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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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4725 Ohio Vision Professional Board |
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Chapter4725-3. Examination and Licensing |
4725-3-09. Issuance of certificates, and renewal cardsprocedures, records
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(A) The board shall prepare and provide to each new licensee a certificate of licensure to practice optometry in the state of Ohio affixed with the official seal of the board.
(B) Each year, after initial licensure, the optometrist will receive an electronic renewal card, in the manner prescribed by the board, bearing the name of the licensee, the license number(s) and the date of expiration.
(C) Any certificate or electronic renewal card 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) The terms defined in paragraphs (E)(1) to (E)(9) 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-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 or ocularistry.
(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) "Lapsed license" means the status of the license of a dispensing optician or ocularist who has failed to fulfill all requirements of licensure renewal.
(6) "Lapsed 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) "Lapsed fee" or "penalty fee" means the fee required to restore a license that was not renewed prior to the expiration of the license.
(8) "Reporting period" means the first of January through the thirty-first of December.
(9) "Waiver" means the suspension granted by the board of the requirements for continuing education and/or lapsed fees for the renewal of a license in accordance with rules of this chapter.
(F) Each licensed optician and each licensed ocularist who has received a license to practice optical dispensing or ocularistry shall renew his/her respective license on an annual 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) 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) 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 license to the licensee no later than thirty days after acceptance.
(I) Optician and ocularist licensees applying for their first initial renewal shall be exempt from reporting continuing education credit.
(J) Any incomplete renewal 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 status.
(K) 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 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) 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 four 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 management hour may be used. 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.
(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) Each licensed spectacle-contact lens dispensing optician shall have completed four spectacle hours of board-approved continuing credit between January first and December thirty-first of the year of the expiration date, one of which may be a management hour, and eight contact lens hours, 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 Ohio 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) Each registered apprentice optician who has received a registration to engage in the practice of opticianry or ocularistry as an apprentice optician or apprentice ocularist shall renew his/her respective apprenticeship on or before June thirtieth of each year and pay a non-refundable fee in a manner prescribed by the board.
(N) At least thirty days prior to the expiration of the apprenticeship, the board shall send 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) Each registered apprentice shall complete the apprentice registration renewal application and supply all information necessary to process the application and the renewal fee. Upon receipt and acceptance of the renewal fee and the completed renewal application, the board shall provide a current registration notice to the apprentice no later than thirty days after acceptance.
(P) 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) The board shall maintain a record of all optician, ocularist, 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) A change in name of an optician or ocularist shall be submitted to the board in writing 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) A change of address and/or electronic mail address for an optician, ocularist, and 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, licensed ocularist 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) All fee payments shall be made in the form specified by the board. Fees are non-refundable.
(U) Documents issued by the board as evidence of licensure or registrations shall not be reproduced, duplicated, or imaged onto paper or any electronic media. The only exception to this prohibition is that such documents may be photocopied by the individual to whom the document was issued. Immediately after photocopying the document, the individual to whom the document was issued shall write the word "copy" boldly across the front side of the photocopied version of the document with a black permanent ink marker and place the individual's initials after the word.