(A) The board shall
prepare and provide to each new licensee an electronic certificate of licensure
to practice optometry in the state of Ohio.
(B)
Each year,
after
After initial licensure, the
licensed optometrist will receive an electronic
renewal card
a certificate of licensure sent
electronically, in the manner prescribed by the board, bearing the name
of the licensee, and the license
number
number(s) and
the date of expiration.
(C) Any electronic certificate or electronic renewal card
of licensure issued by the board shall remain the
property of the board and shall be surrendered to the board on
demand.
(D) The licensee shall not
make any alteration on any type of certificate or a
renewal card issued by the board nor shall permit any alterations to
be made.
(E)
Each licensed optometrist who has received a
certificate of licensure to practice optometry shall renew the respective
certificate of licensure on a biennial basis and pay a non-refundable fee in
the amount and in the manner prescribed by the board.
(F)
Certificate of
licensure holders are not required to submit any continuing education credit
hours for the first renewal.
(G)
Each licensed
optometrist must complete fifty continuing education credit hours within the
biennial period. Twenty hours of credit are required in the study of
pharmacology. The maximum for online credit hours is thirty.
(H)
In the case of a
license reinstatement one of the following applies:
(1)
If the
reinstatement was valid for a period of twelve months or less, the license
holder must complete half of the continuing education hours required within the
biennial period.
(2)
If the reinstatement was valid for a period of more
than twelve months, the license holder must complete the full amount of
continuing education hours required within the biennial period.
(I)
Accumulated continuing education credit cannot be carried
over from one renewal period to another.
(E)(J) The terms defined
in paragraphs (J)(1) to (J)(8) of this rule apply to opticians,
ocularists, and apprentices.
(1) "Active license" means the status of the
license held by an optician or an ocularist
who has fulfilled all requirements of the board for initial licensure or for
licensure renewal.
(2) "Active
registration" means the status of the apprentice registration held by an
apprentice optician or apprentice ocularist
who has fulfilled all requirements of the board for initial apprentice
registration or for apprentice registration renewal.
(3) "Extension" means the time beyond the
ninety
thirty-day grace period granted by the board to allow
a licensee an additional specified time to meet the continuing education
requirements for licensure renewal without being required to re-take the
national qualifying exam. All requests to the board for an extension must be
submitted in writing to the board on or before December thirty-first.
Extensions will be granted by the board on a case-by-case basis. Individuals
may not engage in the practice of optical dispensing
or ocularistry until all requirements for renewal
have been met and a current, valid license is on display at the place of
optical dispensing.
(4) "Grace period" means the period
of ninety-days from the expiration of a license in which the licensee may
submit a renewal application, proof of meeting the continuing education
requirements for renewal, and the lapsed fee without being required to re-take
the national qualifying exam. Individuals may not engage in the practice of
optical dispensing or ocularisty, until all requirements for renewal have been
met and the current, valid license is on display at the place of optical
dispensing or ocularistry.
(5)(4) "Lapsed
Expired
license" means the status of the license of a dispensing optician
or ocularist who has failed to fulfill all
requirements of licensure renewal.
(6)(5) "Lapsed
Expired
registration" means the status of the apprentice registration of an apprentice
optician or apprentice ocularist who failed
to fulfill all requirements of registration renewal.
(7)(6) "Lapsed
Late fee" or
"penalty fee" means the fee required to restore a license that was not renewed
prior to the expiration of the license.
(8)(7) "Reporting
CE audit
period" means the first of January through the thirty-first of
December.
(9)(8) "Waiver" means the
suspension granted by the board of the requirements for continuing education
and/or lapsed
late fees for the renewal of a license in accordance
with rules of this chapter.
(F)(K) Each licensed
optician and each licensed ocularist who
has received a license to practice optical dispensing
or ocularistry shall renew
the
his/her
respective license on a
an annual
biennial basis and pay a non-refundable fee in the
amount and in the manner prescribed by the board, on
or before December thirty-first of each year.
Such renewal shall be made in a manner prescribed by
the board. Each person who receives a license from the board shall renew that
license prior to the first day of January following the date of issuance and
shall renew the license prior to the first day of each January
thereafter.
(G)(L) At least thirty
days prior to the expiration of a license, the board shall send electronic
notification of renewal to every licensee to whom a license was issued or
renewed during the current period. Failure to receive the board's notification
of renewal shall not excuse the licensee from the renewal
requirements.
(H)(M) Upon renewal, each
licensee shall complete the license renewal application and supply all
information necessary to process the application. Upon receipt and acceptance of the renewal fee, renewal
application, and the required proof of continuing education as outlined in this
chapter, the board shall provide a current, valid electronic license to the
licensee no later than thirty days after acceptance.
(I)(N)
Each spectacle licensed optician shall complete two hours of study in
prepackaged soft contact lens dispensing as described in section
4725.411 of the Revised Code for
the first renewal. Spectacle contact lens, contact
lens and ocularist licensees applying for their first initial renewal
shall be exempt from reporting continuing education credit.
(J)(O)
Any incomplete renewal will
may not be processed. Renewal applications
not received by the board, on or before December thirty-first of the renewal
year, shall be placed on lapsed
expired
status.
(K)(P) Failure to meet all
requirements for renewal of a license prior to January first results in the
forfeiture of the licensee's right to practice optical dispensing
or ocularistry in the state of Ohio until
all requirements for renewal are met and the current, valid license is on
display at the place of optical dispensing or
ocularistry. All requirements for licensure renewal must be completed
within ninety
thirty days of the date of expiration
or the individual licensee will be required to take
and successfully complete the national qualifying exam and reapply for
licensure in accordance with division (B) of section 4725.51 of the Revised
Code.
(L)(Q) Continuing
education requirements for renewal of a current, valid license, except for
those licensees applying for their first initial renewal, are as follows:
(1) Each licensed spectacle dispensing
optician shall have completed
during the biennial
licensing period,
four
eight hours of board-approved spectacle continuing
education credit
between January first and December
thirty-first of the year of the expiration date, of which only
one
two
management hour may be used. Each spectacle licensed optician shall complete
two
four hours
of study in contact lens dispensing as described in section
4725.411 of the Revised Code.
(2) Each licensed contact lens
dispensing optician shall have completed eight hours of board-approved contact
lens continuing education credit between January first and December
thirty-first of the year of the expiration date, of which only two management
hours may be used.
(3)(2) Each licensed
spectacle-contact lens dispensing optician shall have completed
during the biennial licensing period
four
eight
spectacle hours of board-approved continuing credit
between January first and December thirty-first of the year
of the expiration date,
one
two of which may be
in
a management
hour
hours, and
sixteen
eight
contact lens hours,
four
two of which may be management hours
, obtained during the last preceding year.
(4) Each licensed ocularist shall
have completed four hours of board-approved continuing education credit between
January first and December thirty-first of the year of the expiration date. One
hour of board-approved continuing education shall be on communicable diseases
as they apply to the handling of ocular prostheses. Only one hour per year may
be management credit. All other credit hours must pertain to the fitting and
fabrication of ocular prostheses.
(5) Each optician or ocularist who
receives a license from the state vision professionals board shall renew that
license prior to the first day of January following the date of issuance and
shall renew the license prior to the first day of each January
thereafter.
(M)(R) Each registered
apprentice optician who has received a registration
card sent electronically
an electronic
registration to engage in the practice of opticianry
or ocularistry as an apprentice optician
or apprentice ocularist shall renew
his/her
the
respective apprenticeship on or before June thirtieth of each year and pay a
non-refundable fee in a manner prescribed by the board.
(N)(S) At
least thirty days prior to the expiration of the apprenticeship, the board
shall send electronic notification of renewal to every registered apprentice to
whom a registration was issued or renewed during the current period. Failure to
receive the board's notification of renewal shall not excuse the apprentice
from the renewal requirements.
(O)(T) Each registered
apprentice shall complete the apprentice registration renewal application and
supply all information necessary to process the application and the renewal
processing fee. Upon receipt and acceptance of
the renewal processing fee and the completed
renewal application, the board shall provide a current electronic registration
notice to the apprentice no later than thirty days after acceptance.
(P)(U)
Failure to renew an apprentice registration results in the forfeiture of the
apprentice's right to engage in the apprenticeship training process as an
apprentice optician or apprentice ocularist
until all requirements for renewal are met and the current, valid registration
card is on display at the place of the practice of optical dispensing
or ocularistry as an apprentice.
(Q)(V)
The board shall maintain a record of all optician and apprentice applicants
for, and holders of, licenses and registrations issued by the board under
sections 4725.40 to
4725.99 of the Revised Code. The
record shall be maintained in such format as determined by the board.
(R)(W) A
change in name of an optician or ocularist
shall be submitted to the board in writing
electronically within thirty days of the change
and shall be accompanied by a notarized form
and any other records as required by the board, and the current
license or registration card.
(S)(X) A change of address
and/or electronic mail address for an optician or apprentice shall be submitted
to the board within thirty days of the change. Notice of renewal will be sent
to the last electronic mail address of record maintained at the board. Failure
of the licensed optician or registered apprentice to receive a renewal notice
from the board does not excuse the license holder or the registered apprentice
from renewing in a timely manner.
(T)(Y) All fee payments
shall be made in the form specified by the board. Fees are
non-refundable.
(U)(Z) Documents issued by
the board as evidence of licensure or registrations may be photocopied by the
individual to whom the document was issued.
