Tag Archives: license renewal

Extension to Renew Ohio LPN licenses

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Ohio LPN licenses expire on November 1, 2020.  However, the Ohio Coronavirus Omnibus Act, H.B. 197, effective March 27, 2020, authorizes extending Ohio LPN licenses that expire during the declared emergency.

Ohio LPN licenses will remain valid until the earlier of either 90-days after the date the emergency ends or December 1, 2020, unless revoked, suspended, or otherwise subject to discipline or limitations.

The Ohio LPN license renewal window is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2020 and the Ohio Board of Nursing encourages Ohio LPNs to renew their licenses between July 1 and October 31, 2020.  However, if the declared emergency continues, Ohio LPN licenses that are not renewed will not expire/lapse until the expiration date established in accordance with HB 197.

If the period to renew Ohio LPN licenses is extended, the Ohio Board of Nursing will notify LPNs through the website, social media, and email. To receive information from the Ohio Board of Nursing, it is strongly recommended that you ensure that the Ohio Board of Nursing has your most up to date contact information, including your email address.

Renewal is to be completed online using the Ohio eLicense system, a comprehensive professional regulatory license system used by a variety of state licensing boards, the same system used during the last renewal period.

Please note that incomplete applications will not be accepted by the online system.

Additional Documents May Be Required:

If you respond Yes to any of the questions on the renewal application, you may be asked to provide documentation of citizenship, court documents or other information that may be required as part of your renewal application  Be prepared to upload the documents electronically through the online system. The Ohio Board of Nursing will not accept hard copies of supporting documentation.

For information about the LPN renewal process, see:
LPN Renewal 2020 and Ohio Board of Nursing

If you have any questions on how to respond to questions on the renewal application, need to disclose a conviction or other conduct on your application or need assistance to complete the renewal application, you should consider hiring experienced counsel to assist. As always, if you have any questions about this post or about the Ohio Board of Nursing in general, please feel free to contact Beth Collis or Todd Collis.

2019 RN APRN License Renewal

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The renewal window for registered nurse (“RN”) and advanced practice registered nurse (“APRN”) licenses issued by the Ohio Board of Nursing (“Board”) begins Monday, July 1, 2019, and ends on Thursday, October 31, 2019.  Renewal is completed online using the Ohio eLicense system.

Prepare for Renewal Now

  • Update your email address. Beginning in mid-June, the Board will send renewal notifications to your email address on record with the Board.  You will not receive a renewal notice by U.S. mail.  To update your email address, call the Ohio eLicense Service Center at (855) 405-5514.
  • Use an appropriate web browser. The Ohio eLicense website works best if you use Google Chrome as your web browser.  You can also use Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer (Version 11).
  • Expired or forgotten passwords. If you have not used the Ohio eLicense system in the past 12 months, your password has expired.  If your password has expired or you have forgotten your password, visit the Ohio eLicense system website and click the “Forgot Password?” link to reset your password.
  • Additional information may be required. The renewal application includes, but is not limited to, questions concerning criminal, licensure, mental health matters, 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.

The Renewal Process

  • Renewal Fees. The renewal fee for RNs is $65.00 and the renewal fee for APRNs is $135.00.
  • Must pay by credit or debit. Renewal fees must be paid online at the time of renewal using either a Master Card, VISA, or Discover credit or debit card.
  • Continuing education (“CE”). You must complete your CE requirements by October 31, 2019 to maintain licensure.  You do not have to provide documentation of completed CE, but you do have to attest that you have complied with the CE requirements required by the Board.
  • Renew as soon as possible. Incomplete applications or failure to pay renewal fee will cause your application to be rejected by the Board.  Waiting until a deadline and realizing you do not have all of the information needed to complete the application may prevent you from renewing timely.
  • Late fees. If you do not complete your application and pay the appropriate renewal fee by September 15, 2019, you must pay a late fee.  For those licensees filing late, the total cost for RNs is $115.00 ($65.00 renewal fee plus $50.00 late fee) and the total cost for APRNs is $135.00 ($135.00 renewal fee plus $50.00 late fee).

If you do not file a complete renewal application and/or pay the required fee by October 31, 2019, your license will lapse.  A registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse 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.

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.

As always, if you have questions about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing, contact Beth Collis (Beth.Collis@dinsmore.com) at (614) 628-6945 or Todd Collis (Todd.Collis@dinsmore.com) at (614) 628-6962.

REMINDER – Ohio Licensed Practical Nurses: Renew Your Nursing License Now

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Reminder to all LPNs: Renewal of Ohio licensed practical nurse (“LPN”) licenses began on July 1, 2018 and ends on October 31, 2018.  At this time, you have less than a week left to renew your license.

It is a disciplinable offense to engage in the practice of nursing having failed to renew a nursing license.  An Ohio LPN license which is not renewed will lapse on November 1, 2018.  An Ohio LPN whose nursing license has lapsed is not authorized to work as a nurse until their nursing license is reinstated by the Ohio Board of Nursing.

The renewal fee is $65.00, plus a $3.50 transaction fee.  A late processing fee goes into effect on September 16, 2018.  An Ohio LPN who renews their nursing license on or after September 16, 2018 must pay an additional $50.00.  Fees must be paid online at the time of renewal with a credit or debit card (Master Card, VISA or Discover), or pre-paid card.  The renewal application will not be processed until all required fees are submitted.  All fees are non-refundable.

The renewal application includes, but is not limited to, questions concerning criminal, licensure, mental health matters, 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 is also required.

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

If you do not understand a question in your LPN 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 LPN renewal application, speaking with an Ohio Board of Nursing investigator, or signing a Consent Agreement. Feel free to contact on of the attorneys at Collis Law Group LLC at (614) 486-3909 if you would like to schedule an appointment for a consultation for assistance to complete the renewal application.

For additional renewal application information from the Ohio Board of Nursing, see: http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/PDFS/Licensure/Renewal/Renewal_Momentum.pdf

As always, if you have questions about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing, contact one of the attorneys at Collis Law Group LLC at (614) 486-3909.

Disclosures to the Ohio Board of Nursing

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There are certain matters which must be disclosed to the Ohio Board of Nursing (“Board”) by a nurse license applicant or a nurse who is renewing their license.
The Board’s nurse license application and renewal application includes, but is not limited to, questions concerning felonies, certain misdemeanors, incompetency, professional licensure actions or investigations, mental illness, and substance abuse.
If the reply to any of the questions in the nurse license or renewal application is “yes”, then a disclosure is required. The applicant or nurse in renewal must mark “yes” to any applicable question and provide the Board a written statement of the circumstances underlying the “yes” reply and, for Court matters, Certified copies of certain court documents.
The Board is authorized to take disciplinary action against an applicant or licensee for any of the matters in Ohio Revised Code Section 4723.28. The sanction, if any, the Nursing Board imposes will depend on the individual facts and circumstances of the disclosed matter. Whether the applicant or nurse has other convictions, the acts underlying the offense, how long ago the offense occurred, and whether restitution or probationary terms were completed are typically also evaluated by the Board.

 
Except for certain limited instances, self-reporting criminal convictions prior to renewal is not required. However, criminal convictions are reported by the Court to the Board and it is recommended that a nurse consult with legal counsel to determine if it is in the nurse’s interest to self-report a conviction prior to renewal.
It is recommended to consult with legal counsel familiar with Board matters to determine if disclosure of a particular matter is required in an initial or renewal application and, if so, what information is required or recommended to be provided to the Board.
As always, if you have a question about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing in general, please feel free to contact one of the attorneys at the Collis Law Group LLC at 614-486-3909 or email me at beth@collislaw.com.

TYPICALLY, A CONSENT AGREEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN SIGNED BY A NURSE AND THE OHIO BOARD OF NURSING IS FINAL AND GENERALLY WILL NOT BE MODIFIED

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In our private practice of representing nurses before the Ohio Board of Nursing, we are often contacted by nurses who have entered into a Consent Agreement with the Nursing Board and who want to change the terms after the Consent Agreement has already been approved by the nurse and the Nursing Board.  Typically, however, a Consent Agreement which has been approved by the nurse and the Nursing Board is final and will not be renegotiated.

A Consent Agreement is a legally binding contract that a nurse may enter into with the Nursing Board to resolve a pending disciplinary matter.  For example, in some instances, a nurse will agree in the Consent Agreement to allow their license to be placed on suspension or on probation, and to be subject to various conditions, such as random drug screens or completion of CEUs in addition to CEUs required for license renewal.  The time to propose and negotiate changes to the Consent Agreement is before the Consent Agreement has been signed by the nurse and the Nursing Board.

While certain provisions in the Consent Agreement are considered by the Nursing Board to be non-negotiable, there are certain sections of the Consent Agreement which may be negotiated.  For example, information pertaining to completed treatment for impairment or other relevant evidence in support of the nurse’s defense may be negotiated to be included in the Consent Agreement.  Additionally, there are certain instances where the Board will negotiate the duration of a suspension or probation based on the evidence in the matter.

We are also contacted by nurses who have violated their Consent Agreement and want to attempt to negotiate more favorable or different terms with the Nursing Board.  Although there is a “standard” provision in most Consent Agreements permitting modification of the Consent Agreement upon the written agreement of the nurse and the Board, it is our general experience that the Nursing Board does not re-negotiate Consent Agreements.  For example, if a nurse is required to pay a $500 fine within 6 months of the Consent Agreement taking effect and the nurse fails to do so, it is our general experience that the Nursing Board will not agree to modify the terms of the Consent Agreement to require the nurse to pay a $250 fine instead. Similarly, if a nurse is required to submit to random drug screens for 1 year and tests positive for drugs – even on 1 screen – the Board will not modify the Consent Agreement to eliminate the random drug screening requirement.

Additionally, failure of a nurse to comply with the terms of the Consent Agreement generally results in the Nursing Board suspending the nurse’s license based on a violation of the Consent Agreement.  If the Board suspends the nurse’s license based on the nurse’s failure to comply with the terms of the Consent Agreement, the earliest the nurse could have their license reinstated would be at the Board meeting subsequent to the suspension, and, in certain instances, it can take longer.  In this regard, please note that the Nursing Board meets every other month.

Prior to entering into a Consent Agreement with the Nursing Board, it is important that you fully understand and agree to all terms and conditions of the Consent Agreement.  After the Consent Agreement is signed by the nurse and by the Nursing Board, the Consent Agreement is a legally binding contract between the nurse and the Nursing Board which is, generally, considered by the Nursing Board to be final and not subject to modification.

As always, if you have any questions about this post or about the Ohio Board of Nursing in general, please feel free to contact one of the attorneys at the Collis Law Group LLC at 614-486-3909 or email me at beth@collislaw.com.

 

Ohio Board of Nursing – Mandatory Disqualifying Offenses

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Prior to going through the time, effort and expense of attending nursing school you should know if you are eligible to be licensed as a nurse if you have convicted of a crime.

Under Ohio Revised Code (“ORC”) Section 4723.092, there are certain offenses, for which individuals are ineligible for licensure.  ORC Section 4723.092 provides:

“An individual is ineligible for licensure under section 4723.09 of the Revised Code or issuance of a certificate under section 4723.651, 4723.75, 4723.76, or 4723.85 of the Revised Code if a criminal records check conducted in accordance with section 4723.091 of the Revised Code indicates that the individual has been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or had a judicial finding of guilt for either of the following:

(A) Violating section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.11, 2905.01, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2909.02, 2911.01, or 2911.11 of the Revised Code;

(B) Violating a law of another state, the United States, or another country that is substantially similar to a law described in division (A) of this section.”

Licensure under ORC Section 4723.09 applies to licensure by examination to practice as a registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse, or (ii) by endorsement to practice nursing as a registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse.  The certificate referred to in ORC Section 4723.651 is a medication aide certificate.  The certificate referred to in ORC Section 4723.75 is a certificate to practice as a dialysis technician.  The certificate referred to in ORC Section 4723.76 is a certificate to practice as a dialysis technician intern.  The certificate referred to in ORC Section 4723.85 is a community health worker certificate.

An individual who has been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or has a judicial finding of guilt for violation of any of the following offenses, or for violating a law of another state, the United States, or another country that is substantially similar to any of the following offences, is ineligible for licensure by examination or by endorsement to practice nursing as a registered nurse or as a licensed practical nurse in Ohio, or for a medication aide certificate, a dialysis technician certificate, a dialysis technician intern certificate, or a community health worker certificate in Ohio:

ORC Sections:

2903.01 – Aggravated Murder

2903.02 – Murder

2903.03 – Voluntary Manslaughter

2903.11 – Felonious Assault

2905.01 – Kidnapping

2907.02 – Rape

2907.03 – Sexual Battery

2907.05 – Gross Sexual Imposition

2909.02 – Aggravated Arson

2911.01 – Aggravated Robbery

2911.11 – Aggravated Burglary

If you have been convicted of a crime that is Not on this list, you will still be required to disclose the conviction on  your application for licensure. The Nursing Board will review each application on a case by case basis and determine if you will be granted a license.

Even if you have been convicted of a crime NOT listed above, the Nursing Board may choose to deny you an Ohio nursing license or may issue you a license on probation or require you to submit to a period of random drug testing when first licensed. Unfortunately, the Nursing Board will not determine if your license will be denied or limited until you complete nursing school and submit an application. So, if you have a conviction on your record, you should carefully consider whether you want to attend nursing school.

As always, if you have any questions about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing, contact one of the attorneys at the Collis Law Group LLC at 614-486-3909 or go to our website at http://www.collislaw.com for more information.

Ohio RNs, if you waited to renew your license at the last minute it may have expired!

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If you are a Registered nurse in Ohio, you were required to renew your nursing license by August 31, 2015. This year, all renewals are required to be filed online. This caused many problems for nurses who could not access the Board’s online renewal system, did not have their access code and password,  or who responded “Yes” to any of the renewal questions.

Nurses who responded “Yes” to any of the renewal questions were not renewed by the Board, but were requested to supplement their renewal with a written explanation and documents to support the affirmative response. Until the nurse submitted the supplemental information to the Nursing Board, their renewal was considered “incomplete” and their license was not renewed.

On September 1, 2015, if your nursing license was not renewed, it expired. You May NOT work as a nurse until your nursing license has been renewed!

As you can imagine, in the days leading up to the August 31 expiration date, the Nursing Board was swamped with nurses attempting to renew their licenses. Given the volume, many licenses were not renewed. This is the message that was issued by the Nursing Board:

From the OBN website:

ALERT: eLicense Renewal System, August 31, 2015

Due to an Ohio eLicense systems issue, some registered nurses who submitted renewal information on or about August 31, 2015, have not been processed. If a license credential indicates “ACTIVE IN RENEWAL – INCOMPLETE”, the license renewal application should be processed by 5:00 pm on September 2, 2015. If you have questions about a license in this status after August 31, please email: incompleterenewal2@nursing.ohio.gov. The State IT group is working diligently to resolve this system issue. We regret the difficulties you are experiencing.

In the future, we highly encourage nurses to complete their renewals in June or July and not wait until the week their license is set to expire.

As always, if you have any questions about this post or the Ohio Board of Nursing in general, please contact one of the attorneys at the Collis Law Group at 614-486-3909 or email me at Beth@collislaw.com.