Ohio Admin. Code 4725-3-12 - Licensure for military members and spouses

(A) A military member or whose spouse is ordered to active military duty in this state is eligible for a military license to practice as a licensed optometrist, optician or an ocularist in accordance with Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code.

(B) An application for a military license shall meet the requirements set forth in section 4743.041 of the Revised Code and include the following:

(1) Proof that the applicant is an active duty service member of the uniformed services of the United States or is the spouse;

(2) Proof that the applicant holds a valid, unrestricted license to practice in the professions issued by another jurisdiction of the United States;

(3) Proof that the applicant or spouse is on military duty in Ohio; and

(4) The initial application fee will not be charged to an applicant who qualifies under this rule.

(5) Proof the applicant complied with Chapter 4776. of the Revised Code and has obtained a criminal records check, as prescribed by the board.

(C) A military license shall not be valid for a period longer than six years, and is subject to renewal with proof of continued eligibility during the renewal cycle.

(D) An individual who is ordered into active military duty in Ohio is eligible for a military license.

(E) Definitions related to military service and veteran status:

(1) "Military duty" has the same meaning as in section 4743.041 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Member" means any person who is serving in the military.

(3) "Veteran" means any person who has completed service in the military and who has been discharged under honorable conditions, or who has been transferred to the reserve with evidence of satisfactory service.

(4) "Active guard and reserve" has the meaning defined in 10 U.S.C. 101.

(5) "Uniformed services" has the meaning defined in 10 U.S.C. 101.

(F) The board shall, within twenty-four business hours after receiving the report under division (A) of section 4776.04 of the Revised Code, notify the applicant applying for an expedited license in accordance with this rule that the board has received the results of a criminal records check.

(G) The board shall issue an expedited license to practice as a licensed optometrist, or optician, or ocularist under this rule, provided that the applicant meets the requirements of this section, within fourteen days of having received the results of a criminal records check.

(H) The board shall deny an applicant the license or revoke the license under this section if any of the following circumstances occur:

(1) The applicant's license issued by another state or jurisdiction expires or is revoked, or the individual is not in good standing.

(2) With respect to an applicant who was eligible for a license under this section as the spouse of an individual on military duty, six months have elapsed since the divorce, dissolution or annulment of the marriage; and

(3) The individual is in violation of section 4725.53 of the Revised Code or rules adopted thereunder.

(I) License renewal

(1) Licensed optometrists, opticians, and ocularists serving in the military shall be exempted from the annual biennial renewal fee provided written documentation is submitted to the board office evidencing that said licensee or the licensee's spouse, is on active duty in the military. Upon receipt of said documentation and submission of the required continuing education hours, the board shall waive the annual biennial fee and renewal shall be issued to the licensee.

(2) Those licensees who had been actively engaged in the military during the annual biennial period and submitted satisfactory evidence to the board of honorable discharge or separation under honorable conditions shall be exempt from the annual biennial renewal fee for that year.

(3) The licensee may submit an application to the board, stating that the licensee requires an extension of the current continuing education reporting period because the licensee has served on active duty during the current or a prior reporting period. The licensee shall submit proper documentation certifying the active duty service and the length of the active duty. Upon receiving the application and proper documentation, the board shall extend the current reporting period by an amount of time equal to the total number of months that the license spent on active duty during the current reporting period. For purposes of this rule, any portion of a month served on active duty shall be considered a full month. The board shall waive the requirement of continuing optometric education for any optometrist who is serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States or a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including the Ohio national guard or the national guard of any other state or who has received an initial certificate of licensure during the nine-month period which ended on the last day of December of an even-numbered year.

(4) The board shall consider relevant education, training, or service completed by a licensee as a member of the armed forces of the United States or reserve components thereof, the Ohio national guard, the Ohio military reserve, the Ohio naval militia, or the national guard of any other state in determining whether a licensee has fulfilled required continuing education. In accordance with section 5903.03 of the Revised Code, the following military programs of training, military primary specialties, and lengths of service are substantially equivalent to or exceed the education and experience requirements for a license as a:

(a) Dispensing spectacle or spectacle-contact lens optician.

(i) Military programs of training.

(ii) Tri-service optician school, (TOPS), a division of the naval ophthalmic support and training activity is substantially equivalent to the education requirements for licensure as a spectacle dispensing optician.

(b) Military primary specialties.

(i) Army: optical laboratory specialist (MOS-6th);

(ii) Navy: optician (HM-8463); and

(iii) Air force: optometry (4V0X1).

(c) Lengths of service.

(5) The applicants will have met the experience requirements for licensure if the applicant has completed the training program listed in paragraph (J)(4)(a) of this rule and has served for a minimum of eighteen months in one of the military specialties listed in paragraph (J)(4)(b) of this rule.

(J) Prepare a report on the number and type of licenses or registrations issued during the fiscal year under this rule. The report shall be provided to the director of veteran's services not later than thirty days after the end of the fiscal year.

Notes

Ohio Admin. Code 4725-3-12

Effective: 11/30/2023
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 9/14/2023 and 11/20/2028
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 119.03, 4725.09, 5903.03
Rule Amplifies: 4725.12, 5903.03
Prior Effective Dates: 10/09/2014, 08/30/2019, 04/29/2021