Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners TBOTE Rules

Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners TBOTE Rules, Regulations, and Resources

Introduction The information in this document is based on the OT Rules and OT Practice Act as of September 1, 2017, and this is just a brief, general introduction. For additional rules and regulations and for the OT Rules and OT Practice Act text, refer to the most current version of the OT Rules and OT Practice Act by visiting http: //www. ptot. texas. gov/page/ot-acts-and-rules. Please note that applicants for a Texas OT or OTA license are responsible for knowing and complying with the applicable provisions in the OT Rules and OT Practice Act. Licensees are responsible for knowing and complying with the OT Rules and OT Practice Act. In this presentation, the OT Rules and OT Practice Act may be referred to as “Rules” and “Act. ”

Objectives • Discuss topics regarding Board rules and regulations in the Act and Rules • Review the licensure application and renewal process and general Board information • Highlight forms and other resources accessible from the website • Address recent updates such as those related to the Sunset Review of the Board

Presentation Overview • I. General Board Information • II. Initial Licensure Process Overview • III. General Information for Licensees • IV. Board Updates • V. TBOTE Contact Information

I. General Board Information

What is TBOTE? • TBOTE: Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners ▫ This is the board that regulates the practice of occupational therapy in Texas and licenses OTs and OTAs. • Mission: To protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of Texas through the regulation and enforcement of the practice of occupational therapy. • Brief History: ▫ The Texas Advisory Board (TABOT) was established in 1983 by the Legislature to license and regulate occupational therapy practice in Texas. In 1993, the Legislature merged the administration functions of TABOT and the PT Board into a new agency, the Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners (ECPTOTE). At that time, TABOT was changed from an advisory board to an examining board and became TBOTE.

What is ECPTOTE? • ECPTOTE: Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners ▫ An independent administrative governmental agency that directly supports or carries out the functions of one or both of the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners and the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners. ▫ Such functions include the staffing of the agency, processing applications for initial licensure and license renewal, investigating complaints regarding OT or PT practice, etc. • Mission: To protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Texas through the regulation and enforcement of the practice of physical therapy and of occupational therapy • Executive Council Members: ▫ One public member who serves as a presiding officer ▫ One public member and one professional member from each of the boards

The Board (TBOTE) • The Governor appoints the Board members, who are individuals from areas throughout Texas. ▫ Questions regarding applying to serve as a Board member should be directed to the Office of the Governor. • The Board has 4 OTs, 2 OTAs, and 3 public members. ▫ Officer positions include a board chair, vice chair, and secretary. • Members receive training including in ethics, open records, open meetings, serving as a member of a board, and training focused on TBOTE and ECPTOTE, specifically. • The Board has three committees: ▫ Education Committee ▫ Investigation Committee ▫ Rules Committee

TBOTE Board Jennifer B. Clark, COTA - Iola Amanda Jean Ellis, Public Member - Austin William N. Hale, Public member - Austin Sally Harris King, COTA - Houston De. Lana Honaker, OTR, Ph. D, Secretary - Amarillo Stephanie Johnston, OTR, Chair - Magnolia Pamela D. Nelon, Public member - Fort Worth Todd Novosad, OTR, Vice-Chair - Bee Cave

Board Meeting Information • The Board holds 3 -4 board meetings per year. Education and Rules Committee meetings may be scheduled in conjunction with Board meetings; Investigation Committee meetings are usually scheduled some time in advance of Board meetings. ▫ Executive Council meetings are generally held soon after the OT Board and PT Board have met. • TBOTE meetings are held in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. • Meeting times and agendas are posted on the Secretary of State’s website, http: //www. sos. state. tx. us/.

NBCOT and Professional Associations • NBCOT: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy ▫ This is the organization that owns the national exam, certifies individuals as OTRs and COTAs, etc. ▫ Recertifying with NBCOT is NOT THE SAME as renewing the OT or OTA license issued by TBOTE. • Professional Associations: ▫ These may offer CE, arrange conferences in occupational therapy, etc. ▫ Examples (in alphabetical order): �AOTA: American Occupational Therapy Association �NBCOT �TOTA: Texas Occupational Therapy Association

Licensure vs. Certification • NBCOT certifies you; TBOTE licenses you. • You must have a current license issued by TBOTE in order to practice or represent yourself as an OT or OTA in Texas.

OT Act and Rules

The Practice Act • The Practice Act refers to TBOTE’s occupational therapy regulatory and enforcement laws, enacted by the Texas Legislature. • The Act contains TBOTE’s enabling statute. • The Legislature may make changes to the Act. • The Sunset Review Process addresses potential changes to the Act.

OT Rules • The OT Rules are the Board Rules passed by TBOTE in order to carry out its duties in administering the Act, as authorized by TBOTE’s enabling statute.

Rule Changes • At a Board meeting, the Board may propose rule amendments, which must be approved by the Executive Council prior to being published. • If approved, the proposed amendments and their preambles are published in the Texas Register (available through the Secretary of State’s website). Public comment must be submitted no later than 30 days from the date that proposals are published in the Texas Register. • At the next Board meeting, the Board may adopt the proposed amendments, which then may go into effect after a minimum of 20 days after the adoptions are filed with the Secretary of State. • Check the website, www. ptot. texas. gov, often for proposed or adopted rules. This information may also be found on the Secretary of State’s website, http: //www. sos. state. tx. us/.

Act and Rules • If I have questions related to practice, do I check the Act or Rules?

Act and Rules

Fees • Who sets fees? • How are fees used? Excerpted from the November 2012 TBOTE Newsletter: ▫ The Council is required by Texas law to cover agency expenses through licensing fees, but the money we collect is not ours to spend. With few exceptions, all funds collected by the Executive Council (for example, application and renewal fees, fines, etc. ) are deposited directly into the state’s General Revenue Fund. That’s the largest state account into which almost all state revenues flow, and which is used to run state government and pay for all state services. ▫ The bottom line: Legislators are faced with competing public needs and scarce resources, especially in recent times. We cannot keep your fees for our own use in running the agency or serving licensees, but must instead live within the budget given us by the Legislature.

II. Initial Licensure Process Overview

Two Paths to Initial Licensure: License by Examination or Licensure By Endorsement • Licensure Method: All applicants must apply by either examination or endorsement. In addition, all applicants must also meet the requirements in § 364. 1, Requirements for Licensure, of the OT Rules.

Initial Licensure: Application • You may apply online or by a paper application. • Go to www. ptot. texas. gov and from the Texas Board of OT Examiners drop-down menu, select the OT Application page. • To be eligible for licensure, you must have graduated from an ACOTE accredited entry-level OT or OTA program and have completed the required fieldwork experience.

OT and OTA Application Page

Online Application: Select OT or OTA

Initial Licensure: General Requirements Complete application Application fee ($100/OTA or $140/OT) 2 x 2 inch headshot in color (passport-type photo) Passing Score on the online Jurisprudence Exam Passing score report for the NBCOT certification exam, sent directly to the Board by NBCOT • Verification of License(s) for applicants with a history of occupational therapy licensure • • • An application will expire in one year, after which time, you must submit the re-application fee to maintain the application and may have to resubmit certain required items.

Online Applicant Checklist

Military Service Members, Military Veterans, and Military Spouses • Certain services including initial application fee waivers and expedited services are available for military service members, military veterans, and military spouses. See the website and § 364. 1 of the OT Rules for further information.

What if I have a criminal history? • Criminal History Evaluation Letter ▫ Prior to applying for licensure, an individual may request that the Board review the person’s criminal history to determine if the person is eligible for licensure based solely on the person’s criminal background up to that point in time. ▫ An individual may always apply for licensure, regardless of the Board’s decision provided in the criminal history evaluation letter. ▫ This can reduce the application processing time if the evaluation is requested well before applying. If applying now or within a short period of time, the review will be conducted as part of the regular application process.

License Issuance • Once ALL items have been received and requirements satisfied, the license will be issued. Each license must be approved before it is mailed and listed on the Board’s license verification web page. • A new licensee with a regular or temporary license may provide occupational therapy services according to the terms of the license upon online verification of current licensure and license expiration date from the Board's license verification web page. ▫ To verify a license or facility registration, visit this link: http: //www. ptot. texas. gov/page/look-up-a-license. • The original license must be prominently displayed in your principal place of employment. ▫ Photocopies may be made for institutional filing purposes only.

License Issuance • The first regular license is valid from the date of issuance until the last day of the licensee’s birth month, with a duration of at least two years. Each subsequent renewal period will be for two years. ▫ If Anja’s birthday is in October and her license is issued May 1, 2017, the first renewal period will be from May 1, 2017 through October 31, 2019. ▫ Her next renewal period would be from November 1, 2019 through October 31, 2021.

III. General Information for Licensees

Licensee Information • Update your employer information with TBOTE and make sure to notify TBOTE of any name, contact info. , or employer or supervisor change within 30 days. ▫ The Board has implemented a mass emailing program. Be sure to keep your email address and other information up-to-date. Add info@ptot. texas. gov and email. OT@ptot. texas. gov to your safe list of senders and check your junk and spam folders for emails. • OTA licenses are mailed with an OTA Supervision Form and OTA Supervision Log. • At any time, you may go to the website to print a statement of licensure or wallet card. • Many of the Forms you will need for the Board may be found on the OT Forms page, in addition to further information from the Texas Board of OT Examiners drop-down menu on the website.

Use of Titles for Licensees • OTs ▫ You may use OT or occupational therapist after your name. ▫ If you are also maintaining NBCOT certification, you may use OTR. • OTAs ▫ You may use OTA or occupational therapy assistant after your name. ▫ If you are also maintaining NBCOT certification, you may use COTA. • No other titles are conferred by the Board. ▫ For example, OTR/L and COTA/L are not titles that may be used by licensees in Texas. • TBOTE does not require that you maintain NBCOT certification.

OT Rules and OT Practice Act • As licensee, you must abide at all times by the OT Rules and OT Practice Act, accessible from the OT Act and Rules page. ▫ The Code of Ethics is in the OT Rules. • Check the website frequently for proposed rule changes or adopted rules. • A newsletter is published quarterly on the website that addresses recent rule changes, in addition to further topics. • Check the OT Rules, OT Practice Act, and FAQ section for information regarding practice, renewal, etc.

Check for Updates on the Home Page, Act and Rules Page, etc.

Places of Employment • All licensees who practice in an occupational therapy facility can do so only if that facility is registered or exempt. • See the OT Rules, Chapter 376, and the Facilities section of the website regarding the types of facilities that must register and those that are exempt. ▫ The following link offers further resources: http: //www. ptot. texas. gov/page/who-must-register

Verify a License/Facility Registration or Print a Statement of Licensure/Registration or Wallet Card

OTA Supervision • All OTs who delegate to an OTA must participate in her/his supervision, whether on a shared or rotational basis. • The number of required supervision hours is based on the number of hours the OTA works during a given month. • Supervision requirements include: �Frequent communication �Interactive supervision

OTA Supervision Form • The OTA must submit to the Board a supervision log with the name of one supervisor for each employer.

OTA Supervision Log • The OTA must keep a supervision log for each employer. All of the OTs who delegate to the OTA will be represented on the log. ▫ The log must be retained by the OTA, although it is subject to audit by the Board.

Name of OT in Intervention Note • The OTA must include the name of the supervising OT in each client’s intervention note. • This may not necessarily be the OT who wrote the plan of care, but an OT who is readily available to answer questions about the client’s intervention. • If the OTA has no OT’s name to write in her/his notes or available to call at the time of the provision of services, the OTA cannot provide occupational therapy services. This provision is not applicable to services provided pursuant to § 372. 2, General Purpose Occupation-Based Instruction.

Renewal • In order to maintain current licensure, the license must be renewed every 2 years prior to the license’s expiration date. • You will receive a mailed reminder postcard approximately 1 month prior to the license’s expiration. • In addition, you will receive an email renewal reminder approximately 2 and 3 months prior to the expiration. • The licensee is responsible for ensuring that the license is renewed, whether receiving a renewal notice or not.

Renewal • Renew early. • Do not wait until the last minute. ▫ You must enter information on TBOTE’s website and pay on a separate website. Issues can arise or you may have a renewal hold. ▫ Those with child support or student loan issues may only renew once TBOTE has been notified directly by the agencies involved that the issues have been resolved. • Those renewing late or on retired or inactive status must renew by paper application. • Make sure that TBOTE has your SSN; if it does not, be sure to send an updated SSN statement in a timely manner so your name may be added to the list of licensees who may renew online.

Renewal Requirements • Renewal application (online or by paper) • Renewal fee • Physical home address, any work address, other mailing address, email address, and address of record • Passing score on the online Jurisprudence Exam • Completed CE Submission form stating that you have met the CE requirements • Any other required forms or items

Renewal • You may renew online or by a paper application up to approximately three months prior to the license’s expiration date. ▫ Links appear on the License Renewal page. • Your complete application and all required items must be time stamped/received prior to the expiration. If it is received after, it is late. • Late renewals incur late fees. • It is a violation to practice with an expired license.

Renewal Process • To renew online, login to the Board’s website to complete the CE submission form and take and pass the JP exam. You will then receive a key code to login to a separate website, Texas Online, to submit payment. ▫ Print a copy of your CE submission form. You will not be able to access it after you move to the next screen. • To renew by paper, submit a paper application with the CE submission form and fee. You will need to take the JP exam online and the passing score will be automatically reported to the Board. • Do not submit copies of the documentation for your CE if renewing on time.

Confirming your Renewal • To confirm your renewal, you must go to the Board’s verification page and check that your expiration date has been updated. ▫ You may only provide services if the verification page shows your license is current. Remember to renew early as there are renewal processing times. The verification page must also be updated to reflect your renewal and new expiration date; this process is not instantaneous and takes one or more business days. ▫ The Board does not mail a renewal license.

License Restoration • A license that has been expired one year or more may not be renewed; it may only be restored. • Restoration requirements vary depending upon the length of time the license has been expired and whether the individual holds a current license in another state. • Refer to § 370. 3, Restoration of a Texas License.

Inactive Status • Inactive status indicates the voluntary termination of the right to practice occupational therapy by a licensee in good standing with the Board. • The Board may allow an individual who is not actively engaged in the practice of occupational therapy to put an active license on inactive status at the time of renewal. • A licensee may remain on inactive status for no more than three renewals or six consecutive years and may not represent himself or herself as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. • A licensee on inactive status may request to return to active status at any time. • A licensee on inactive status must meet the same CE requirements as an individual with an active license and include this information on the paper renewal application, due by the end of each renewal period. • Refer to § 371. 1, Inactive Status.

Retired Status • The Retired Status is available for an occupational therapy practitioner whose only practice is the provision of voluntary charity care without monetary compensation. ▫ "voluntary charity care" means occupational therapy services provided as a volunteer with no compensation, for a charitable organization as defined in § 84. 003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. This includes any bona fide charitable, religious, prevention of cruelty to children or animals, youth sports and youth recreational, neighborhood crime prevention or patrol, or educational organization (excluding fraternities, sororities, and secret societies), or other organization organized and operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare by being primarily engaged in promoting the common good and general welfare of the people in the community, including these type of organizations with a Section 501(c)(3) or (4) exemption from federal income tax, some Chambers of commerce, and volunteer centers certified by the Department of Public Safety. • Requirements for return to active status. A licensee who has been on retired status less than one year must submit the regular license renewal fee and the late fee as described in § 370. 1, License Renewal. A licensee who has been on retired status for one year or more must follow the procedures for § 370. 3, Restoration of Texas License. • An individual on retired status must complete 6 hours of CE each renewal period. • The occupational therapy practitioner may continue to renew the retired status license indefinitely. • Refer to § 371. 2, Retired Status.

Military Service Members, Military Veterans, and Military Spouses • Certain services including late fee waivers, CE extensions, and expedited services are available for military service members, military veterans, and/or military spouses. See the website and Chapter 370 of the OT Rules for further information.

Continuing Education/CE • All licensees must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every two years during the period of time the license is current in order to renew the license and must provide this information as requested. • All CE must meet the definition of Continuing Education (see below) and further requirements in Chapter 367 of the OT Rules. • Definition of Continuing Education; also known as CE. Continuing Education – Professional development activities that meet the requirements in this chapter and directly concern one or more of the following: (A) occupational therapy practice as defined in § 362. 1 of this title (relating to Definitions), (B) health conditions treated by occupational therapy, (C) ethical or regulatory matters in occupational therapy, or (D) occupational therapy documentation or reimbursement for occupational therapy services. • Licensees are responsible for choosing CE activities that meet the requirements in Chapter 367. ▫ The Board does not require that licensees take approved or pre-approved courses. Licensees are responsible for choosing CE that meets requirements as per Chapter 367, regardless of the activity's provider or pre-approved status. ▫ Licensees can choose courses from anywhere in the world and such will be eligible as long as they meet requirements as per Chapter 367. • See the Board’s Continuing Education page for further resources such as sample course titles, sample certificate of completion, decision tree, and information regarding unacceptable activities.

Examples of Acceptable Activities Note: These are representative topics. Licensees are not limited to completing CE on the sample topics listed below. Please note that though topic titles may be general, the content, etc. for such courses would need to meet requirements in Chapter 367. • • • Stroke and Vascular Disorders OT Intervention for Individuals Recovering from a Stroke Managing Adult Hemiplegia Anatomy and Physiology of the Hand Training in Physical Agent Modalities for Hand Patients Evaluation of and Treatment Strategies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Ethics for Occupational Therapists Regulatory Issues in Occupational Therapy Billing for Occupational Therapy Services

CE Categories include: Formal academic courses Excerpt from § 367. 2: (1) Formal academic courses from an occupational therapy program. (A) Completion of course work at or through an accredited college or university shall be counted as follows: three CE hours for each credit hour of a course with a grade of A, B, C, and/or P (Pass). Thus a three-credit course counts for 9 contact hours of continuing education, no maximum. Documentation of this type of CE credit shall include a transcript from the accredited college or university. (B) Creation of a new course or courses at or through an accredited college or university may be counted for 10 hours maximum. Proof of this type of CE shall be a letter from the Program Director.

CE Categories include: In-services, workshops, etc. Excerpt from § 367. 2: (2) In-service educational programs, training programs, institutes, seminars, workshops, facility based courses, and conferences with specified learning objectives. Hour for hour credit on program content only, no maximum. Documentation of this type of CE credit shall include a certificate of completion or letter of verification.

CE Categories include: Home study courses, educational teleconferences, Internet-based courses, and video instruction Excerpt from § 367. 2: (4) Home study courses, educational teleconferences, Internet-based courses, and video instruction, no maximum. (A) These courses must have: (i) Specified learning objectives; (ii) A post-test; and (iii) A certificate of completion. (B) Educational teleconferences or Internet courses must reflect a pre-determined number of contact hours.

CE Categories include: Presentations Excerpt from § 367. 2: (5) Presentations by licensee: Documentation of this type of CE credit shall include a letter of verification of presentation and number of hours for the presentation or copy of organization's brochure or conference guide noting the presentation, presenter(s), type of presentation (i. e. : 2 hour poster, 3 hour workshop). (A) Professional presentation, e. g. in-services, workshops, institutes: Any presentation counted only one time. Hour for hour credit. 10 hours maximum. (B) Community/Service organization presentation: Any presentation counted once. Hour for hour credit. 10 hours maximum.

CE Categories include: Fieldwork Supervision Excerpt from § 367. 2: (6) Fieldwork Supervision: 10 hours maximum. (A) A licensee may earn 2 contact hours for each Level 1 student supervised: (i) 40 hours of Level 1 equals 1 hour of CE; or (ii) 80 hours of Level 1 equals 2 hours of CE. (B) A licensee may earn 8 contact hours for each Level 2 student supervised: (i) 8 weeks equals 6 hours of CE; or (ii) 12 weeks equals 8 hours of CE. (C) A licensee may earn a maximum of 10 contact hours for fieldwork supervision per renewal period. (D) Fieldwork supervision hours may be evenly divided between licensees, not to exceed two fieldwork educators per student. (E) Fieldwork supervision must be completed before the licensee's renewal date. (F) Documentation of this type of CE credit shall include verification provided by the school to the fieldwork educator(s) with the name of the student, level of fieldwork, school, and dates or hours of fieldwork or the signature page of the completed evaluation form. Evaluation scores and comments should be deleted or blocked out.

CE Categories include: Mentorship Excerpt from § 367. 2: (7) Mentorship: (A) Participation as a mentor or mentee for the purpose of the development of occupational therapy skills by a mentee under the guidance of a mentor skilled in a particular occupational therapy area. Both the mentor and mentee must hold a regular OT or OTA license in a state or territory of the U. S. Supervision hours as per § 373. 3 of this title (relating to Supervision of an Occupational Therapy Assistant) are not eligible for continuing education hours. (B) Documentation shall include a signed mentorship agreement between a mentor and mentee that outlines specific goals and objectives and designates the plan of activities that are to be met by the mentee; the names of both mentor and mentee and their license numbers and issuing states; an activity log that corresponds to the mentorship agreement and lists dates and hours spent on each objectivebased activity; a final evaluation of the outcomes of the mentorship agreement completed by the mentor; and a final evaluation of the outcomes of the mentorship agreement completed by the mentee. (C) Participation as a Mentee: A licensee may earn one hour of CE for each 3 hours spent in activities as a mentee directly related to the achievement of goals and objectives up to a maximum of 15 CE hours. (D) Participation as Mentor: A licensee may earn one hour of CE for each 5 hours spent in activities as a mentor up to a maximum of 10 CE hours.

CE Categories Include: NBCOT Navigator Activities Excerpt from § 367. 2: (9) NBCOT Navigator™ Activities: Licensees may earn up to 2 contact hours of CE for the completion of NBCOT Navigator activities. For such activities, 1 NBCOT CAU is the equivalent of. 25 CE hours. Documentation of this type of CE is a certificate of completion or letter of verification. Self-reflections and self-assessments, reading list and research portal activities, professional development plans, or similar activities are not eligible for CE credit.

Unacceptable CE • All activities claimed for CE credit regardless of the provider or pre-approved status must meet the requirements in Chapter 367 and may not be an unacceptable activity. • Excerpt from § 367. 1: Unacceptable Activities. Unacceptable professional development activities not eligible for continuing education regardless of the provider or pre-approved status include but are not limited to: (A) Any non-instructional time frames such as breaks, meals, introductions, and pre/post testing. (B) Business meetings. (C) Exhibit hall attendance. (D) Reading journals. (E) Courses that provide information about the work setting’s philosophy, policies, or procedures or designed to educate employees about a specific work setting. (F) Courses in topics concerning professionalism or customer service. (G) Courses such as: massage therapy, management and business administration, social work, defensive driving, water safety, team building, leadership, GRE, GMAT, MCAT preparation, reading techniques, general foreign languages, communicable/infectious diseases, patient abuse, disposal of hazardous waste, patient privacy, CPR, First Aid, HIPAA, FERPA, bloodborne pathogens, or similar courses.

Is the Activity an Unacceptable Activity? Questions to ask when determining if a course is not eligible for CE credit Note: This is just an overview. See Chapter 367 of the OT Rules for further regulations. • 1. Is it unacceptable because it is an activity that many of the employees in a particular practice setting must complete and does not meet requirements in Chapter 367, for example, a course that provides information about the work setting’s philosophy, policies, or procedures or designed to educate employees about a specific work setting? • 2. Is it unacceptable because it is a repetitive activity that is taken at certain intervals and does not meet requirements in Chapter 367, such as courses related to patient abuse, patient privacy, HIPAA, FERPA, bloodborne pathogens, disposal of hazardous waste, etc. ? (For information regarding repeating acceptable CE activities, please see § 367. 1. ) • 3. Is it unacceptable because it does not meet the definition of Continuing Education and further requirements in Chapter 367, such as a course related to management and business administration, communicable/infectious diseases, leadership, team building, general foreign languages, etc. ? • 4. Is it unacceptable because it is a course in topics concerning professionalism or customer service? • 5. Is it unacceptable because it falls under any of the provisions in § 367. 1(a)(2) and/or fails to meet any of the other requirements regarding CE in the OT Rules?

CE Resources • See the Board’s Continuing Education page for further resources such as sample course topics and certificate of completion, a decision tree, and information regarding unacceptable activities.

CE Documentation • Check Chapter 367 regarding documentation requirements for different CE categories. • For in-service educational programs, training programs, institutes, seminars, workshops, facility based courses, and conferences in occupational therapy, the required documentation includes a certificate of completion or letter of verification. • For home study courses, educational teleconferences, Internet-based courses, and video instruction, the required documentation is a certificate of completion.

CE Documentation • Documentation must identify the licensee by name, and must include the date and title of the course, the name and signature of the authorized signer, and the number of contact hours awarded for the course. • When continuing education units (CEUs), professional development units (PDUs), or other units or credits are listed on the documentation, such must be accompanied by documentation from the continuing education provider noting the equivalence of the units or credits in terms of contact hours. This is not needed for AOTA CEUs, but be sure you know what such represent in hours. • Remember that a contact hour is not the same as a learning credit, PDU, CAU, etc. When you renew, you must attest to your CE in contact hours.

Sample Certificate of Completion

CE Retention and Submission • The licensee is solely responsible for keeping accurate documentation of all CE requirements. CE documentation must be maintained for two years from the date of the last renewal. • If you are renewing on time or if you are renewing 90 days or less after the license expired, do not submit copies of your CE documentation. • If you are renewing over 90 days late or are required to submit your CE as part of the CE Audit, for example, then you must submit copies of your documentation.

CE Audit • Each quarter, a group of licensees is randomly selected for the audit. • Audited licensees must submit copies of their CE documentation by the deadline. ▫ Be sure to keep the Board notified of your current mailing address and any other contact information. • Licensees will be notified by the Board at the conclusion of the audit; note that the audit may take some time to conclude.

Home Address and Address of Record • Home Address ▫ You must provide a physical home address when you apply and when you renew. • Address of Record ▫ Select and provide the address that you wish to be the address available to the public. This can be changed at any time.

Address Change • http: //www. ptot. texas. gov/forms/public/change_co ntact_info

IV. Board Updates

Recent OT Rule Changes • CE

Recent OT Rule Changes • Telehealth

Recent OT Rule Changes • Verbal Referrals

Recent OT Rule Changes • General Purpose Occupation-Based Instruction

Sunset Review Information excerpted and adapted from the Sunset site What Is Sunset? • Sunset is the regular assessment of the continuing need for a state agency or program to exist. While standard legislative oversight is concerned with agency compliance with legislative policies, Sunset starts with a more basic question: Do the agency’s functions continue to be needed? Why is it called “Sunset”? • In government, the term “sunset” means that a particular agency, program, policy, or law will expire on a specific date, unless the Legislature passes a bill to continue it. In other words, anything with a “sunset” date will cease to exist after a set period of time unless the legislature takes action.

Information excerpted and adapted from the Sunset FAQ page About 20 to 30 agencies go through the Sunset review process each two-year cycle. An agency typically undergoes a Sunset review once every 12 years, but the Legislature can change an agency’s Sunset date to allow for more or less time between reviews.

Information excerpted and adapted from the Sunset FAQ page Who makes up the Sunset Advisory Commission? • The Sunset Advisory Commission is a 12 -member body, with five senators and one public member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and five members of the House of Representatives and one public member appointed by the Speaker of the House.

Information excerpted and adapted from the Sunset FAQ page What changes can be made through Sunset? • The Sunset Commission can recommend two types of actions: statutory changes to alter the state laws that govern a particular agency; or management changes, which direct the agency to change its rules or internal policies under existing authority. What changes cannot be made through Sunset? • Sunset does not get involved in individual complaints, grievances, or cases. Sunset is not an ombudsman’s office or an avenue for appeals. Rather, Sunset gathers information relating to the types of complaints, grievances, and cases the agency has overall and assesses this information to see whether a larger policy issue that can be addressed through the Sunset review process exists. The Sunset review process is also not the place to request additional funding or staff; this should be done through the appropriations process.

Sunset Review Process • Overview

Law Changes • The law changes to the OT Practice Act made as part of the Sunset Review of the Board may be found in SB 317 from the 85 th Legislative Session (Regular Session). • For further information regarding the Sunset process, the Commission’s hearings, etc. , please refer to the Commission’s website: https: //www. sunset. texas. gov/

Law Changes • Change in language referring to educational requirements for licensure ▫ The Act no longer specifies the specific degree or number of fieldwork hours an individual must have completed in order to be eligible for licensure. ▫ Instead, the Act now refers to entry-level degree requirements.

Law Changes • Section on Licensure by Endorsement • Removal of language referring to additional requirements an individual who is foreign-trained in OT must meet for licensure

Law Changes • The addition of language regarding fingerprint-based criminal history background check for all applicants and licensees ▫ The Board will provide information regarding these checks once the process begins.

Law Changes • Facility changes effective September 1, 2019

V. TBOTE Contact Information • Contact Information: ▫ Website: www. ptot. texas. gov ▫ Email: info@ptot. texas. gov ▫ Phone: (512) 305 -6900 ▫ Address: 333 Guadalupe, Suite 2 -510 Austin, TX 78701 -3942 • Emails sent to info@ptot. texas. gov will be routed to the correct department based on the content of the email.

Questions? Thank you.