(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.
Last updated July 5, 2023 at 2:59 PM