essential oral health services. Current law requires
 5 completion of a one-year clinically based dental residency program in a
 6 hospital or facility accredited for teaching purposes. While intended to
 7 ensure competence, this requirement may unintentionally limit the timely
 8 placement of qualified dental graduates in underserved regions.
 9 It is the intent of this legislation to provide a narrowly tailored
 10 waiver option to address workforce shortages by permitting qualified
 11 dental graduates to practice under structured supervision in underserved
 12 areas, thereby expanding access to oral health services while maintain-
 13 ing standards of safety and competency.
 14 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 6604 of the education law, as amended by
 15 chapter 613 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
 16 (3) Experience: have experience satisfactory to the board and in
 17 accordance with the commissioner's regulations, provided that such expe-
 18 rience shall consist of satisfactory completion of a postdoctoral gener-
 19 al practice or specialty dental residency program, of at least one
 20 year's duration, in a hospital or dental facility accredited for teach-
 21 ing purposes by a national accrediting body approved by the department,
 22 provided, further that any such residency program shall include a formal
 23 outcome assessment evaluation of the resident's competence to practice
 24 dentistry acceptable to the department. Provided, however, that the
 25 department may waive such residency requirement for an applicant who
 26 agrees to practice full-time in an underserved area of the state, as
 27 designated by the commissioner in consultation with the department of

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14303-01-5

 A. 10958 2

 1 health, under the direct or general supervision of a dentist licensed
 2 and actively practicing in this state for not less than three years.
 3 Such supervision shall occur within a radius of seventy-five miles from
 4 the supervising dentist's primary practice location. The period of
 5 supervised practice shall not be less than twelve consecutive months and
 6 shall be subject to reporting and evaluation requirements established by
 7 the commissioner to ensure competency equivalent to that obtained
 8 through residency training. The commissioner shall promulgate regu-
 9 lations establishing: (i) criteria for designation of underserved areas
 10 eligible for waiver of such residency requirement, in consultation with
 11 the department of health; (ii) qualifications of supervising dentists,
 12 including minimum licensure period, disciplinary history, and superviso-
 13 ry capacity; (iii) reporting and evaluation procedures to monitor
 14 performance of dentists practicing under such waiver; and (iv) condi-
 15 tions under which such waiver shall convert