173-14-13. Continuing education requirements, approval of clock hours, certifying fulfillment

(A) Representatives of the office shall complete the following annual continuing education requirements:

(1) Ombudsman associate: six clock hours.

(2) Ombudsman specialists: sixteen clock hours, of which a minimum of eight clock hours shall be earned through attendance at state ombudsman-sponsored education.

(3) Ombudsman program directors: eighteen clock hours, of which a minimum of nine clock hours shall be earned through attendance at state ombudsman-sponsored education; at least one session must include the training outlined in paragraph (C) of rule 173-14-07 of the Administrative Code. Topics of sessions may include, but are not limited to, supervision of staff, quality assurance practices, strategic planning, and interviewing, hiring, and retention of potential staff.

The required clock hours of continuing education shall be prorated for any representative of the office who has been certified for fewer than twelve months.

(B) The SLTCO shall approve only those continuing education sessions meeting the following requirements:

(1) The individual(s) presenting the session has documented expertise in the content area.

(2) The session transmits knowledge relevant to the duties of a long-term care ombudsman.

(3) The session has not been held for the purpose of individual or group supervision.

(C)

(1) The SLTCO has discretion to assign credit for any continuing education session that is sponsored directly by the SLTCO and shall notify each representative of the credits that may be earned through attendance at the session in advance of the date on which the session is scheduled.

(2) Representatives shall submit all requests for credit toward their continuing education requirements to the SLTCO.

All requests for continuing education credit shall contain the following:

(a) The name of the session and the name of the entity that organized or sponsored the session.

(b) A brief summary of the session's content.

(c) The name of the presenters at the session and a statement addressing their expertise in the content of the session.

(d) The length of the session, including the length of any time the representative spent presenting.

(e) An explanation of how the session relates to the duties of the representative.

Requests for continuing education credits may be submitted before, or as soon as practicable after, actual attendance at the session. The SLTCO shall approve continuing education credits in terms of face-to-face contact clock hours or one-tenth parts of a clock hour earned. The SLTCO shall approve or disapprove of all requests, in writing, as soon as practicable.

No representative shall be precluded from meeting continuing education requirements with credits that were also counted toward the continuing education requirements of other professional organizations or boards.

(D)

(1) The regional programs shall track the hours of continuing education accumulated by their volunteers and the SLTCO shall track the hours of continuing education accumulated by the paid and volunteer staff of the state office. If an electronic registry system is implemented by the state office, all continuing education shall be reported through that system according to instructions provided by the state office upon implementation.

(2) By December first of each year, a state review shall be completed to ensure the continuing education requirements for each representative have been fulfilled.Regional programs shall submit documentation of volunteer continuing education to the state office by December fifteenth of each year and shall retain documentation of continuing education as long as the representative remains affiliated with the office. If an electronic registry system is implemented by the state office, all continuing education shall be reported through that system according to instructions provided by the state office upon implementation. After documentation is submitted in the electronic system, physical records may be destroyed.

(E) If continuing education requirements cannot be fulfilled within the given timeframe, a representative may demonstrate extenuating circumstances or give an explanation to the ombudsman program director, for volunteers of that program, or to the SLTCO, for paid staff of the office and volunteers of the state office.

(1) In the case of a regional program volunteer, if the explanation or extenuating circumstances are not acceptable to the ombudsman program director, the program director shall notify the SLTCO.

(2) In the case of a paid representative, if the explanation or extenuating circumstances are not acceptable to the SLTCO, the SLTCO shall notify the representative and program director or sponsoring agency director, as appropriate.

(3) The SLTCO may consider the performance of the representative and allow the representative to obtain the missing clock hours of continuing education by March thirty-first of the subsequent year. Any hours carried over from a previous year do not count toward the continuing education requirements of the subsequent year.

(F) A representative of the office who does not meet the continuing education requirement annually, or within the extension period if approved based upon a demonstration of extenuating circumstances, shall be decertified according to rule 173-14-12 of the Administrative Code. The notice and hearing process for a paid representative shall adhere to the requirements established in rule 173-14-27 of the Administrative Code.

Replaces: 173-14-13

Effective: 5/1/2018
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 05/01/2023
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 173.01, 173.02, 173.16, 173.21 ; 42 U.S.C. 3025(a)(1)(C), 3058g(a)(5)(D); 45 C.F.R. 1321.11, 1324.11(e), 1324.13(b)(1), 1324.15(b)
Rule Amplifies: 173.16, 173.21 ; 42 U.S.C. 3058g; 45 C.F.R. 1321.11, 1324.11(e)
Prior Effective Dates: 07/11/1991, 12/27/2001, 12/28/2006, 01/02/2012