Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 56 > Chapter 30 - Dental Service Plan Law, 1961

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Beneficiary: means a person designated in the subscription certificate referred to in subdivision (10), as entitled to the dental services referred to in subdivision (10). See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Chief officer: means the person with overall authority for a public or private hospital or treatment resource, or the person's designee. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Child: means a person who is under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of commerce and insurance. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Commissioner: means the commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Consent: means voluntary agreement to what is reasonably well understood regardless of how the agreement is expressed. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dental service: means professional services rendered by persons duly licensed under the laws of this state to practice dentistry and all services defined as constituting the practice of dentistry as set out in title 63, chapter 5. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Department: means the department of commerce and insurance. See Tennessee Code 56-1-102
• Department: means the department of mental health and substance abuse services. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Hospital: means a public or private hospital or facility or part of a hospital or facility equipped to provide inpatient care and treatment for persons with mental illness or serious emotional disturbance. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Licensed physician: means a graduate of an accredited medical school authorized to confer upon graduates the degree of doctor of medicine (M. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Mental illness: means a psychiatric disorder, alcohol dependence, or drug dependence, but does not include intellectual disability or other developmental disabilities as defined in title 52. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Nonprofit dental service corporation: means any corporation organized pursuant to this chapter for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and operating a nonprofit dental service plan, and that employs the service benefit concept in the majority of the programs it administers. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Nonprofit dental service plan: means a plan whereby specified dental service is provided by a nonprofit dental service corporation to subscribers to the plan. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Participating dentist: means a dentist licensed to practice dentistry in this state under title 63, chapter 5, who contracts in writing with a dental service plan corporation to perform the dental services specified in the subscription certificates issued by the corporation, and at the rates of compensation determined by the board of directors of the corporation, and who agrees to abide by the bylaws, rules and regulations of the corporation applicable to participating dentists. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Person: includes a natural person, a corporation, an association, a common law trust or corporation. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Qualified mental health professional: means a person who is licensed in the state, if required for the profession, and who is a psychiatrist. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Responsible relative: means the parent of an unemancipated child with mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, alcohol dependence, or drug dependence who is receiving service in programs of the department or any relative who accepts financial responsibility for the care and service of a service recipient. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Serious emotional disturbance: means a condition in a child who currently or at any time during the past year has had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet psychiatric diagnostic criteria that results in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child's role or functioning in family, school, or community activities and includes any mental disorder, regardless of whether it is of biological etiology. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Service benefit concept: means a type of dental benefit contract between a beneficiary and a third party payer, whereby the beneficiary is guaranteed no out-of-pocket expenses for covered services beyond any agreed on cost sharing stipulated in the contract. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Service recipient: means a person who is receiving service, has applied for service, or for whom someone has applied for or proposed service because the person has mental illness or serious emotional disturbance. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subscriber: means a person to whom a subscription certificate is issued by a dental care service plan corporation that sets forth the beneficiaries and the kind and extent of dental service for which the corporation is liable to make payment. See Tennessee Code 56-30-102
• Subscription: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Support: means any activity or resource that enables a service recipient to participate in a service for mental illness or serious emotional disturbance or in community life. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• Treatment resource: means any public or private facility, service, or program providing treatment or rehabilitation services for mental illness or serious emotional disturbance, including, but not limited to, detoxification centers, hospitals, community mental health centers, clinics or programs, halfway houses, and rehabilitation centers. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Writ of certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105