The renewal window for registered nurse (RN) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) licenses issued by the Ohio Board of Nursing (Board) opened on July 1, 2021.  The final deadline for renewal is Oct. 31, 2021. Renewal is completed online using the Ohio eLicense system.

If you do not file a complete renewal application and/or pay the required fee by Oct. 31, 2021, your license will lapse. An RN or APRN in Ohio whose license has lapsed is not authorized to work as a nurse until their nursing license is reinstated by the Board. It is a disciplinable offense to engage in the practice of nursing on a lapsed nursing license.

Additional information may be required. The renewal application includes but is not limited to questions concerning criminal, licensure, mental health and alcohol/drugs matters. All information provided in the renewal application is required to be true and accurate. Depending on the response given to certain questions in the renewal application, uploading an explanation and certified copies of certain specific documents may also be required. If you are required to provide any additional documentation as part of your renewal application, the documents must be uploaded through the online system. No hard copies of documents will be accepted.

In certain cases, the renewal application may be forwarded to the Board’s Compliance Unit for review and a Board investigator may contact the nurse to obtain additional information. In other cases, a Consent Agreement may be offered to the nurse to resolve a disciplinable offense instead of preceding to an administrative hearing.

If you do not understand a question in your renewal application or do not know what additional information to upload with your renewal application, it is recommended to obtain experienced legal counsel to assist you before submitting your renewal application, speaking with any Board investigator, or signing a Consent Agreement.

For additional information visit: https://nursing.ohio.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Website-renewal-2021-July.pdf

If you have questions about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing, contact Todd Collis at (614) 628-6962, or Beth Collis at (614) 628-6945.

If you are being monitored by the Ohio Board of Nursing and required to submit random screens through First Source, changes have been made to the program that will affect every participant. You will no longer be able to use the app or call the toll-free number to check whether you have been selected to test.

Effective Sept. 1, 2021, there will be changes to First Source screening procedures. Updated information will be posted on the Board’s website  and First Source will send a communication to participants.

The check-in portal and process will change. All participants will have access and be required to use the new FSSolutions portal.

Enrollment in the new system was required by Aug. 13, 2021. If you have not done so, contact the FSSolutions team at 833-476-1173 during business hours or e-mail at RMS@fssolutions.com.

It is important to note this new system requires you to log in through the website (participant.fssolutions.com) for your check-in message, rather than calling the toll-free number or using the mobile app.

If you have questions about the changes to the screening program, immediately contact your compliance agent (monitor) at the Nursing Board.

As always, if you have questions about the Ohio Board of Nursing or the disciplinary monitoring program, you may contact attorneys Beth Collis or Todd Collis at the law firm of Dinsmore and Shohl, LLP at beth.collis@dinsmore.com or todd.collis@dinsmore.com.

In January 2021, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 263, better known as the Fresh Start Act (the Act), into law. The Act standardizes the professional licensure process in Ohio by removing vague disqualifiers such as “moral turpitude” and “lack of moral character.” Through its restorative justice approach, the Act offers professionals with records of certain prior offenses a path to licensure. Most of the Act’s provisions become effective on Oct. 9, 2021, which is also the deadline for state licensing authorities to submit a new list of disqualifying offenses.

The Act impacts a number of professions, including but not limited to physicians, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, and pharmacists. Under the new law, licensing boards are prohibited from rejecting an individual’s application for initial licensure for any of the following reasons:

-Solely or in part on a conviction of, judicial finding of guilt of, or plea of guilty to an offense;

-A criminal charge that does not result in a conviction, judicial finding of guilt, or plea of guilty;

-A nonspecific qualification, such as “moral turpitude” or lack of “moral character”;

-A disqualifying offense included on the authority’s list of specific offenses the authority must adopt under the Act, if consideration of that offense occurs after the time periods allowed under the Act.

The Act does not apply to license renewals. However, convictions, guilty pleas, or findings of guilt must be considered under the Act before refusing a license renewal.

Ohio licensing authorities are required to establish a list of “disqualifying offenses” by Oct. 9, 2021. The list of disqualifying offenses must be made publicly available on the licensing authority’s website. Licensing authorities may only include offenses that are directly related to the licensed occupation’s duties and responsibilities. When reviewing an application for licensure, the Act allows licensing authorities to use a preponderance of the evidence standard when weighing factors such as the nature and seriousness of the offense, the time passed since the offense was committed, the relationship of the offense to the individual’s ability to perform job duties, mitigating factors such as rehabilitation and treatment, and public safety concerns.

Disqualified applicants must be notified of the specific grounds for being refused licensure, their rights to an administrative hearing, and the earliest date they can reapply. In any administrative hearing reviewing the licensing authority’s decision, the licensing authority bears the burden of proving the disqualifying offense directly relates to the occupation.

Furthermore, the Act restricts the amount of time an offense may be considered as part of the applicant’s submission.

If you have questions about Ohio’s Fresh Start Act or are seeking professional licensure in your state, please contact Todd Collis at (614) 628-6962 or todd.collis@dinsmore.com.

*Ashley Durner is a summer associate at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, and is not licensed to practice law. Mr. Collis thanks Ms. Durner for her assistance with the preparation of this article.