(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, every board, as defined in Section 22, within the department shall waive the renewal fees, continuing education requirements, and other renewal requirements as determined by the board, if any are applicable, for any licensee or registrant called to active duty as a member of the United States Armed Forces or the California National Guard if all of the following requirements are met:
(1) The licensee or registrant possessed a current and valid license with the board at the time he or she was called to active duty.
(2) The renewal requirements are waived only for the period during which the licensee or registrant is on active duty service.
(3) Written documentation that substantiates the licensee or registrant’s active duty service is provided to the board.
(b) (1) Except as specified in paragraph (2), the licensee or registrant shall not engage in any activities requiring a license during the period that the waivers provided by this section are in effect.
(2) If the licensee or registrant will provide services for which he or she is licensed while on active duty, the board shall convert the license status to military active and no private practice of any type shall be permitted.
(c) In order to engage in any activities for which he or she is licensed once discharged from active duty, the licensee or registrant shall meet all necessary renewal requirements as determined by the board within six months from the licensee’s or registrant’s date of discharge from active duty service.
(d) After a licensee or registrant receives notice of his or her discharge date, the licensee or registrant shall notify the board of his or her discharge from active duty within 60 days of receiving his or her notice of discharge.
(e) A board may adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this section.
(f) This section shall not apply to any board that has a similar license renewal waiver process statutorily authorized for that board.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 742, Sec. 1. (AB 1588) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018