board of directors' meeting agenda secretary: …nhoa-board.org/board information package sept...

Board of Directors' Meeting AGENDA September 13, 2017

Call to Order - additional items for the agenda?

Secretary: Minutes of previous Board meeting

Treasurer: Accounting Committee Report - Belanger/Huffer Financial report

President:

President-Elect:

Committee Reports: ADVOCACY - Harris

Legislative Third Party Meeting SGRC/TPC, November, New Orleans - will NHOA attend? Budget, attendees?

MEMBERSHIP - Griffin/Sawyer Development and retention - United in Possibilities (new AOA Campaign) Leadership Development Meetings

COMMUNITY SERVICES - Bryant/Ting Professional Relations Public Relations/TAYE Philanthropy

Diabetes Initiatives Investigating consulting services for members - Shippee

INTERNAL OPERATIONS - Bryant Communications Finances

Investment Committee Non-Dues Income - Mocklis

Awards Policies Review - Bryant Long Range Planning

State Board: Lessard

ED Report:

Old Business:

New Business:

Announcements/Good and Welfare:

www.nheyedoctors.org username=your last name, password=your birthdate mmddyy www.nhoa-board.org username=sphere, password=Cylinderl5!

Minutes — Board of Directors' Meeting — July 19, 2017

The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Optometric Association took place on Wednesday, July 17, 2017, at the Dupont Group in Concord, NH. In attendance for the Board were Drs. Angelique Sawyer, Sarah Jagatic, Kristen Bryant, Jeanne Thurber, Ron Coutu, James Belanger, Mark Harris, Guy Lessard, Peter Mocklis, Nadiya Oleksiv, and Paula Ting, along with the Executive Director, Dr. Brian Klinger. Dr. Erica Griffin participated via telephone.

President Angelique Sawyer, 0.D., called the meeting to order at 7:09 pm.

Secretary: Jeanne Thurber • Minutes of the previous Board meeting on March 29 were approved after a typographical

error was corrected.

Treasurer: Ron Coutu • Dr. Coutu reviewed the Account Balances sheet for 2017. (Attached) • Dr. Coutu reviewed the 2017 Budget vs. Actual Comparisons Year to Date. (Attached)

o Dues are coming in well, with only one active member in arrears. A few associate members may have to be dropped for non-payment.

o Optometry's Meeting travel came in under budget since only three members were expensed to the NHOA instead of four.

o The expected income from TAYE assessments ($7460) is a little less than the budgeted expense amount ($7600 see Community Outreach/Public Information) because there are a few members for whom we were not expecting to be assessed based on their practice category.

o There was a $6 increase in the cost of 0 & D Liability Insurance. • As recommended by the Audit Committee, a detailed report on CE meetings was reviewed.

From this report, profits from the winter and summer meetings (total: $10,560.56) do not agree with actual meetings income ($15,233.51) listed on the 2017 Budget and Actual YTD report because of advance deposits which were reported in a different year. Dr. Klinger is working on a way to account for deposits already paid and those for future meetings.

• The Financial Report was received as presented.

President: Angel Sawyer • Drs. Sawyer & Bryant an oral along with a written summary of Optometry's Meeting in

Washington, D.C., June 21-24 that was distributed at the meeting. (Attached) o Dr. Bryant found it to be a very good learning opportunity to experience firsthand the

operations of the AOA. o A few highlights from Presidents' Council:

■ Massachusetts has decided to try a different approach for obtaining orals and glaucoma privileges by pursing a ballot vote, decided by the public.

■ Walmart is trying to take away the "two-door" policy in Oklahoma, making ODs Walmart employees. This would allow Walmart to control their employed ODs scope of practice, leaving the state board powerless.

■ The new Veterans' Affairs Secretary has suggested eliminating optometry clinics in the VA system, which the AOA opposes.

■ Everyone is encouraged to join the AOA MORE Registry and participate in MIPS/PQRS reporting. It is important from the profession that we are able to demonstrate strong quality measures.

■ Think About Your Eyes is growing. 39 states and AFOS have joined as leadership states.

NHOA Board Minutes, July 2017 — Page 2

o Several resolutions were passed by the House of Delegates. Resolutions are used to state the policy and positions of the AOA. A few of them included: ■ The optometric oath was amended to include "I affirm that the health of my patient will

be my first consideration." ■ The AOA opposes the de-prioritization of optometry with the VA system. ■ AOA joins AAO and ASCO in a new accreditation body for optometric education to

replace COPE. o A highlight from the NEO (Northeast & Ohio: CT, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, NY, OH, PA, RI,

& VT) forum is that ME is having problems enforcing and optometry law that was passed. We should remember to include enforcement provisions with legislation. ■ NH will be hosting NEO forum at Presidents' Council in January 2018.

o Capitol Hill visits also took place during this meeting. Drs. Sawyer, Bryant, Hitchmoth, and Hetu-Radny represented the NHOA. Our delegation emphasized health care reform, the VA proposal to eliminate optometry, an FTC letter on contact lens prescriptions, and the DOC Access bill.

o Dr. Hitchmoth was a co-recipient of the AOA Advocate of the Year Award. o Dr. Sawyer received the Young Optometrist of the Year Award.

President-Elect: Sarah Jagatic • Dr. Jagatic announced her resignation as President-Elect, effective immediately. She is

having difficulty balancing the time and travel involved with her duties as President-Elect with personal, family, and practice obligations. Her resignation was regretfully accepted and she was thanked for all of her service to the NHOA.

Committee Reports ADVOCACY: Mark Harris, Chair Legislative: Mark Harris • Drs. Harris, Klinger and Sawyer met with Mr. Barry on July 17 to work on ideas for a

telemedicine bill. • Tuesday, July 25 is a special election for the NH Senate district seat 16. Former Sen. David

Boutin, who has been very friendly to optometry, is running against Kevin Cavanaugh. • Regional Meetings: (No report) •:- N H OA-PAC: (No report) •:. AOA-PAC: (No report) Third -Party: Angel Sawyer • Minuteman Health is changing their name to Minuteman Insurance Company in 2018.

Contracts are expected to remain the same, just a change in name. • One of the Medicaid plans has added some medical diagnosis codes under refractive

services. This should help alleviate some problems with reimbursements for hardware. • There is an AOA TPC and State Leg meeting in New Orleans this fall. It was not

included in the 2017 Budget. However, the BOD may want to consider sending members to this, or other meetings (i.e. leadership conference in St. Louis, RI's leadership meeting), utilizing excess funds in the travel budget. Drs. Sawyer and Klinger will put together a list of projected costs for the Board to consider.

•:- Helms Group Oversight: (No report) •:- CAC: (No report)

MEMBERSHIP: Erica Griffin & Angel Sawyer, co-chairs Development & Retention: Erica Griffin


• Dr. Griffin recently participated in a webinar on the new AOA membership growth and recruitment campaign "United in Possibilities." This program is aimed at recruiting non-members one to ten years out of school. A brief video of the campaign was shown. o The campaign targets millennials. The six-month pilot program in GA and MN showed

results of 10% of target non-members joining. o The program consists of a variety of online target messages and ads, emails, banner ads

on Facebook, and direct mailings. There are two tiers for the program: basic and custom. o The AOA has identified 15 young OD non-members in NH.

• After discussion, a motion was made and passed to enroll the NHOA as a basic member in the campaign for 2018. The cost for the NHOA, $539.20, is to come out of the 2017 Membership Development Budget.

Leadership Development: (No report) Meetings: • It was agreed that the BOD found the new meetings report very helpful. Dr. Klinger thanked

Dr. Huffer for his help developing the report format. ❖ Logistics: Sarah Jagatic

o The 2018 meeting schedule has been set: Wednesday, February 7, Wednesday, May 9, Sunday August 5, and Saturday & Sunday, October 13 -14. All 2018 meetings will be at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

• NH has finally received approval for 2016 $2000 VSP grant. As a condition of the grant, they would like to re-introduce Dr. Norm Michaud as the VSP representative and would like to exhibit at the October Meeting along with sending out some emails, etc. Dr. Jagatic will request the final conditions connected to the grant money.

❖ CE: (No Report)

COMMUNITY SERVICES: Kristen Bryant Professional Relations: (No Report) Public Relations: Kristen Bryant • Dr. Bryant recently participated in a webinar on Health Eyes Healthy Children grants. Essilor

has grants available for children's vision initiatives. If anyone is interested in pursuing a grant, please let her know.

Philanthropy: • Dr. Oleksiv has agreed to take over as coordinator of the Diabetes Initiatives.

INTERNAL OPERATIONS: Sarah Jagatic, chair Communications •:. Newsletter: Jeanne Thurber

o Deadline for the summer NHOA OD advertisements is Wednesday, July 26. Final deadline is Friday, July 28.

•:. Website: Brian Klinger o Dr. Oleksiv has volunteered to work with Dr. Kaminski on revising the NHOA website. A

prototype of the mobile version was demonstrated. Finances ❖ Audit Committee: (No Report) ❖ Budget Committee: (No Report) •:. Investment Committee: Ron Coutu

o The investment account is up about 7% for the year. The committee plans to stay the course for the time being.

o After review of a written report from the Investment Committee, a motion was made to accept the Investment Committee Report as presented. (Attached)


• Non-Dues Revenue: Peter Mocklis o Dr. Mocklis has been working to have the NHOA partner with vendors to generate more

non-dues revenue for the NHOA. His ultimate goal is to have free CE for all NHOA members. He is working with a variety of vendors such as Hoya, Zeiss, and Essilor. Each vendor arrangement may be structured differently, with some offering an amount for each product sold, while others may be based on percentage of sales. Payments will be made directly to the NHOA on behalf of the members; these agreements will not impact individual practice vendor relationships. Rather, this is a "bonus" program with vendor money coming from separate untapped funds.

o Dr. Mocklis has selected a start date of August 1 on a trial basis. Eventually, agreements will be reviewed on an annual basis.

o At this time, monies generated will go into the general fund. Awards: (No Report) By Laws Review: Angel Sawyer • There are no plans to move forward with changing the current NHOA officer structure at this

time Policy Review: Kristen Bryant • Since the By Laws review has concluded, Drs. Bryant, Klinger, and Thurber will move forward

with the NHOA Policy Review. • Dr. Sawyer directed the committee to have the review, specifically related to officer

responsibilities and compensation, completed before the 2018 elections in October. Long -Range Planning: Angel Sawyer • The Leadership Development meeting will be Friday morning, October 13 in North Conway.

State Board: Guy Lessard, Liaison • Ten candidates took the NH licensing exam at the State Board meeting last week.

Executive Director: Brian Klinger • Registrations for the August meeting are very low. There are 35 registrants, we need about

65 to break even. The meeting is sponsored by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences School of Optometry. The exhibitors are Hoya, 01C, Genzyme, Essilor, B&L, and Vistakon.

• Many NHOA members are paying the NHOA via credit card. When a card is declined, Dr. Klinger has to spend time chasing down members for updated information.

• After discussion, a motion was made and passed implementing a new NHOA credit card policy that if a credit card is declined there will be a $25 surcharge added on effective immediately. This fee will be added starting the second time a member's card is declined for whatever reason.

Old Business: None

New Business: None

After Good and Welfare, the meeting adjourned at 9:41 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeanne Hein Thurber, O.D. Secretary

All,

Here is my report to the Accounting committee:

Brian and I met at the NHOA office in Rye yesterday (THUR 31AUG2017) to continue our accounting committee work. As you recall, we initially focused our efforts on working through the worksheet for the period starting 31 DEC2015 until 01JAN2016.

Since the last time we met Brian has apparently been very busy cleaning up the books! He compiled a spreadsheet for comparing and reconciling the Quicken report against bank statements on a monthly basis. He then used this tool to work backwards every month from 2017 back to 2014, cleaning up and correcting any found accounting errors along the way. For the majority of the visit Brian showed me his spreadsheet and explained many of the corrections made. As you know, none of us are trained accountants. The main take-away I left with is the NHOA has been been making the error of routinely mixing accrual-basis and cash-basis accounting methods, therefore producing a series of reports that were simply impossible to reconcile against each-other. Accordingly, the NHOA Board had no accurate estimate of how much funds were available at any given point in time.

It is my opinion that the NHOA is best run on cash-basis accounting, where we can readily compare Bank Statements with the Quicken Reports and get "real" numbers for the Board at any given point in time. Accrual basis accounting is preferred when discussing single events that take place over a finite span of time (like CE meetings where deposits are placed in advance, monies are collected over time, and expenses are paid). To avoid confusion, reports on these events are to be generated independently from the general budget discussions.

Going forward, the Treasurer's reports to the board should be delivered as CASH BASIS. First use the Quicken's automatic Reports Generator to create the report, then in addition show a reconciliation with the appropriate bank statements to confirm accuracy. The words "Cash Basis" along with the appropriate date should be included on the report. Any discrepancies between Quicken and the Bank statements (such as pending transactions) should be explained in text of the report.

When reviewing profit/loss for any single event taking place over a time period (such as CE Meetings), the ACCRUAL BASIS should be used. Again, the words "Accrual Basis", event name and appropriate dates should be included on the report. A lot of great work has been put into designing and formatting the new "CE meetings report". I believe the new format will also help the meetings committee and the board gain a better understanding of how the various meetings compare with each other.

Finally, I would like to encourage anyone besides myself to meet with Brian to review his new "reconciliation" spreadsheet and the new/improved book keeping methods. I also encourage you to review the corrected reports between 2014-2017. I will leave it up to this committee as a whole as to discuss how to recommend best

dealing with corrections to past reports. I understand Brian plans to continue using this

new spreadsheet on an ongoing basis to reconcile the funds every month and keep the

accounting on track and accurate. Please look forward to an updated/reformatted

Treasury report expected to be easier for the Board and Members to understand and

reconcile over time.

Jamie

Following up on Jamie's report of progress to date:

First, I want to thank Jamie for taking the time to meet here for several hours on two occasions to go over everything with me. I think both meetings were very productive and I'm glad we seem to have everything on track at this point.

The checkbook continues to balance to the bank statement to the penny, as it always has. I've just completed balancing the August bank statement. I'll attach the 2017 checkbook-to-bank-statement spreadsheet Jamie referenced in his report.

I am happy to set up the Board financial reports the way Jamie wants. Going forward, the financial report will be on a cash basis - only the financial events that took place during this calendar year will be included. As Jamie said, these reports will be automatically generated from Quicken.

I plan to use this new format for the next BoD meeting, and from now on.

The Board will need to understand that the financial report they will see from now on (cash basis) will not bear very much resemblance to the reports they've seen before. The "discrepancies" will be significant, because of the multiple DUES and MEETINGS transactions that actually span more than one year. This report will balance to the bank statements, and will answer the questions as to "how are we doing this year. It

To complete the full understanding to which the Board is entitled, I will be generating two additional reports - Dues and Meetings. Each of these will show the full span of the items, whenever they occurred. These two reports will give the Board the more complete information it needs.

For example, while the cash-basis financial report will show only the dues received during this calendar year, the full Dues report will tell the Board how we are doing with meeting our FTE dues and membership expectations.

Both reports will be accurate and will, combined, help the Board understand if we are "on track" with our financial operations, or not.

The next reports (for the September Board meeting and the October membership meeting) will be the most challenging, because after that, the Board will be more accustomed to seeing separate cash-basis and accrual-basis reports.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions. See you all in a couple of weeks.

Year Ending December 31, 2014 2015 2016 2017 (ytd 9/8/17)

Operations:

(+) Inflows 70,084 99,105 107,434 88,802

(-) Outflows 88,114 127,805 85,253 62,886

NET from operations (Inflows less outflows) -18,030 -28,700 22,181 25,916

Opening Balance checkbook 1/1

(+) Transfer from Investment accts

(+) Set-asides beginning of year

22,441

0

15,393

19,805

43,000

0

5,561

0

28,543

10,720

0

45,565

(-) Set-asides end of year

Accumulated errors over the year 0

28,543

0

5,561

45,565

0

10,720

45,229

0

36,973 Closing Balance checkbook 12/31 19,805

Closing balance calculated (opening bal

+ net from operations + transfers

19,804 5,562 10,720 36,973

+ set-asides beginning of year - set-asides

end of year +/- accumulated errors)

PER BANK STATEMENT PER QUICKEN LEDGER

Opening Balance 56,285.52 Available Bal 33,506.63

AOA Set-Aside 44,916.26

PAC Set-Aside 4,125.00

Total 82,547.89

Items in Transit: 116.53 ck # 2006

1,612.00 ck # 2008

TOTAL (must match

Closing Balance 84,276.42 Bank Statement 84,276.42

Closing Balance)

1


Opening Balance 84,276.42 Available Bal 28,876.95 AOA Set-Aside 54,559.04 PAC Set-Aside 4,449.12 Total 87,885.11 Items in Transit:

TOTAL (must match Closing Balance 87,885.11 Bank Statement 87,885.11

Closing Balance)


87,885.11 Opening Balance Available Bal 19,567.62



Total 82,578.56

Items in Transit: 3,850.00 ck # 2022

TOTAL (must match


Closing Balance)



AOA Set-Aside 28,065.93 PAC Set-Aside 4,849.12

Total 85,206.56 Items in Transit: 500.00 ck # 2025


Closing Balance)




PAC Set-Aside 5,149.12 Total 100,417.34

Items in Transit: 233.71 ck # 2030

2,697.14 ck # 2036


Closing Balance)





Total 92,478.45

Items in Transit: 1,638.27 ck # 2041


Closing Balance)

PER BANK STATEMENT

94,116.72

PER QUICKEN LEDGER

Opening Balance Available Bal 37,184.35



Total 67,620.47

Items in Transit:

TOTAL (must match


Closing Balance)



2057



83,362.67

Total 79,697.15

Items in Transit: 3,600.00 ck #

65.52 ck # 2058

TOTAL (must match

Closing Balance Bank Statement 83,362.67

Closing Balance)

(

ACCOUNT BALANCES 11112017 9/8/2017 _

Operating (current-use) Funds: Checking Account Available Balance (per Quicken ledger): 10,720 45 36,973.35

Total Operating (current-use) Funds: 10,720.45 36,973.35

Set-Asides (monies held for future payments we have to make): for AOA Dues, per Quicken ledger 44,440.07 39,879.48 for PACs, per Quicken ledger 1,125.00 5,349.12

Total Set-Asides: 45,585.07 45,228.80

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS (Checking Account Balance per bank statement, less items in transit): 58,285.52 82,201.95

Long-Term Reserve Funds (Vanguard account): Investment Account Unrestricted 272,733.98 295,081.34 Restricted for Legislative and PR Activities (formerly "AG Edwards account") 14 354.42 15,530.60

Total Long-Term Reserve Funds (per Vanguard statement): 287,088.40 310,811.94

TOTAL AVAILABLE ASSETS: 297,808.85 347,585.29

TOTAL ASSETS (Available Assets plus Set-Asides): 343,373.92 392,813.89

2017 BUDGET and ACTUAL YTD

Checking account balance start of year $10,788.60

2017 Bud et Actual YTD as of 918/17

INCOME: Dues - Net to NHOA 77,829.00 124.33 FT Es 55,054.23

TAYE assessment 7,460.00 5,280.00 Grants 1,500.00 0.00 Meetings (Net after expenses and carried-over credits) 12,000.00 4 26,166.66

Royalties 1,600.00 2,301.13

TOTAL INCOME 100,389.00 88,802.02

EXPENSES: Administrative: 30,332.00 17,801.23

Administrative and ED expenses 2,500.00 1,262.89 Board of Directors 720.00 376.77

Contributions 0.00 153.02 ED Salary 22,000.00 14,666.64 Equipment/Software Purchases 500.00 0.00 Insurance: 1,412.00 1,145.00

General Liability 273.00 . 0.00

0 & D Liability 1,139.00 0.00

1,145.00

Treasurer's Bond 0.00

Telephone 300.00 196.91

Officers' Rooms at Annual Meeting NEW LINE 1,500.00 0.00

Board Dinner at Annual Meeting NEW LINE 900.00 0.00

Expenses for AOA Trustee Visitation NEW LINE 500.00 4; 0.00

Advocacy: 47,300.00 31,403.16 Legislative Activities (includes Eye Opener breakfast) 3,600.00 2,603.16

Lobbyist fees and expenses (Dupont Group) 43,200.00 28,800.00 Third Party Committee (includes Helms fees) 500.00 0.00

Other 0.00 1 0.00

Effective Management: 100.00 15.54 Finance Operations (includes awards) 100.00 15.54

Member Services: 1,908.00 841.74 Membership Development/Retention (inc.I. AOSA dues) 1,000.00 212.31

NHOA-OD (Newsletter) NET 683.00 397.37 Regional Meetings 125.00 0.00

Website development and Maintenance 100.00 232.06

Community Outreach: 8,100.00 ti 4,350.00 Community Service Activities (NHAB Walk) 500.00 500.00 Inter- and Intra-Professional Relations 0.00 0.00 NHPHA membership 0.00 0.00 Public Information 7,600.00 TAYE participation fee 3,850.00

Leadership Development: 0.00 0.00

Long-Range Planning: 0.00 0.00

Other Programs and Committee Activities: 200.00 0.00 Diabetes Initiatives 0.00

.§i 0.00

ByLaws Review Committee 100.00 0.00 Meetings Committee 100.00 0.00

Travel: 12,400.00 8,473.92 AOA DC Congressional Conference 1,000.00 2 ppl 2 days AOA 1/2 1,000.00 AOA Optometry's Meeting 8,400.00 4 ppl 4 days + dinner 4,998.84

AOA Presidents' Council 3,000.00 2 ppl 3 days 2,475.08

AOA State Legislative/Third Party Mtg 1 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.00

Other Volunteer Travel

TOTAL EXPENSES $100,340.00 $62,885.59

Net Income Over (Under) Expenses $49.00 525,916.43

Actual collected (NHOA portion) per spreadsheet, regardless of when collected 74,412.83

less dues cc fees per Quicken =

3,999.87

Net collected = 70,412.96

divided by 686 to get FTEs 102.64 FTEs

DUES = FTEs x 626 = TAYE = FTEs x 60 =

Green is calculated numbers Yellow is data entered from original sources

64,254.39 6,158.57

Meeting Date Profit/Loss

Feb 2017 $1,860.27 May 2017 $7,095.25 August 2017 October 2017 Total $8,955.52

Data is derived from Meetings reports and includes all transactions related to the meeting, regardless of when they occurred.

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Continuing Education

The NHOA will offer continuing education (CE) which is high-quality, interesting and useful to the participants in their pursuit of

providing the highest level of care to their patients..

The CE provided by the NHOA will be planned and coordinated on an annual basis. It is NHOA policy that the year's CE programs will

meet or exceed all State of New Hampshire requirements for the total number of Category One hours, for specific subject content

(e.g. the number of glaucoma-specific hours) and for transcript-quality requirements for New Hampshire licensure. Within these

parameters, a portion of the annual CE program may be internet-based.

The dates for CE should be set on an annual basis, as far in advance as possible. The preferred dates are: Second week-Wednesday of February;

Second week-Wednesday of May;

Second week of August-Wednesday; Third weekend of October

The Board may add additional dates, or authorize changing the preferred dates if it becomes necessary or advisable. Every effort will be made to avoid conflict with school vacation schedules and religious or traditional holiday dates.

Industry partnership with the NHOA in the provision of CE is a very high priority. It serves not only to provide significant financial

support, but also to improve the educational quality of the CE experience. To this end, every effort should be made to obtain

industry participation for all our CE programs. This should include, but not be limited to, financial support, participation as exhibitor,

and advising those who are planning the meeting on ways to improve the program.

Lecturers and other CE providers may be paid either by the NHOA or directly by industry sponsors. If paid by NHOA, the fees shall be

comparable to those paid by the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association and expense

reimbursements shall conform to the NHOA travel policy in place for its volunteers. The Board of Directors or its designee must authorize in advance any deviations from the standard fees and expense reimbursements. If paid directly by industry sponsors,

lecturers are free to negotiate any arrangements they and their sponsors find mutually agreeable.

CE fees for members will be set at the beginning of each year by the Board of Directors. For 20127 the Board has set the fees as follows:

Registration fee -- $25, which will be waived for members who pre-register at least seven

days prior to the meeting;

Continuing Education charge of $2s3 per hour, which will include lunch and breaks.

Because member dues help to pay for all the activities of the NHOA, including the provision of CE, non-members will be required to

pay a significantly higher per-hour fee for CE than members. Unless otherwise voted by the Board of Directors, the per-hour multiple will be 3.

Because NHOA and its members believe strongly in the value of organized optometry, optometrists who are not members of the

AOA will not be invited to lecture. This policy may only be deviated from by specific advance vote of the Board of Directors.

--approved by the Board of Directors February 27, 2008

--revised September 7, 2011


--revised December 4, 2013


( Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"

PARTICIPATION IN MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT PROGRAMS

• The NHOA exists to assist and be an advocate for its members. Members have assumed a significant financial obligation to the

NHOA, and members' dues permit the NHOA to exist and to function. Non-members, by virtue of their decision to remain outside

the Association, do not have the right to expect that the NHOA will assist them or be their advocate.

• The NHOA is under no obligation to allow non-members to participate in continuing education or other programs sponsored by

the Association, but may choose to do so if it is in the Association's best interest.

• If non-members are permitted to participate in NHOA-sponsored programs, including but not limited to continuing education

programs, they must pay substantially higher fees for their participation, as determined by the Board of Directors.

• Members have a responsibility to the NHOA to support the Association by paying their dues in a timely manner as required by the

By Laws. Members whose financial obligations to the NHOA (dues and assessments) are in arrears shall be required to pay for

programs at non-member rates.

• Members in good standing of other AOA-affiliated optometric associations shall be entitled to participate in NHOA-sponsored

programs on the same basis as NHOA members.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors July 14, 1993

ADVERTISING IN NHOA PUBLICATIONS

The NHOA-OD is primarily considered an internal organ of communication to the membership of the New Hampshire Optometric Association. No advertising will be accepted for publication in the NHOA-OD which advocates, encourages or espouses anything which is not in the best interest of the NHOA or its members. All advertising submitted for publication in the NHOA-OD shall be subject to review by the Board of Directors of the NHOA and if a submission is found unsuitable for publication the advertiser will be so informed.

Classified-type advertisements from NHOA members will be run at no charge on a space-available basis, with priority given to those

advertisements directly related to the practice of optometry (i.e. employment opportunities, equipment for sale,

etc.). Advertisements not related to the practice of optometry will be run at the discretion of the editor. Member ads will run for two newsletter issues, as specified in the "Advertising Guidelines" approved annually by the Board of Directors.

Public service advertisements/announcements may be accepted to run at no charge on a space-available basis. Advertisements/announcements must be submitted in an acceptable format as determined by the editor. The source shall be from non-profit, community service type organizations (e.g. Future In Sight(i.c. NH Association for the Blind, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.). Examples of these include Lions' Eye Ball, Haunted House & Train Show and the N4i4AB-Walk-a-then For Sight.

Paid advertising shall fall under two categories: display and classified. The Board of Directors shall approve the advertising rate sheet

annually. Display-type advertising shall be offered as full-page, half-page, quarter-page, and business card sizes. Advertisements

must be submitted in an acceptable format as determined by the editor. Paid classified-type advertisements shall be limited to the practice of optometry (i.e. employment opportunities, equipment for sale, etc.). Political display-type advertising may be accepted provided that the sponsor is clearly identified.

--adopted by the Board of Directors 6/1/2005

--revised September 5, 2012 -- revised September 13, 2017

( Formatted: Centered

PARTIAL PRACTICE STATUS

• A member who desires Partial Practice status shall certify in writing to the Board of Directors the average number of days compensated per week spent in activities related to the practice of optometry over the previous six months. The Board of Directors may, at its option, choose to verify the accuracy of the submitted information through an independent investigation.

• This certification shall be required annually in order to maintain Partial Practice status.

• It shall be the obligation of each Partial Practice Status member to promptly notify the Board of Directors of any material change in practice status or number of days compensated per week spent in activities related to the practice of optometry. Failure to do so shall be grounds for the Board of Directors to revoke the Partial Practice status.

• Any member who is determined to be eligible for AOA Partial Practice dues status shall be granted equivalent Partial Practice NHOA status and a reduction in NHOA dues equivalent in percentage to the reduction granted by AOA.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors June 2, 1993 --- revised 3/28/2001

--- revised 10/29/2006 ---revised 9/5/2012

--revised September 13 2017

DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES of the OFFICERS and DIRECTORS {NOTE: ALL CHANGES TO THIS POLICY WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1.,2018)

Duties Specific to the Office Held:

President: The President is the CEO of the organization. S/He chairs the Board meetings, presides over membership meetings, and is an ex-officio member of all committees. In conjunction with the Executive Director, the President prepares or approves the agenda for each Board and membership meeting, and determines the dates for Board meetings. The President, with the advice and consent of the Board or Directors, appoints all committee members. The President is a member of the Lone Range Planning Committee, the

The President is NHOA's official representative to the AOA

Congress and is expected to attend the Congress. The President, along with the Treasurer, reviews and authorizes payment of the monthly -NHOA credit card statements. The President's compensation shall consist of 100% of NHOA and AOA dues paid. The

President shall receive two-n4ghts!--lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

President-Elect: The President-Elect assumes the responsibilities and fulfills the duties of the President if the President is unable to act. The President-Elect is chair of the Budget Committee and a member of . • the Long-Range Planning Committee. The

President-Elect shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting:

Vice-President: The Vice-President assumes the duties and fulfills the responsibilities of the President-Elect if the President-Elect is unable to act. The Vice-President is chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Long-Range Planning

Committee. The Vice-President shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Secretary:

• The Secretary prepares the Board and NHOA meeting minutes_;

• The Secretary is responsible for the newsletter and its distribution. The actual performance of the work may be delegated. The Newsletter Editor shall receive compensation consisting of 50% of AOA and NHOA dues paid.

• The Secretary is responsible for the website. The actual performance of the work may be delegated.

• The Secretary will have regular interaction with the Executive Director. • • -

anti-41-143A)-a414-The Secretary shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

^ [Formatted: Indent: Left: 0.25", No bullets or numbering —)

Treasurer:

• The Treasurer is the Chief Financial Officer of the the Association. As such, he or she will assure that the financial activities

of the Association are conducted in accordance with good business practices. These activities include, but are not solely limited to, proper and timely receiving, recording, reporting and disbursing Association funds, supervising the collection of member dues and dealing with members whose dues are delinquent, making decisions regarding dues waiver requests, and supervising the activities of the Executive Director or other Association employees who shall perform the actual duties needed to accomplish these purposes. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the Budget Committee and serves as an advisor to the Audit Committee. €14es-pai-el-{AGA-aR#41-1434)-anEIThe Treasurer, along with the President, reviews and authorizes payment of the monthly NHOA credit card statement. The Treasurer shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Immediate Past President:

The Immediate Past President is Chair of the Leadership Development Committee. The Immediate Past President shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Formatted: Indent: Left: 0.25", No bullets or numbering

Directors:

The Directors as a group, along with the officers, are responsible for the management of the Association. Depending on which areas of responsibility they are assigned, they may be asked to travel to outside meetings, to represent the Board at membership or

legislative functions, to act as spokespersons for the Association with the media or in other arenas, and to engage in other activities

to further the goals of the Association. Each Director shall receive one night'stwo nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

NOTE: If an Officer or Director is unable to attend all or, part of the annual NHOA weekend meeting, they..shall not, be entitled to receive the cash equivalent of the unused lodging. Each Officer and Director shall be responsible for making their own lodging reservations, and will be reimbursed upon submission of lodging receipts.

General Duties and Responsibilities

All Officers and Directors should regard it as their personal responsibility to:

• attend all Board and membership meetings unless impossible;

• attend all ceremonial functions of the Association, such as lunches, dinners, installation ceremonies, etc., unless impossible; • come to meetings prepared, having studied the issues and background materials; • participate fully in Board discussions;

• accept the decisions of the Board as Association policy and work with enthusiasm toward their implementation; • accept the assignments given them by the Board, and carry them out fully and completely; • make the sacrifices of personal and/or office time needed to carry out their duties as Board members and members of

committees; • always look for opportunities to engage in activities which will further the aims and goals of the Association; • be prepared to take on increased levels of leadership responsibility as their experience increases; • always look for ways to increase communication with members; • always look for ways to increase camaraderie and spirit of collegiality with members.

Executive Director: The Executive Director will:

• Be the manager to keep the NHOA on track. S/He will monitor committee structure and tasks of the committees. S/He will help the President, Board and committees meet goals. Each incoming president should have the goals for the year worked out before the year starts. A master plan will be developed by the ED, President, President-Elect and Vice President. This should be accomplished by regular meetings of this group;

• Be involved in leadership development. S/He would be involved in identifying and helping to bring new members into the AOA and NHOA volunteer structure;

• Make new members welcome;

• Be involved in increasing volunteerism; • Function as the coordinator and resource person for the Board and committees to help them meet their goals. Established

Association goals should be monitored to make sure they are met;

• Monitor regions and regional meeting activities, and help to assure that an appropriate level of activity is happening in each region;

• Keep membership records and make appropriate and timely reports to the Treasurer and to AOA; • Give notice of Board meetings; • Handle routine NHOA correspondence; • Notify committee chairs and members of their appointment; • Take care of the financial activities of the Association under the supervision of the Treasurer; • Regularly interact with the NHOA officers and the Board; • Devote appropriate time to NHOA business, this is expected to be 1 'A to 2 days per week; • Advise the Board of the need for equipment and computer software needed to perform the duties of the position, and have

physical charge of all NHOA property unless loaned to others as needed; • Receive compensation consisting of salary, lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting, and (if the ED is an optometrist)

NHOA and AOA dues, and NHOA CE.

---adopted by the Board of Directors June 11, 2008 ---revised September 5, 2012 ---revised December 4, 2013


EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT and ATTENDANCE AT AOA MEETINGS

Because the NHOA operates on a calendar year financial basis, and because under our cash accounting system expenses cannot be carried from one budget year to the next, it is necessary to establish the following requirements for reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the NHOA:

• Usual or customary office expenses consist of postage, copying, office supplies and telephone calls necessary to conduct NHOA business. Usual or customary travel expenses consist of Friiiwge travel to and from an out-of-state meeting site (at the then- current IRS mileage rate OR 14-day APEX air fare, whichever is less), meals, ground transportation, hotel room and tax, necessary parking, meeting registration fee and miscellaneous expenses.

• Anything other than "usual or customary" expenses, as defined herein, must be approved in advance by the President or authorized by the Board.

• All reimbursable expenses must be submitted in writing, no later than 4560-days after they are incurred, and with receipts for any item over $25.00. In unusual circumstances this limit may be modified by the Executive Director.

• All reimbursable expenses incurred during the months of November and December must be submitted in writing, no later than December 30 of the same year.

• Any expenses which do not meet the above guidelines for necessity and timely submission can not be reimbursed without the approval of the Board of Directors.

NHOA Representation at AOA Meetings:

Unless changed by vote of the Board of Directors, the following AOA meetings shall always have official NHOA representation:

Optometry's Meeting/House of Delegates:

NHOA will be represented by the President, President-Elect, Vice President and Executive Director. If any of these individuals finds it impossible to attend, the President may, with the approval of the Board of Directors, name another individual to attend. The attendees shall be named as "Delegates" and/or "Alternates" in the order of their seniority (P>PE>VP>S>T>DIR>ED). Delegates and alternates shall be sent "uninstructed" on all matters to come before the House, but should caucus prior to voting to determine the best voting decisions. It is expected that all NHOA representatives will, if possible, attend all sessions of the House of Delegates and other official AOA functions. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the President, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Presidents' Council (stand-alone meeting):

NHOA will be represented by the President, President-Elect, Vice President and Executive Director. The President's attendance at this meeting shall be optional at the discretion of the President if currently serving a second term as President. If the President decides not to attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming another individual to attend in place of the President. It is expected that all NHOA representatives will, if possible, attend all sessions of the Presidents' Council as well as any breakout sessions. If there is a meeting of the Northeast Regional delegates in conjunction with Presidents Council, the NHOA President will determine whether NHOA should be represented and appoint one or more people to attend that session. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the President, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Congressional Conference:

NHOA will be represented by the Legislative Chair and others at the discretion of the Board of Directors. If the Legislative Chair cannot attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming another individual to attend in place of the Legislative Chair. Prior to determining the attendees for this meeting, the Board shall be informed as to which New Hampshire representatives will be funded by AOA. All NHOA representatives shall, if possible, attend all

sessions of the Conference as well as any breakout sessions and Hill appointments. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the Legislative Chair, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Third Party/State Legislative Conference:

NHOA will be represented by the Legislative and/or Third Party Chairs, and others at the discretion of the Board of Directors. If the Legislative or Third Party Chair cannot attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming other individuals to attend in their place. Prior to determining the attendees for this meeting, the Board shall be informed as to the scope and purposes of the Conference. All NHOA representatives shall, if possible, attend all sessions of the Conference as well as any breakout sessions. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the

meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the Legislative and/or Third Party Chairs, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors March 11, 1998 --revised March 28, 2001

--revised September 5, 2012 --revised March 19, 2014


Volunteer Travel Reimbursement Guidelines

Per the Board's directive, here are some guidelines to be followed when anyone travels to an out-of-state meeting on behalf of

NHOA. Please feel free to call the Executive Director if you have any questions or are unclear about any of this.

SUMMARY: the NHOA is extremely grateful to all its volunteers. We do not expect you to give up both your time and your money.

While certain things (such as lost office income) can never be replaced, it is our intention — within budget restrictions -- to cover

your out-of-pocket expenses incurred as an NHOA volunteer. To try to eliminate any confusion or embarrassment, we have

prepared this set of guidelines. If you are in doubt, think about how you would react if you were an ordinary member and you heard

about someone else doing what you are proposing. If you are still in doubt, ASK!

PRIOR AUTHORIZATION: In order for your expenses to be reimbursable, your attendance at a meeting must have been authorized in

advance by the Board. Exceptions:—(4) in urgent situations, the President may authorize your attendance at a meeting or function at

NHOA expense (this will only occur in unusual or time-critical situations) ; (2) the ED has a separate travel budget, which does not

WHAT MEETINGS ARE COVERED: only out-of-state meetings are reimbursable. Expenses for attending in-state meetings, and

specifically political meetings or NHOA Board or committee meetings, are not reimbursed.

WHAT TRAVEL EXPENSES ARE COVERED: 41-your reasonable expenses are reimbursed from the time you leave your home or office,

whichever is later, until you return to your home or office, whichever is earlier. The traveler may choose his or her preferred mode

of transportation to and from home or office to the meeting site — air, auto or pu blic transportation. For each traveler, the Executive Director will prepare in advance a travel budget which shall be the lesser of (a) air travel or (b) auto travel. This will be the amount reimbursed to the traveler regardless of the chosen travel mode. The air travel estimate shall include travel

to and from home or office to the departure airport of-meeting-site, air fare at the 14-day advance purchase rate, fee for checking one bag, departure airport parking, and travel from the destination airport to and from the meeting site. The auto travel estimate shall include round-trip mileage from home or office to the meeting hotel (at the then-current IRS per-mile rate) and parking at the destination hotel, The convention single rate at the meeting hotel for the number of authorized nights will be reimbursed,rneats,

If there is a registration fee for the meeting, you will be reimbursed for that.

"Office Expenses" (telephone, FAX, etc.) on the road are covered the same as when you are home, see below. The cost of meals and ground transportation to and from restaurants is not reimbursed separately but is included in the per-diem (see below). Please

take advantage of any discounts you may have available, such as AAA, AARP, etc.

Use of the NHOA Credit Card: The NHOA President and Executive Director are oachis given an NHOA credit card. As much as

possible, the use of the credit card to pay for reimbursable expenses incurred by all authorized NHOA attendees - for example, all air

tickets and all hotel room charges - is encouraged. If the NHOA credit card is used to pay for meals or incidental expenses for other

authorized travelers, standard AOA deduct/chargeback policies will apply.

GUIDELINES FOR "REASONABLE EXPENSES": . - Car rental,

private or luxury limousine expenses will not be reimbursed. Airfare will be reimbursed at the 14-day advance purchase rate; you

are urged to get your ticket early. Full-coach or first-class airfare will not be reimbursed except under very unusual circumstances.

You can not be reimbursed the "paying" rate if you use frequent-flyer miles to get a free ticket. The hotel single-person convention

rate plus tax will be reimbursed. If your spouse or family accompanies you on an NHOA trip, please indicate on the hotel bill what

the single-person rate is. In-room movies, mini-bar charges, room service surcharges, and the like will not be reimbursed, nor will

personal expenses such as laundry, dry-cleaning, sightseeing, etc. There is a Per-Diem allowance of the IRS-approved rate for the

meeting location times the number of authorized days away from your home/office. This is meant to cover your meals and

incidental expenses such as taxis to and from restaurants, tips and baggage handling. The rate varies depending on the meeting location. Meals for others: Each authorized NHOA attendee should pay for his or her own meals. If you pay for a meal for another

authorized NHOA attendee, , you must indicate this on your reimbursement request. In this case, the standard AOA

deduct/chargeback policies will apply. The senior NHOA officer at a meeting is authorized to entertain the other NHOA attendees

and their spouses/guests at a dinner or other appropriate function once during the trip, and must indicate this item separately on

the reimbursement request. There will be no deduct/chargeback for this function. Internet connection charges of up to $15 per day are reimbursed while traveling for NHOA, in addition to the per-diem. Tips and baggage handling expenses are not reimbursed separately, but are considered part of your daily per-diem.

SPECIAL NOTES REGARDING AOA MEETINGS: There is usually a deadline for submitting hotel and meeting registrations. Please pay

attention to these deadlines; you will not be reimbursed for late fees or additional charges if you miss them. Sometimes AOA does

have hotel rooms blocked beyond the "block expiration" date; if you are in a bind, call the NHOA office for advice.

HOW TO GET REIMBURSED: NHOA is the "funding of last resort" whenever you travel. This means that if you receive

reimbursement from any other organization (i.e. AOA) you can not "double dip" or be reimbursed for the same expenses by NHOA.

If you receive funding from any other source (i.e. AOA) for expenses which have been prepaid by NHOA, you are requested to

reimburse NHOA promptly. You are expected to take advantage of any discounts, bargains, or other sources of funding which may be available. We have developed a simple form which you are asked to use to submit your expenses. Request the form from the

NHOA office prior to your trip. Please fill it out, attach your receipts and send to the NHOA office. Please remember that expenses

must be submitted within 6945 days (or December 30, whichever is sooner) or you will not be reimbursed.

WHAT NON-TRAVEL EXPENSES ARE REIMBURSABLE: Telephone calls and FAX charges will be reimbursed if you submit your phone

bill to the NHOA office, indicating which calls you are asking for. Only phone calls relating to NHOA business will be reimbursed.

Personal calls, calls home, etc. will not be reimbursed. If you incur copying, postage or office supplies charges for NHOA projects, they will be reimbursed when submitted with receipts.

---revised September 5, 2012


Committee Expense Policy

the-cecArnittees-bo4get.

It is recognized that unusual or unbudgeted expenses may become necessary to fulfill the-a committee's goals and responsibilities. Expense items of $250 or less which were not included as part of the committee's approved budget may only be incurred with the advance approval of the President and notification to the NHOA office. If time allows, an unbudgeted expense anticipated to be greater than $250 must be pre-approved by the Board of Directors. Only in an urgent situation may the President pre-approve an unbudgeted expense of greater than $250, and the Board must be notified of the event at its next meeting.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors May 16, 2001 ---revised September 7, 2011 ---revised September 5, 2012 --revised September 13, 2017

Financial Obligations and Contracts

Only the President or the Executive Director shall have the authority to sign contracts or otherwise obligate the Association financially, and only with the approval of the Board of Directors.

For contracts or obligations involving, or clearly likely to involve, sums over $15,000, the Association shall not be liable for completion of the contract unless it is signed by both the President and the Executive Director and has the advance approval of the Board of Directors.

The Association shall maintain, at its expense, a bond indemnifying the Association against financial wrongdoing by the Executive Director, the President, or any other individual authorized by the Board to sign checks for the Association.

--Adopted by the Board of Directors 6/1/2005

--modified September 8, 2010 --revised September 5, 2012

Awards Criteria

The Optometrist of the Year awards presents an opportunity to honor and thank an NHOA member for his/her outstanding service to our organization, our profession, and/or the community during the past year. The Young Optometrist of the Year has similar selection criteria, but will be restricted to a New Hampshire Optometric Association member who has been a member for less than ten years. Recipients of these awards may, at the discretion of the Board, be nominated for equivalent AOA awards. Our intent is that both of these will, if appropriate, be awarded annually.

The NHOA Distinguished Service Award: This award is meant to single out one NHOA member optometrist who has been instrumental in furthering our profession and our organization over multiple years of dedicated service. The recipient of this award will be nominated by NHOA for the AOA Optometrist of the Year or Distinguished Service award, whichever seems more appropriate under the circumstances. To preserve the special nature of this award, the Board of Directors has decided that it will not be an annual award, but rather given only when deserved.

Person of Vision Award: this award shall be given from time to time as recommended by the Awards Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. This award is for a non-optometrist who has contributed, in an extraordinary way, to the visual welfare or the advancement of eye care for the citizens of New Hampshire.

Other awards may be recommended from time to time by the Awards Committee and shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

--adopted by the Board of Directors September 7, 2005


POLITICAL ACTION, ENDORSEMENTS, AWARDS AND GUEST SPEAKERS

The NHOA recognizes that optometry is a legislated profession and that optometry exists and advances through the political process. NHOA also values its status as an IRS 501-c(6) tax exempt organization. With these two principles in mind, the NHOA has adopted the following policies:

POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS and SUPPORT:

For statewide political contests (NH Senate, NH House of Representatives and NH Governor) the NHOA will only endorse

and directly support the candidacy of an NHOA-member optometrist or the spouse of an NHOA-member optometrist.

For national political contests (US Senate, US House of Representatives and US President/Vice President) the NHOA will not endorse or directly support any candidate.

REFERRAL TO PAC FOR ENDORSEMENT and SUPPORT:

Except in the case of the candidacy of an NHOA-member optometrist or spouse for a statewide office, all requests from candidates for endorsement or support will be forwarded to the NHOA-PAC or AOA-PAC for decision and action. The membership may be informed, either at a meeting or via communication, of the PAC's action.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Any person who has demonstrated support for optometry and the aims and goals of the NHOA may be invited to be a guest speaker at an NHOA meeting, and may be recognized with an award in recognition of past support. This shall be determined by the Legislative and Advocacy Chair in consultation with the President.

Exception: If such a person is an active candidate for political office, such person may not be invited to be a guest speaker at a statewide NHOA meeting or be recognized with an award, without advance approval by the Board of Directors. Such candidacy shall be referred to the appropriate PAC and the membership may be informed, either at a meeting or via communication, of the PACs action.

--adopted by the Board of Directors June 30, 2010 --revised September 5, 2012

Investment Policies and Investment Committee Guidelines

Prologue: All funds managed by the Investment Committee are owned by the NHOA members and are under the direction of the NHOA Board of Directors. A history of the fund is included below. Prior to the adoption of this document, there were no specific policies in place governing how the invested funds should be invested, managed, withdrawn or spent.

The NHOA has always operated in a fiscally conservative manner. Annual dues and other sources of income, such as grants and profit from CE meetings, have provided the operating funds needed for the Association to function, and to permit the Investment Fund to grow untapped. Prior to 2016, anticipated increases in the value of the Investment Fund were inserted into the budget each year. Only once (2015) has it been necessary to actually withdraw funds from the Investment Account to meet income shortfalls. Previously, shortfalls in operating income have been made up by drawing on accumulated operating surpluses from previous years.

Unless there are unforeseen negative circumstances or unusual positive opportunities which would be important for the future of the NHOA, it is intended that the invested funds be allowed to grow. Each time a withdrawal request from the Investment Fund is made, the NHOA's Mission Statement should be carefully reviewed to be certain that the withdrawal request is consistent with the Mission Statement.

Based on the above, the following policies governing the Investment Fund are hereby adopted:

1. The Investment Committee shall have the authority to manage and rebalance the investment portfolio as they deem prudent and advisable, following these policies and generally accepted investing practices based upon the time horizon for the invested assets.

2. The Board of Directors shall advise the Investment Committee at least annually as to any projected need for withdrawal of funds from the Investment Fund over (a) the short term (one to two years), (b) the medium term (three to seven years) and (c) the long term (seven years and beyond). The Investment Committee shall use this information to guide them in their prudent investment decisions.

3. Only the Board of Directors shall have the authority to authorize withdrawals from the Investment Fund and shall do so only after careful deliberation. No NHOA officer, director, member or employee shall have the right to withdraw funds from the Investment Fund without approval by the full Board of Directors. When the Investment Account is deposited in whatever institution is being used to invest those funds, it should be arranged that those funds can only be transferred to the operating account of the NHOA.

4. To minimize some of the fluctuations of the Investment Fund through changing market conditions, as well as to ensure the availability of cash in a sudden need situation no matter what the state of the stock market, $30,000 or 10% of the total value of the Investment Fund as of the previous December 31, whichever is greater, shall always be kept in a money market account or other liquid investment vehicle which is not subject to market vagaries. The 10% rule will apply in increments of $50,000 so that as the total value of the Investment Account passes an additional $50,000 mark (calculated from the value on the previous December 31), $5,000 will be added to the money market account or similar.

5. The Investment Committee may take accumulated cash from the money market account and reinvest it into other vehicles using their best prudent judgement, as long as the value of the money market fund is maintained at no less than the minimum amount specified in the first sentence of Paragraph 4. 6. To help minimize the risks inherent in investments and to ensure the best return for any long term investment in the portfolio, index funds will generally be employed to minimize management fees and mirror overall market performance.

7. It is intended that the Investment Fund not be used as part of the normal operating budget for the Association, but rather it is for special projects such as supplementing a legislative effort, a major community education effort or similar projects.

8. The Investment Committee shall report and explain its activities and the state of the Investment Fund to the Board of Directors at least quarterly. Additional interim reports may also be requested by the Board or the President at any time for any reason, such as rapidly changing market conditions, or if the balance is threatening to fall below a 2x multiple of the 3-year average of the NHOA's operating budget.

9. The Audit Committee shall examine and report to the Board on the activities of the Investment Committee as part of its annual examination of the financial operations of the Association.

—adopted by the Board of Directors March 16, 2016

Appendix: Background History for the NHOA Investment Fund: The initial Investment Committee was established in November, 1996, during David Hartenstein's presidency. Sherry Quimby-Cronin was named as chair. The committee was instructed to look into and make recommendations to the Board regarding the establishment of an "investment fund" with the goals of MAXIMIZING YIELD WHILE ASSURING ADEQUATE LIQUIDITY AND PROTECTION OF PRINCIPAL.

In April, 1997, the committee recommended the establishment of this fund, with the initial amount being $100,000. The long-range goal was stated as "TO DO BETTER THAN 6%" and the fund was to stay intact for 10 years to allow it to grow.

This was the last definitive policy action by the Board regarding this fund. At one point, Sherry recommended changing the Investment Fund to an Endowment Fund and her objective was to use the principal and interest to reduce or eliminate NHOA member dues. The Board did not approve this.

The Board met at one time with David Caban, then chair of the Investment committee, and suggested that the investment mix be changed "to lower the risk" at a time when there was a good deal of volatility in the market. At one time a few years ago the principal value of the fund dropped very close to the initial investment of $100,000 and there was discussion about liquidating the investments in order to protect the original principal. This was not done, as the Investment Committee believed the dip was only a brief market correction and could turn around quickly again (which it did).

Until 2014, there was a separate fund consisting of money from VSP and known as the "A.G. Edwards Account" which was managed separately from the Investment Fund and was not under the control of the investment committee. This money was a gift from VSP. Many years ago Dr. Norman Michaud successfully lobbied for the money that had been withheld by VSP as part of a mandatory 10% holdback of doctors' fees. The intent was to use this money only for educational or legislative purposes. In 2014, it was decided to close the A.G. Edwards Account and merge the proceeds into the overall investment fund. At the time of this action, the addition represented roughly 5% of the Investment Fund. The intent still is to continue the restrictions on the use of that percentage of the Investment fund (legislative and educational purposes only).

There have been two withdrawals from the Investment Fund since its inception. The first, in 2007 of approximately $10,000, which was taken from the VSP money and used for two video public service announcements (PSAs), and the second, in 2015 of $43,000, to cover a shortfall in the 2015 NHOA operating budget.

NHOA POLICIES


Participation in Membership Benefit Programs

Advertising in NHOA Publications

Partial Practice Members

Duties and Responsibilities of the Officers and Directors

Expense Reimbursement and Attendance at AOA Meetings

Travel Reimbursement Guidelines



Awards Criteria

Political Action, Endorsements, Awards and Guest Speakers



The NHOA will offer continuing education (CE) which is high-quality, interesting and useful to the participants in their pursuit of providing the highest level of care to their patients.

The CE provided by the NHOA will be planned and coordinated on an annual basis. It is NHOA policy that the year's CE programs will

meet or exceed all State of New Hampshire requirements for the total number of Category One hours, for specific subject content

(e.g. the number of glaucoma-specific hours) and for transcript-quality requirements for New Hampshire licensure. Within these parameters, a portion of the annual CE program may be internet-based.

The dates for CE should be set on an annual basis, as far in advance as possible. The preferred dates are:

Second week of February; Second week of May;

Second week of August;

Third weekend of October

The Board may add additional dates, or authorize changing the preferred dates if it becomes necessary or advisable. Every effort

will be made to avoid conflict with school vacation schedules and religious or traditional holiday dates.

Industry partnership with the NHOA in the provision of CE is a very high priority. It serves not only to provide significant financial

support, but also to improve the educational quality of the CE experience. To this end, every effort should be made to obtain

industry participation for all our CE programs. This should include, but not be limited to, financial support, participation as exhibitor,

and advising those who are planning the meeting on ways to improve the program.

Lecturers and other CE providers may be paid either by the NHOA or directly by industry sponsors. If paid by NHOA, the fees shall be

comparable to those paid by the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association, and expense

reimbursements shall conform to the NHOA travel policy in place for its volunteers. The Board of Directors or its designee must

authorize in advance any deviations from the standard fees and expense reimbursements. If paid directly by industry sponsors,

lecturers are free to negotiate any arrangements they and their sponsors find mutually agreeable.

CE fees for members will be set at the beginning of each year by the Board of Directors. For 2017, the Board has set the fees as

follows:

Registration fee -- $25, which will be waived for members who pre-register at least seven

days prior to the meeting;

Continuing Education charge of $23 per hour, which will include lunch and breaks.

Because member dues help to pay for all the activities of the NHOA, including the provision of CE, non-members will be required to

pay a significantly higher per-hour fee for CE than members. Unless otherwise voted by the Board of Directors, the per-hour

multiple will be 3.

Because NHOA and its members believe strongly in the value of organized optometry, optometrists who are not members of the

AOA will not be invited to lecture. This policy may only be deviated from by specific advance vote of the Board of Directors.

--approved by the Board of Directors February 27, 2008



--revised December 4, 2013


PARTICIPATION IN MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT PROGRAMS

• The NHOA exists to assist and be an advocate for its members. Members have assumed a significant financial obligation to the NHOA, and members' dues permit the NHOA to exist and to function. Non-members, by virtue of their decision to remain outside the Association, do not have the right to expect that the NHOA will assist them or be their advocate.

• The NHOA is under no obligation to allow non-members to participate in continuing education or other programs sponsored by the Association, but may choose to do so if it is in the Association's best interest.

• If non-members are permitted to participate in NHOA-sponsored programs, including but not limited to continuing education

programs, they must pay substantially higher fees for their participation, as determined by the Board of Directors.

• Members have a responsibility to the NHOA to support the Association by paying their dues in a timely manner as required by the By Laws. Members whose financial obligations to the NHOA (dues and assessments) are in arrears shall be required to pay for

programs at non-member rates.

• Members in good standing of other AOA-affiliated optometric associations shall be entitled to participate in NHOA-sponsored programs on the same basis as NHOA members.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors July 14, 1993

ADVERTISING IN NHOA PUBLICATIONS

The NHOA-OD is primarily considered an internal organ of communication to the membership of the New Hampshire Optometric Association. No advertising will be accepted for publication in the NHOA-OD which advocates, encourages or espouses anything which

is not in the best interest of the NHOA or its members. All advertising submitted for publication in the NHOA-OD shall be subject to

review by the Board of Directors of the NHOA and if a submission is found unsuitable for publication the advertiser will be so informed.

Classified-type advertisements from NHOA members will be run at no charge on a space-available basis, with priority given to those

advertisements directly related to the practice of optometry (i.e. employment opportunities, equipment for sale,

etc.). Advertisements not related to the practice of optometry will be run at the discretion of the editor. Member ads will run for two newsletter issues, as specified in the "Advertising Guidelines" approved annually by the Board of Directors.

Public service advertisements/announcements may be accepted to run at no charge on a space-available

basis. Advertisements/announcements must be submitted in an acceptable format as determined by the editor. The source shall be

from non-profit, community service type organizations (e.g. Future In Sight, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.). Examples of these include Lions' Eye

Ball, Haunted House & Train Show and the Walk For Sight.

Paid advertising shall fall under two categories: display and classified. The Board of Directors shall approve the advertising rate sheet

annually. Display-type advertising shall be offered as full-page, half-page, quarter-page, and business card sizes. Advertisements

must be submitted in an acceptable format as determined by the editor. Paid classified-type advertisements shall be limited to the

practice of optometry (i.e. employment opportunities, equipment for sale, etc.). Political display-type advertising may be accepted

provided that the sponsor is clearly identified.

--adopted by the Board of Directors 6/1/2005

--revised September 5, 2012 -- revised September 13, 2017

PARTIAL PRACTICE STATUS

• A member who desires Partial Practice status shall certify in writing to the Board of Directors the average number of days

compensated per week spent in activities related to the practice of optometry over the previous six months. The Board of

Directors may, at its option, choose to verify the accuracy of the submitted information through an independent investigation.

• This certification shall be required annually in order to maintain Partial Practice status.

• It shall be the obligation of each Partial Practice Status member to promptly notify the Board of Directors of any material change

in practice status or number of days compensated per week spent in activities related to the practice of optometry. Failure to

do so shall be grounds for the Board of Directors to revoke the Partial Practice status.

• Any member who is determined to be eligible for AOA Partial Practice dues status shall be granted equivalent Partial Practice

NI-10A status and a reduction in NHOA dues equivalent in percentage to the reduction granted by AOA.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors June 2, 1993

--- revised 3/28/2001

--- revised 10/29/2006 ---revised 9/5/2012


DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES of the OFFICERS and DIRECTORS

(NOTE: ALL CHANGES TO THIS POLICY WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2018)

Duties Specific to the Office Held:

President: The President is the CEO of the organization. S/He chairs the Board meetings, presides over membership meetings, and is an ex-

officio member of all committees. In conjunction with the Executive Director, the President prepares or approves the agenda for

each Board and membership meeting, and determines the dates for Board meetings. The President, with the advice and consent of the Board or Directors, appoints all committee members. The President is NHOA's official representative to the AOA Congress and is

expected to attend the Congress. The President, along with the Treasurer, reviews and authorizes payment of the monthly NHOA

credit card statements. The President's compensation shall consist of 100% of NHOA and AOA dues paid. The President shall

receive lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

President-Elect: The President-Elect assumes the responsibilities and fulfills the duties of the President if the President is unable to act. The

President-Elect is chair of the Budget Committee and a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee. The President-Elect shall

receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting

Vice-President: The Vice-President assumes the duties and fulfills the responsibilities of the President-Elect if the President-Elect is unable to act. The Vice-President is chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee. The Vice-President shall

receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Secretary:

The Secretary prepares the Board and NHOA meeting minutes. The Secretary is responsible for the newsletter and its distribution. The actual performance of the work may be delegated. The

Newsletter Editor shall receive compensation consisting of 50% of AOA and NHOA dues paid.

The Secretary is responsible for the website. The actual performance of the work may be delegated.

The Secretary will have regular interaction with the Executive Director.

The Secretary shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Treasurer: The Treasurer is the Chief Financial Officer of the the Association. As such, he or she will assure that the financial activities of

the Association are conducted in accordance with good business practices. These activities include, but are not solely limited to,

proper and timely receiving, recording, reporting and disbursing Association funds, supervising the collection of member dues

and dealing with members whose dues are delinquent, making decisions regarding dues waiver requests, and supervising the

activities of the Executive Director or other Association employees who shall perform the actual duties needed to accomplish

these purposes. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the Budget Committee and serves as an advisor to the Audit

Committee. The Treasurer, along with the President, reviews and authorizes payment of the monthly NHOA credit card

statement. The Treasurer shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Immediate Past President:

The Immediate Past President is Chair of the Leadership Development Committee. The Immediate Past President shall receive two

nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

Directors:

The Directors as a group, along with the officers, are responsible for the management of the Association. Depending on which areas

of responsibility they are assigned, they may be asked to travel to outside meetings, to represent the Board at membership or

legislative functions, to act as spokespersons for the Association with the media or in other arenas, and to engage in other activities

to further the goals of the Association. Each Director shall receive two nights' lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting.

(NOTE: If an Officer or Director is unable to attend all or part of the annual NHOA weekend meeting, they shall not be entitled to

receive the cash equivalent of the unused lodging. Each Officer and Director shall be responsible for making their own lodging

reservations, and will be reimbursed upon submission of lodging receipts.

General Duties and Responsibilities

All Officers and Directors should regard it as their personal responsibility to:

• attend all Board and membership meetings unless impossible;

• attend all ceremonial functions of the Association, such as lunches, dinners, installation ceremonies, etc., unless impossible;

• come to meetings prepared, having studied the issues and background materials;

• participate fully in Board discussions;

• accept the decisions of the Board as Association policy and work with enthusiasm toward their implementation;

• accept the assignments given them by the Board, and carry them out fully and completely;

• make the sacrifices of personal and/or office time needed to carry out their duties as Board members and members of

committees;

• always look for opportunities to engage in activities which will further the aims and goals of the Association;

• be prepared to take on increased levels of leadership responsibility as their experience increases;

• always look for ways to increase communication with members;

• always look for ways to increase camaraderie and spirit of collegiality with members.

Executive Director:

The Executive Director will:

• Be the manager to keep the NHOA on track. S/He will monitor committee structure and tasks of the committees. S/He will

help the President, Board and committees meet goals. Each incoming president should have the goals for the year worked

out before the year starts. A master plan will be developed by the ED, President, President-Elect and Vice President. This

should be accomplished by regular meetings of this group;

• Be involved in leadership development. S/He would be involved in identifying and helping to bring new members into the

AOA and NHOA volunteer structure;

• Make new members welcome;

• Be involved in increasing volunteerism;

• Function as the coordinator and resource person for the Board and committees to help them meet their goals. Established

Association goals should be monitored to make sure they are met;

• Monitor regions and regional meeting activities, and help to assure that an appropriate level of activity is happening in each

region;

• Keep membership records and make appropriate and timely reports to the Treasurer and to AOA;

• Give notice of Board meetings;

• Handle routine NHOA correspondence;

• Notify committee chairs and members of their appointment;

• Take care of the financial activities of the Association under the supervision of the Treasurer;

• Regularly interact with the NHOA officers and the Board;

• Devote appropriate time to NHOA business, this is expected to be 1 1/2 to 2 days per week;

• Advise the Board of the need for equipment and computer software needed to perform the duties of the position, and have

physical charge of all NHOA property unless loaned to others as needed;

• Receive compensation consisting of salary, lodging at the annual NHOA weekend meeting, and (if the ED is an optometrist)

NHOA and AOA dues, and NHOA CE.

---adopted by the Board of Directors June 11, 2008

---revised September 5, 2012

---revised December 4, 2013


EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT and ATTENDANCE AT AOA MEETINGS

Because the NHOA operates on a calendar year financial basis, and because under our cash accounting system expenses cannot be carried from one budget year to the next, it is necessary to establish the following requirements for reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the NHOA:

• Usual or customary office expenses consist of postage, copying, office supplies and telephone calls necessary to conduct NHOA business. Usual or customary travel expenses consist of travel to and from an out-of-state meeting site (at the then-current IRS mileage rate OR 14-day APEX air fare, whichever is less), meals, ground transportation, hotel room and tax, necessary parking, meeting registration fee and miscellaneous expenses.

• Anything other than "usual or customary" expenses, as defined herein, must be approved in advance by the President or authorized by the Board.

• All reimbursable expenses must be submitted in writing, no later than 45days after they are incurred, and with receipts for any item over $25.00. In unusual circumstances this limit may be modified by the Executive Director.

• All reimbursable expenses incurred during the months of November and December must be submitted in writing, no later than December 30 of the same year.

• Any expenses which do not meet the above guidelines for necessity and timely submission can not be reimbursed without the approval of the Board of Directors.

NHOA Representation at AOA Meetings:

Unless changed by vote of the Board of Directors, the following AOA meetings shall always have official NHOA representation:

Optometry's Meeting/House of Delegates:

NHOA will be represented by the President, President-Elect, Vice President and Executive Director. If any of these individuals finds it impossible to attend, the President may, with the approval of the Board of Directors, name another individual to attend. The attendees shall be named as "Delegates" and/or "Alternates" in the order of their seniority (P>PE>VP>S>T>DIR>ED). Delegates and alternates shall be sent "uninstructed" on all matters to come before the House, but should caucus prior to voting to determine the best voting decisions. It is expected that all NHOA representatives will, if possible, attend all sessions of the House of Delegates and other official AOA functions. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the President, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Presidents' Council (stand-alone meeting):

NHOA will be represented by the President, President-Elect, Vice President and Executive Director. The President's attendance at this meeting shall be optional at the discretion of the President if currently serving a second term as President. If the President decides not to attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming another individual to attend in place of the President. It is expected that all NHOA representatives will, if possible, attend all sessions of the Presidents' Council as well as any breakout sessions. If there is a meeting of the Northeast Regional delegates in conjunction with Presidents' Council, the NHOA President will determine whether NHOA should be represented and appoint one or more people to attend that session. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the President, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Congressional Conference:

NHOA will be represented by the Legislative Chair and others at the discretion of the Board of Directors. If the Legislative Chair cannot attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming another individual to attend in place of the Legislative Chair. Prior to determining the attendees for this meeting, the Board shall be informed as to which New Hampshire representatives will be funded by AOA. All NHOA representatives shall, if possible, attend all

sessions of the Conference as well as any breakout sessions and Hill appointments. Usual NHOA expense

reimbursement policies will apply. After the meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the Legislative Chair, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

AOA Third Party/State Legislative Conference:

NHOA will be represented by the Legislative and/or Third Party Chairs, and others at the discretion of the Board of Directors. If the Legislative or Third Party Chair cannot attend, the Board of Directors shall have the option of naming other individuals to attend in their place. Prior to determining the attendees for this meeting, the Board shall be informed as to the scope and purposes of the Conference. All NHOA representatives shall, if possible, attend all sessions of the Conference as well as any breakout sessions. Usual NHOA expense reimbursement policies will apply. After the

meeting, each attendee is expected to submit a written report to the Legislative and/or Third Party Chairs, who will compile them for a report to the membership.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors March 11, 1998 --revised March 28, 2001

--revised September 5, 2012 --revised March 19, 2014


Volunteer Travel Reimbursement Guidelines

Per the Board's directive, here are some guidelines to be followed when anyone travels to an out-of-state meeting on behalf of NHOA. Please feel free to call the Executive Director if you have any questions or are unclear about any of this.

SUMMARY: the NHOA is extremely grateful to all its volunteers. We do not expect you to give up both your time and your money.

While certain things (such as lost office income) can never be replaced, it is our intention -- within budget restrictions -- to cover

your out-of-pocket expenses incurred as an NHOA volunteer. To try to eliminate any confusion or embarrassment, we have

prepared this set of guidelines. If you are in doubt, think about how you would react if you were an ordinary member and you heard

about someone else doing what you are proposing. If you are still in doubt, ASK!

PRIOR AUTHORIZATION: In order for your expenses to be reimbursable, your attendance at a meeting must have been authorized in advance by the Board. Exception: in urgent situations, the President may authorize your attendance at a meeting or function at

NHOA expense (this will only occur in unusual or time-critical situations).

WHAT MEETINGS ARE COVERED: only out-of-state meetings are reimbursable. Expenses for attending in-state meetings, and

specifically political meetings or NHOA Board or committee meetings, are not reimbursed.

WHAT TRAVEL EXPENSES ARE COVERED: your reasonable expenses are reimbursed from the time you leave your home or office,

whichever is later, until you return to your home or office, whichever is earlier. The traveler may choose his or her preferred mode

of transportation to and from home or office to the meeting site — air, auto or public transportation. For each traveler, the Executive

Director will prepare in advance a travel budget which shall be the lesser of (a) air travel or (b) auto travel. This will be the amount

reimbursed to the traveler, regardless of the chosen travel mode. The air travel estimate shallinclude travel to and from home or

office to the departure airport , air fare at the 14-day advance purchase rate, fee for checking one bag, departure airport parking,

and travel from the destination airport to and from the meeting site. The auto travel estimate shall include round-trip mileage from

home or office to the meeting hotel (at the then-current IRS per-mile rate) and parking at the destination hotel. The convention single rate at the meeting hotel for the number of authorized nights, will be reimbursed. If there is a registration fee for the meeting,

you will be reimbursed for that. "Office Expenses" (telephone, FAX, etc.) on the road are covered the same as when you are home,

see below. The cost of meals and ground transportation to and from restaurants is not reimbursed separately, but is included in the

per-diem (see below). Please take advantage of any discounts you may have available, such as AAA, AARP, etc.

Use of the NHOA Credit Card: The NHOA Executive Director is given an NHOA credit card. As much as possible, the use of the credit

card to pay for reimbursable expenses incurred by all authorized NHOA attendees - for example, all air tickets and all hotel room

charges - is encouraged. If the NHOA credit card is used to pay for meals or incidental expenses for other authorized travelers,

standard AOA deduct/chargeback policies will apply.

GUIDELINES FOR "REASONABLE EXPENSES": Car rental, private or luxury limousine expenses will not be reimbursed. Airfare will be

reimbursed at the 14-day advance purchase rate; you are urged to get your ticket early. Full-coach or first-class airfare will not be

reimbursed except under very unusual circumstances. You can not be reimbursed the "paying" rate if you use frequent-flyer miles

to get a free ticket. The hotel single-person convention rate plus tax will be reimbursed. If your spouse or family accompanies you

on an NHOA trip, please indicate on the hotel bill what the single-person rate is. In-room movies, mini-bar charges, room service

surcharges, and the like will not be reimbursed, nor will personal expenses such as laundry, dry-cleaning, sightseeing, etc. There is a Per-Diem allowance of the IRS-approved rate for the meeting location times the number of authorized days away from your

home/office. This is meant to cover your meals and incidental expenses such as taxis to and from restaurants, tips and baggage

handling. The rate varies depending on the meeting location. Meals for others: Each authorized NHOA attendee should pay for his or her own meals. If you pay for a meal for another authorized NHOA attendee , you must indicate this on your reimbursement

request. In this case, the standard AOA deduct/chargeback policies will apply. The senior NHOA officer at a meeting is authorized to

entertain the other NHOA attendees and their spouses/guests at a dinner or other appropriate function once during the trip, and

must indicate this item separately on the reimbursement request. There will be no deduct/chargeback for this function. Internet connection charges of up to $15 per day are reimbursed while traveling for NHOA, in addition to the per-diem. Tips and baggage handling expenses are not reimbursed separately, but are considered part of your daily per-diem.

SPECIAL NOTES REGARDING AOA MEETINGS: There is usually a deadline for submitting hotel and meeting registrations. Please pay

attention to these deadlines; you will not be reimbursed for late fees or additional charges if you miss them. Sometimes AOA does

have hotel rooms blocked beyond the "block expiration" date; if you are in a bind, call the NHOA office for advice.

HOW TO GET REIMBURSED: NHOA is the "funding of last resort" whenever you travel. This means that if you receive

reimbursement from any other organization (i.e. AOA) you can not "double dip" or be reimbursed for the same expenses by NHOA.

If you receive funding from any other source (i.e. AOA) for expenses which have been prepaid by NHOA, you are requested to

reimburse NHOA promptly. You are expected to take advantage of any discounts, bargains, or other sources of funding which may

be available. We have developed a simple form which you are asked to use to submit your expenses. Request the form from the NHOA office prior to your trip. Please fill it out, attach your receipts and send to the NHOA office. Please remember that expenses

must be submitted within 45 days (or December 30, whichever is sooner) or you will not be reimbursed.

WHAT NON-TRAVEL EXPENSES ARE REIMBURSABLE: Telephone calls and FAX charges will be reimbursed if you submit your phone

bill to the NHOA office, indicating which calls you are asking for. Only phone calls relating to NHOA business will be reimbursed.

Personal calls, calls home, etc. will not be reimbursed. If you incur copying, postage or office supplies charges for NHOA projects,

they will be reimbursed when submitted with receipts.

---revised September 5, 2012 --revised September 13, 2017


It is recognized that unusual or unbudgeted expenses may become necessary to fulfill a committee's goals and responsibilities. Expense items of $250 or less which were not included as part of the committee's approved budget may only be incurred with the advance approval of the President and notification to the NHOA office. If time allows, an unbudgeted expense anticipated to be greater than $250 must be pre-approved by the Board of Directors. Only in an urgent situation may the President pre-approve an unbudgeted expense of greater than $250, and the Board must be notified of the event at its next meeting.

--- adopted by the Board of Directors May 16, 2001

---revised September 7, 2011 ---revised September 5, 2012 --revised September 13, 2017


Only the President or the Executive Director shall have the authority to sign contracts or otherwise obligate the Association financially, and only with the approval of the Board of Directors.

For contracts or obligations involving, or clearly likely to involve, sums over $15,000, the Association shall not be liable for completion of the contract unless it is signed by both the President and the Executive Director and has the advance approval of the Board of Directors.

The Association shall maintain, at its expense, a bond indemnifying the Association against financial wrongdoing by the Executive Director, the President, or any other individual authorized by the Board to sign checks for the Association.

--Adopted by the Board of Directors 6/1/2005 --modified September 8, 2010


Awards Criteria

The Optometrist of the Year awards presents an opportunity to honor and thank an NHOA member for his/her outstanding service to our organization, our profession, and/or the community during the past year. The Young Optometrist of the Year has similar selection criteria, but will be restricted to a New Hampshire Optometric Association member who has been a member for less than ten years. Recipients of these awards may, at the discretion of the Board, be nominated for equivalent AOA awards. Our intent is that both of these will, if appropriate, be awarded annually.

The NHOA Distinguished Service Award: This award is meant to single out one NHOA member optometrist who has been instrumental in furthering our profession and our organization over multiple years of dedicated service. The recipient of this award will be nominated by NHOA for the AOA Optometrist of the Year or Distinguished Service award, whichever seems more appropriate under the circumstances. To preserve the special nature of this award, the Board of Directors has decided that it will not be an annual award, but rather given only when deserved.

Person of Vision Award: this award shall be given from time to time as recommended by the Awards Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. This award is for a non-optometrist who has contributed, in an extraordinary way, to the visual welfare or the advancement of eye care for the citizens of New Hampshire.

Other awards may be recommended from time to time by the Awards Committee and shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

--adopted by the Board of Directors September 7, 2005 --revised September 7, 2011

POLITICAL ACTION, ENDORSEMENTS, AWARDS AND GUEST SPEAKERS

The NHOA recognizes that optometry is a legislated profession and that optometry exists and advances through the political process. NHOA also values its status as an IRS 501-c(6) tax exempt organization. With these two principles in mind, the NHOA has adopted

the following policies:

POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS and SUPPORT:

For statewide political contests (NH Senate, NH House of Representatives and NH Governor) the NHOA will only endorse

and directly support the candidacy of an NHOA-member optometrist or the spouse of an NHOA-member optometrist.

For national political contests (US Senate, US House of Representatives and US President/Vice President) the NHOA will not

endorse or directly support any candidate.

REFERRAL TO PAC FOR ENDORSEMENT and SUPPORT:

Except in the case of the candidacy of an NHOA-member optometrist or spouse for a statewide office, all requests from

candidates for endorsement or support will be forwarded to the NHOA-PAC or AOA-PAC for decision and action. The membership

may be informed, either at a meeting or via communication, of the PAC's action.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Any person who has demonstrated support for optometry and the aims and goals of the NHOA may be invited to be a guest

speaker at an NHOA meeting, and may be recognized with an award in recognition of past support. This shall be determined by the

Legislative and Advocacy Chair in consultation with the President.

Exception: If such a person is an active candidate for political office, such person may not be invited to be a guest speaker

at a statewide NHOA meeting or be recognized with an award, without advance approval by the Board of Directors. Such candidacy

shall be referred to the appropriate PAC and the membership may be informed, either at a meeting or via communication, of the

PAC's action.

--adopted by the Board of Directors June 30, 2010



Prologue: All funds managed by the Investment Committee are owned by the NHOA members and are under the direction of the NHOA Board of Directors. A history of the fund is included below. Prior to the adoption of this document, there were no specific policies in place governing how the invested funds should be invested, managed, withdrawn or spent.

The NHOA has always operated in a fiscally conservative manner. Annual dues and other sources of income, such as grants and profit from CE meetings, have provided the operating funds needed for the Association to function, and to permit the Investment Fund to grow untapped. Prior to 2016, anticipated increases in the value of the Investment Fund were inserted into the budget each year. Only once (2015) has it been necessary to actually withdraw funds from the Investment Account to meet income shortfalls. Previously, shortfalls in operating income have been made up by drawing on accumulated operating surpluses from previous years.

Unless there are unforeseen negative circumstances or unusual positive opportunities which would be important for the future of the NHOA, it is intended that the invested funds be allowed to grow. Each time a withdrawal request from the Investment Fund is made, the NHOA's Mission Statement should be carefully reviewed to be certain that the withdrawal request is consistent with the Mission Statement.

Based on the above, the following policies governing the Investment Fund are hereby adopted:

1. The Investment Committee shall have the authority to manage and rebalance the investment portfolio as they deem prudent and advisable, following these policies and generally accepted investing practices based upon the time horizon for the invested assets.

2. The Board of Directors shall advise the Investment Committee at least annually as to any projected need for withdrawal of funds from the Investment Fund over (a) the short term (one to two years), (b) the medium term (three to seven years) and (c) the long term (seven years and beyond). The Investment Committee shall use this information to guide them in their prudent investment decisions.

3. Only the Board of Directors shall have the authority to authorize withdrawals from the Investment Fund and shall do so only after careful deliberation. No NHOA officer, director, member or employee shall have the right to withdraw funds from the Investment Fund without approval by the full Board of Directors. When the Investment Account is deposited in whatever institution is being used to invest those funds, it should be arranged that those funds can only be transferred to the operating account of the NHOA.

4. To minimize some of the fluctuations of the Investment Fund through changing market conditions, as well as to ensure the availability of cash in a sudden need situation no matter what the state of the stock market, $30,000 or 10% of the total value of the Investment Fund as of the previous December 31, whichever is greater, shall always be kept in a money market account or other liquid investment vehicle which is not subject to market vagaries. The 10% rule will apply in increments of $50,000 so that as the total value of the Investment Account passes an additional $50,000 mark (calculated from the value on the previous December 31), $5,000 will be added to the money market account or similar.

5. The Investment Committee may take accumulated cash from the money market account and reinvest it into other vehicles using their best prudent judgement, as long as the value of the money market fund is maintained at no less than the minimum amount specified in the first sentence of Paragraph 4. 6. To help minimize the risks inherent in investments and to ensure the best return for any long term investment in the portfolio, index funds will generally be employed to minimize management fees and mirror overall market performance.

7. It is intended that the Investment Fund not be used as part of the normal operating budget for the Association, but rather it is for special projects such as supplementing a legislative effort, a major community education effort or similar projects.

8. The Investment Committee shall report and explain its activities and the state of the Investment Fund to the Board of Directors at least quarterly. Additional interim reports may also be requested by the Board or the President at any time for any reason, such as rapidly changing market conditions, or if the balance is threatening to fall below a 2x multiple of the 3-year average of the NHOA's operating budget.

9. The Audit Committee shall examine and report to the Board on the activities of the Investment Committee as part of its annual examination of the financial operations of the Association.

---adopted by the Board of Directors March 16, 2016

Appendix: Background History for the NHOA Investment Fund: The initial Investment Committee was established in November, 1996, during David Hartenstein's presidency. Sherry Quimby-Cronin was named as chair. The committee was instructed to look into and make recommendations to the Board regarding the establishment of an "investment fund" with the goals of MAXIMIZING YIELD WHILE ASSURING ADEQUATE LIQUIDITY AND PROTECTION OF PRINCIPAL.

In April, 1997, the committee recommended the establishment of this fund, with the initial amount being $100,000. The long-range goal was stated as "TO DO BETTER THAN 6%" and the fund was to stay intact for 10 years to allow it to grow.

This was the last definitive policy action by the Board regarding this fund. At one point, Sherry recommended changing the Investment Fund to an Endowment Fund and her objective was to use the principal and interest to reduce or eliminate NHOA member dues. The Board did not approve this.

The Board met at one time with David Caban, then chair of the Investment committee, and suggested that the investment mix be changed "to lower the risk" at a time when there was a good deal of volatility in the market. At one time a few years ago the principal value of the fund dropped very close to the initial investment of $100,000 and there was discussion about liquidating the investments in order to protect the original principal. This was not done, as the Investment Committee believed the dip was only a brief market correction and could turn around quickly again (which it did).

Until 2014, there was a separate fund consisting of money from VSP and known as the "A.G. Edwards Account" which was managed separately from the Investment Fund and was not under the control of the investment committee. This money was a gift from VSP. Many years ago Dr. Norman Michaud successfully lobbied for the money that had been withheld by VSP as part of a mandatory 10% holdback of doctors' fees. The intent was to use this money only for educational or legislative purposes. In 2014, it was decided to close the A.G. Edwards Account and merge the proceeds into the overall investment fund. At the time of this action, the addition represented roughly 5% of the Investment Fund. The intent still is to continue the restrictions on the use of that percentage of the Investment fund (legislative and educational purposes only).

There have been two withdrawals from the Investment Fund since its inception. The first, in 2007 of approximately $10,000, which was taken from the VSP money and used for two video public service announcements (PSAs), and the second, in 2015 of $43,000, to cover a shortfall in the 2015 NHOA operating budget.

board of directors' meeting agenda secretary: …nhoa-board.org/board information package sept...

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