Ohio Administrative Code|Rule 4725-3-12 | Temporary license for military members and spouses.

                                                
(A)  A military member or whose spouse is
		  ordered to active military duty in this state is eligible for a military
		  license to practice as a licensed optometrist, optician or an ocularist in
		  accordance with Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code.
(B) An application for a military license
		  shall meet the requirements set forth in section 4743.041 of the Revised Code
		  and include the following:
(1) Proof that the
			 applicant is an active duty service member of the uniformed services of the
			 United States or is the spouse;
(2) Proof that the
			 applicant holds a valid, unrestricted license to practice in the professions
			 issued by another jurisdiction of the United States;
(3) Proof that the
			 applicant or spouse is on military duty in Ohio; and
(4) The initial
			 application fee will not be charged to an applicant who qualifies under this
			 rule.
(5) Proof the applicant
			 complied with Chapter 4776. of the Revised Code and has obtained a criminal
			 records check, as prescribed by the board.
(C) A military license shall not be valid
		  for a period longer than six years, and is subject to renewal with proof of
		  continued eligibility during the renewal cycle.
(D) An individual who is ordered into
		  active military duty in Ohio is eligible for a military license.
(E)  Definitions related to military
		  service and veteran status:
(1) "Military
			 duty" has the same meaning as in section 4743.041 of the Revised
			 Code.
(2) "Member"
			 means any person who is serving in the military.
(3) "Veteran"
			 means any person who has completed service in the military and who has been
			 discharged under honorable conditions, or who has been transferred to the
			 reserve with evidence of satisfactory service.
(4) "Active guard
			 and reserve" has the meaning defined in 10 U.S.C. 101.
(5) "Uniformed
			 services" has the meaning defined in 10 U.S.C. 101.
(F) The board shall, within twenty-four
		  hours after receiving the report under division (A) of section 4776.04 of the
		  Revised Code, notify the applicant applying for an expedited license in
		  accordance with this rule that the board has received the results of a criminal
		  records check.
(G) The board shall issue an expedited
		  license to practice as a licensed optometrist, optician, or ocularist under
		  this rule, provided that the applicant meets the requirements of this section,
		  within fourteen days of having received the results of a criminal records
		  check.
(H) The board shall deny an applicant the
		  license or revoke the license under this section if any of the following
		  circumstances occur:
(1) The applicants
			 license issued by another state or jurisdiction expires or is revoked, or the
			 individual is not in good standing.
(2) With respect to an
			 applicant who was eligible for a license under this section as the spouse of an
			 individual on military duty, six months have elapsed since the divorce,
			 dissolution or annulment of the marriage; and
(3) The individual is in
			 violation of section 4725.53 of the Revised Code or rules adopted
			 thereunder.
(I) License renewal
(1) Licensed
			 optometrists, opticians, and ocularists serving in the military shall be
			 exempted from the annual renewal fee provided written documentation is
			 submitted to the board office evidencing that said licensee or the
			 licensee's spouse, is on active duty in the military. Upon receipt of said
			 documentation and submission of the required continuing education hours, the
			 board shall waive the annual fee and renewal shall be issued to the
			 licensee.
(2) Those licensees who
			 had been actively engaged in the military during the annual period and
			 submitted satisfactory evidence to the board of honorable discharge or
			 separation under honorable conditions shall be exempt from the annual renewal
			 fee for that year.
(3) The licensee may
			 submit an application to the board, stating that the licensee requires an
			 extension of the current continuing education reporting period because the
			 licensee has served on active duty during the current or a prior reporting
			 period. The licensee shall submit proper documentation certifying the active
			 duty service and the length of the active duty. 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 license spent
			 on active duty during the current reporting period. For purposes of this rule,
			 any portion of a month served on active duty shall be considered a full
			 month.
(4) The board shall
			 consider relevant education, training, or service completed by a licensee as 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. In accordance with section 5903.03 of
			 the Revised Code, the following military programs of training, military primary
			 specialties, and lengths of service are substantially equivalent to or exceed
			 the education and experience requirements for a license as a:
(a) Dispensing spectacle optician.
(i) Military programs of
				  training.
(ii) Tri-service optician
				  school, (TOPS), a division of the naval ophthalmic support and training
				  activity is substantially equivalent to the education requirements for
				  licensure as a spectacle dispensing optician.
(b) Military primary specialties.
(i) Army: optical
				  laboratory specialist (MOS-6th);
(ii) Navy: optician
				  (HM-8463); and
(iii) Air force:
				  optometry (4V0X1).
(c) Lengths of service.
(5) The applicants will
			 have met the experience requirements for licensure if the applicant has
			 completed the training program listed in paragraph (J)(4)(a) of this rule and
			 has served for a minimum of eighteen months in one of the military specialties
			 listed in paragraph (J)(4)(b) of this rule. 
(J) Prepare a report on the number and type of licenses or
		  registrations issued during the fiscal year under this rule. The report shall
		  be provided to the director of veteran's services not later than thirty
		  days after the end of the fiscal year.


Last updated April 29, 2021 at 8:39 AM