Board backs Medi‑Cal vision performance measures bill and a technical healing‑arts bill; monitors emergency volunteer bill

The California State Board of Optometry discussed three bills the board identified as relevant to its work and took action on two of them.

AB2756 (Medi‑Cal vision services performance measures): Staff presented AB2756, sponsored by the California Optometric Association, which would require the Department of Health Care Services to create and publicly report standardized performance measures for Medi‑Cal vision services and to consult stakeholders on benchmarks. After discussion about potential fiscal and scope questions for DHCS, Member [11] moved to support AB2756 and the board approved the motion by roll call. Christine Schultz, executive director of the California Optometric Association, provided public comment supporting the bill and said the sponsor will accept narrow amendments to reduce costs and that the bill primarily requires reporting of data that DHCS can already pull.

SB1445 (committee technical corrections for healing arts): Staff said this nonsubstantive bill included one technical correction of direct relevance to the board: it would correct an inadvertent statutory fee floor for nonresident ophthalmic lens dispensers created in the board’s sunset package. Board members moved and voted to support SB1445.

AB1558 (Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioner Act): Staff flagged AB1558 for monitoring because it would authorize additional volunteer registration systems for out‑of‑state practitioners during disasters. Staff said it likely has limited direct optometry impact but could create administrative implementation questions if many entities built separate portals; no position was taken and the board will monitor the bill.

Votes and formal actions recorded at the meeting are reflected in the meeting actions.