Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) The following
steps are required for renewal of a license or certificate to practice as a
chemical dependency counselor within each two-year period of licensure or
certification.
(1) Completion of a renewal
application in the board's electronic application
system and submitting the proper fee prior to its expiration date and no
earlier than ninety days prior to the expiration date.
(2)
Completion of continuing education hours within the two
year renewal cycle with documentation of these hours uploaded onto the board's
continuing education monitoring system prior to renewal application
payment.
(a)
A
minimum of thirty hours of approved continuing education credit within the two
year renewal period;
(b)
A minimum of six hours of the total thirty hours shall
be in substance use disorder specific education;
(c)
A minimum of
three hours of the total thirty hours shall be in ethics
education;
(d)
For renewal of a LICDC-CS license, a minimum of six
hours shall be in clinical supervision education within the following areas:
assessment/evaluation, counselors' professional development,
management/administration and professional responsibility;
(e)
For renewal of a
license with a gambling disorder endorsement, a minimum of six hours shall be
in gambling disorder education;
(f)
The remaining
continuing education hours must be field related.
(g)
For the renewal
of a license with an ADC or CS reciprocal endorsement, an additional ten
continuing education hours in substance use disorder education or field related
hours.
(h)
For a certificate or license holder who is sixty-five
years of older and does not hold an ADC or CS reciprocal endorsement, a minimum
of twenty approved continuing education hours within a two year period
including paragraphs (A)(2)(b), (A)(2)(c), and (A)(2)(f), and including
(A)(2)(d) of this rule if they hold a LICDC-CS, and paragraph (A)(2)(e) of this
rule if they hold a gambling disorder endorsement.
(3)
Chemical dependency counselors may be granted up to a maximum of twenty CEUs
for authoring alcohol and other drug related publications at the board's
discretion.
(4) A maximum of ten
CEUs may be granted for presenting a workshop or teaching
substance use disorder, ethics, supervision or gambling
disorder related courses. One CEU is given for each contact hour of
training. Credit is not granted for preparation time.Presenters must hold the appropriate license or
endorsement.
(5) A maximum of ten
CEUs may be granted for special language courses or workshops.
(6)
The board shall consider relevant education, training, or service completed
during the current renewal period by a licensee or certificate holder who is a
member of or spouse of 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 for that renewal
period.
(7) Chemical dependency
licensees and certificate holders may claim up to four hours of volunteer
service toward the continuing
education requirement. To qualify under this rule, volunteer services shall:
(a) Be provided at a free clinic or other
non-profit organization that offers health care services based on eligibility
screenings identifying the client as an "indigent and uninsured person" as that
term is defined in division (A)(7) of section
2305.234 of the Revised
Code;
(b) Not be credited for
license holders in a paid position at the organization at which the services
are rendered;
(c) Not be credited
for license holders in a paid position at the organization at which the
services are rendered;
(d) Be
credited as one hour of CE for each sixty minutes spent providing services as a
volunteer, not to exceed four hours of the total biennial CE
requirement;
(e) Not count toward
the requirement to complete three hours of continuing education in ethics
continuing education.
(f) Be
documented in writing from an administrative official at the organization where
services were performed, specifying at a minimum the volunteer's name, date(s)
of qualifying volunteer services, number of hours of service, and a brief
description of what services the volunteer performed.
(B)
A member of the armed forces of the United States, the Ohio
national guard, the Ohio military reserve, the Ohio naval militia, the national
guard of any other state, or a reserve component of the armed forces of the
United States who has served on active duty, whether inside or outside the
United States, for a period in excess of thirty-one days may submit
to the board stating that
the licensee or certificate holder requires an extension of the current
reporting period because the licensee or certificate holder has served on
active duty during the current or a prior reporting period. The licensee or
certificate holder shall submit proper documentation certifying the active duty
service and the length of that active duty service.
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 licensee spent on active duty during the
current reporting period. For purposes of this paragraph, any portion of a
month served on active duty shall be considered one full month.
(C) The board shall send renewal
reminders ninety days prior to the lapse date.
(D) The board may audit the renewal of a
licensee or certificate holder. If selected for an audit, licensee or
certificate holders shall be required to provide verification of completion of
the hours required for their renewal period.
(E)
Failure to
produce proper documentation of continuing education hours or to comply with a
continuing education audit may result in a fee and disciplinary
action.
