(10) Pursuant to the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, each party is required to provide his or her social security number in accordance with this section. Disclosure of social security numbers obtained through this requirement shall be limited to the purpose of administration of the Title IV-D program for child support enforcement and use by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and as otherwise provided by law. (11) For any profession requiring fingerprints as part of the registration, certification, or licensure process or for any profession requiring a criminal history record check to determine good moral character, the fingerprints of the applicant must accompany all applications for registration, certification, or licensure. The fingerprints shall be forwarded to the Division of Criminal Justice Information Systems within the Department of Law Enforcement for processing to determine whether the applicant has a criminal history record. The fingerprints shall also be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine whether the applicant has a criminal history record. The information obtained by the processing of the fingerprints by the Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall be sent to the department to determine whether the applicant is statutorily qualified for registration, certification, or licensure. (12) Any submission required to be in writing may otherwise be required by the department to be made by electronic means. The department is authorized to contract with private vendors, or enter into interagency agreements, to collect electronic fingerprints where fingerprints are required for registration, certification, or the licensure process or where criminal history record checks are required. (13) The department shall waive the initial licensing fee, the initial application fee, and the initial unlicensed activity fee for a military veteran or his or her spouse at the time of discharge, if he or she applies to the department for a license, in a format prescribed by the department, within 60 months after the veteran is discharged from any branch of the United States Armed Forces. To qualify for this waiver, the veteran must have been honorably discharged. (14) The department or a board must enter into a reciprocal licensing agreement with other states if the practice act within the purview of this chapter permits such agreement. If a reciprocal licensing agreement exists or if the department or board has determined another state’s licensing requirements or examinations to be substantially equivalent to or more stringent than those under the practice act, the department or board must post on its website which jurisdictions have such reciprocal licensing agreements or substantially similar licenses. Advertisement by a Veterinarian of Free or Discounted Services; Required (s. 455.24) In any advertisement for a free, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment by a person licensed under chapter 474, the following statement shall appear in capital letters clearly distinguishable from the rest of the text: THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT. However, the required statement shall not be necessary as an accompaniment to an advertisement of a licensed health care provider defined by this section if the advertisement appears in a classified directory the primary purpose of which is to provide products and services at free, reduced, or discounted prices to
consumers and in which the statement prominently appears in at least one place. Veterinarians; Disposition of Records of Deceased Practitioners or Practitioners Relocating or Terminating Practice (s. 455.242) [Note that proposed updates to Florida Rule 61G18-18.001 would make changes to the current rule, though records would still need to be retained for at least two years. See Part IV of this course.] Each board created under the provisions of chapter 474 shall provide by rule for the disposition, under that chapter, of the records that are in existence at the time the practitioner dies, terminates practice, or relocates and is no longer available and which records pertain to the practitioner’s patients. The rules shall provide that the records be retained for at least 2 years after the practitioner’s death, termination of practice, or relocation. In the case of the death of the practitioner, the rules shall provide for the disposition of such records by the estate of the practitioner. Authority to Inspect (s. 455.243) Duly authorized agents and employees of the department shall have the power to inspect in a lawful manner at all reasonable hours any establishment at which the services of a licensee authorized to prescribe controlled substances specified in chapter 893 are offered, for the purpose of determining if any of the provisions of this chapter or any practice act of a profession or any rule adopted thereunder is being violated; or for the purpose of securing such other evidence as may be needed for prosecution. Veterinarians; Immediate Suspension of License (s. 455.245) The department shall issue an emergency order suspending the license of any person licensed under chapter 474 who pleads guilty to, is convicted or found guilty of, or who enters a plea of nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under chapter 409 or chapter 893 or under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 or under 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396. Inactive and Delinquent Status (s. 455.271 [abridged]; updated in 2019) (1) A licensee may practice a profession only if the licensee has an active status license. A licensee who practices a profession without an active status license is in violation of this section and s. 455.227, and the board, or the department when there is no board, may impose discipline on the licensee. (2) Each board, or the department when there is no board, shall permit a licensee to choose, at the time of licensure renewal, an active or inactive status. (3) Each board, or the department when there is no board, shall, by rule, impose a fee for an inactive status license which is no greater than the fee for an active status license. (4) An inactive status licensee may change to active status at any time, provided the licensee meets all requirements for active status, pays any additional licensure fees necessary to equal those imposed on an active status licensee, pays any applicable reactivation fees as set by the board, or the department when there is no board, and meets all continuing education requirements as specified in this section. (5) A licensee shall apply with a complete application, as defined by rule of the board, or the department when there is no board, to renew an active or inactive status license before the license expires. Failure of a licensee to renew before the license expires shall cause the license to become delinquent in the license cycle following expiration. (6) (a) Failure by a delinquent status licensee to become active or inactive before the expiration of the current licensure cycle shall render the license void without any further action by the board or the department. The board, or the department if there is no board,
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Book Code: VFL1524
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