Elite Dental Partners External Referral Program Policy

The external candidate referral program exists to engage and reward the recruitment efforts in identifying talent to join the Elite Dental Partners (“The Company”) will pay a referral bonus to individuals not employed with the company that refer candidates for employment within Elite Dental Partners practices who are then hired.

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Policy, eligible external referrers may receive a referral bonus when a referred candidate is hired into an eligible position and satisfies all Program requirements.

Participation in this Program does not create an employment contract, agency relationship, partnership, joint venture, or other contractual right between the Company and any participant. The Company reserves the right to interpret, modify, suspend, or terminate this Program at any time, with or without notice, in its sole discretion.

Eligibility and Guidelines

• The individual making the referral ("Referrer") must not be a current employee of Elite Dental Partners or any affiliated entity at the time the referral is submitted.
• The Referrer must submit a referral by completing the required form prior to the company (recruiting, hiring manager, etc.) contacting the candidate regarding the positions.
• The Referrer must submit a completed External Candidate Referral Form before:
  • The candidate applies for the position;
  • The candidate is contacted by a recruiter, hiring manager, or Company representative
  • The candidate is identified through any Company-sponsored recruiting effort, sourcing activity, or talent database.

• . To be considered full-time, candidates hired must work a minimum of thirty (30) hours per week throughout the applicable employment milestone period
• If Referrer receives more than one referral for the same candidate, only the earliest referral received that meets all other eligibility criteria is eligible for a referral bonus under this Program.
• Current employees of Elite Dental Partners or any affiliated entity. Current employees may be eligible under the Company's Employee Referral Bonus Policy, if applicable.
• Any recruiting agency, staffing firm, search firm, or professional recruiter, and any person acting on behalf of such an organization or in a professional recruiting capacity, is ineligible to receive a bonus under this Program.
• Individuals who are prohibited from receiving referral payments under applicable law or regulation, their professional obligations, or any employment agreement or policy applicable to them are not eligible to receive a bonus under this Program.
• Elite Dental Partners may modify, suspend, or discontinue this Program at any time. Any modification or discontinuation will apply prospectively and will not affect bonuses already earned under the Program
• Confirmation must be received by the company’s representative from the candidate that they were referred by the individual submitting the referral form.

Candidate Eligibility and Exclusions

The following exclusions apply:

• The following types of candidates are not eligible under this Program:

• Internal transfer candidates.
• Current employees of the Company or any affiliated entity.
• Candidates hired into temporary, seasonal, locum tenens, contract, or agency positions.
• Candidates who have been employed by the Company, whether in a regular employee, temporary employee, contractor, consultant, or agency-worker capacity, within the twenty-four (24) months preceding their hire date.
• Candidates who have applied for employment with the Company within the twelve (12) months preceding the referral submission date.
• Candidates who have been contacted, sourced, identified, interviewed, or engaged by the Company's recruiting team within the twelve (12) months preceding the referral submission date.
• Candidates previously referred by another individual whose referral remains valid under this Program.
• Candidates presented by a third-party recruiting agency, search firm, or vendor before the referral was submitted.
• Candidates acquired through mergers, acquisitions, practice affiliations, or similar business transactions.
• Candidates will be invalid after twelve (12) months if they are not hired within twelve (12) months of initial referral.

Payments

A referral bonus becomes payable only if all the following conditions are satisfied:

• The referred candidate is hired into an eligible position.
• The referred candidate completes thirty (30) consecutive days of active employment with the Company.
• The referred candidate remains actively employed on the payment eligibility date and has not provided notice of resignation or retirement.
• The Referrer remains eligible under this Policy at the time of payment.
• The Referrer has submitted all documentation required by the Company, including a completed IRS Form W-9 and any other tax documentation required by law.
• The Company has verified compliance with all Program requirements.

No referral bonus will be earned, accrued, vested, or payable unless all conditions of this Policy are satisfied.

Tax Reporting

Referral bonus payments are taxable income to the recipient. The Company may issue an IRS Form 1099 or other applicable tax reporting document as required by law. Referrers are solely responsible for any taxes arising from referral bonus payments.

Payment Timing

1. Referral bonus installments generally will be processed within a reasonable period following the referred candidate’s completion of each applicable employment milestone, as set forth in the bonus payment schedule.; and
2. Receipt and approval of all required tax documentation.

Payment timing may vary based on payroll, accounts payable, tax, and administrative processing requirements.

Position	30 Days	6-Month Retention	12-Month Retention	Total Referral Bonus
Doctor (General or Specialty Dentist)	$4,000	$3,000	$2,000	$9,000
Dental Hygienist	$1,000	$1,000	$500	$2,500

Earning and Forfeiture of Installments. Each installment of the referral bonus is earned upon the referred employee’s satisfaction of the applicable employment milestone, subject to the other eligibility requirements of this Program. If the referred employee’s employment ends before a subsequent milestone is satisfied, the referrer will not be eligible for any installment associated with that unmet milestone. Installments already earned will not be forfeited solely because the referred employee’s employment subsequently ends.