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(a)Recertification. (1)Not later than the 30th day before the date a person's certificate is scheduled to expire, the department may send to the person a notice of expiration at the address shown in the current records of the department. (2)If a certificant has not received a notice of expiration from the bureau 30 days prior to the expiration, it is the duty of the certificant to notify the bureau and to request an application for recertification or download an application from the Internet. Failure to apply for recertification shall result in expiration of the certificate. (3)To maintain certification status without a lapse, a completed application for recertification shall be submitted to the department prior to the expiration date of the current certificate, but no earlier than 1 year prior to the expiration date. When submitting an application, applicants should consider the department's processing time as described in §157.3 of this title (relating to Processing of EMS Provider Licenses and Applications for EMS Personnel Certification and License). (4)The certificant shall submit an application and the following non-refundable fees as applicable: (A)$50 for Emergency Care Attendant (ECA) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); (B)$75 for EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) or EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P); and (C)EMS volunteer - no fee. However, if such an individual receives compensation during the certification period, the exemption ceases and the individual shall pay a prorated fee to the department based on the number of years remaining in the certification period when employment begins. The non-refundable fee for ECA or EMT certification shall be $12.50 per each year remaining in the certification. The non-refundable fee for EMT-I or EMT-P shall be $18.75 per each year remaining in the certification. Any portion of a year will count as a full year. (5)An application for a level of certification lower than the applicant's current level may be submitted with the applicable fee as described in paragraph (4) of this subsection if the applicant meets the requirements for the level of certification requested as described. (6)A certificate is not transferable. (b)Recertification Options. Upon submission of a completed application for recertification, the applicant shall commit to, and recertify through, only one of the options described in paragraphs (1)-(5) of this subsection. (1)Option 1 - Written Examination Recertification Process. (A)The applicant shall pass the state's written examination for recertification, which is designed to measure ongoing competencies and current EMS practices for the applicant's level of certification. (B)If the applicant fails the examination for recertification, the applicant may attempt two retests of the examination after: (i)submitting a retest application for each attempt at any eligible level; and (ii)submitting a non-refundable retest fee of $25 for each attempt. (C)An applicant may recertify by taking an initial recertification examination for a lower level of certification for each subsequent attempt. (D)An applicant who attempts and fails the recertification examination may not gain recertification by any other option. (E)An applicant who does not pass the recertification examination: (i)shall successfully complete a Formal Recertification Course as described in paragraph (4)(A) and (B) of this subsection; and (ii)shall submit a course completion certificate of the Formal recertification course, reflecting that the course was completed after the 2nd retest failure; and (iii)shall pass the state written recertifying examination in accordance with the provisions in subparagraphs (A)-(D) of this paragraph. (F)The certification status of an applicant who does not successfully complete the examination recertification process as described in subparagraphs (A)-(E) of this paragraph shall expire on the date of the current certificate. The applicant will have until 90 days after expiration date of the current certificate to successfully complete the examination recertification process. If applicant does not successfully complete recertification process within 90 days following expiration, applicant shall meet requirements of late recertification described in subsection (f)(4) of this section. Successful completion of the late recertification process shall be accomplished within one year of expiration as described in subsection (f)(6) of this section. (2)Option 2 - Continuing Education Recertification Process. The certificant shall attest to accrual of department approved EMS continuing education as specified in §157.38 of this title (relating to Continuing Education). (3)Option 3 - National Registry Recertification Process. The applicant shall attest to current National Registry certification at the time of applying for recertification. (4)Option 4 - Formal Course Recertification Process. The applicant shall attest to successful completion of a department approved recertification course. (A)The recertification course, as prescribed by the Education and Training Manual, shall be a formal, classroom-presented, live participation, training course as approved by the department and conducted within the four year certification period. Course completion date shall be within one year prior to the expiration date of current certification. (B)The minimum contact hours required for recertification courses are: Attached Graphic (5)Option 5 - CCMP Recertification Process. An applicant affiliated with an EMS provider that has a department-approved Comprehensive Clinical Management Program (CCMP) may be recertified if: (A)the applicant is currently credentialed in the provider's CCMP; (B)the applicant has been enrolled in the provider's CCMP for at least six continuous months; and (C)the applicant submits to the department a statement, signed by the medical director, of participation in the provider's CCMP. (c)After verification by the department of the information submitted by the applicant, that the information is true, correct and complete with regard to the applicant meeting recertification requirements by the certification expiration date, the department shall recertify the applicant for four years, commencing on the day following the expiration date of the most recent certificate. (d)Return to active status. (1)To regain active status, an applicant holding inactive certification shall complete the following requirements. All requirements shall be completed within one year of the application. (A)The applicant shall successfully complete a department approved recertification course as described in subsection (b)(4) of this section; (B)The applicant shall submit an application and the non-refundable fees applicable, as described in subsection (a)(4) of this section, before expiration of the inactive certification period; (C)The applicant shall successfully complete the examination recertification process, as described in subsection (b)(1)(A)-(F) of this section. (2)A candidate whose inactive certification expires shall comply with late recertification as described in subsection (f)(1)-(6) of this section. (e)Renewal of inactive status. To renew inactive status, an applicant holding inactive certification shall submit an application and the non-refundable fee applicable, as described in §157.33(l)(1) of this title, before expiration of the inactive certification period. (f)Late recertification. (1)A candidate whose certificate has been expired for 90 days or less may renew the certificate by submitting an application and paying to the department a non-refundable renewal fee that is equal to 1-1/2 times the normally required application renewal fee for that level as listed in subsection (a)(4) of this section. Applicant shall meet one of the recertification options described in subsection (b)(1)-(5) of this section. (2)The candidate whose certification has expired shall be considered as non-certified and may not function in the capacity of an EMS certificant or represent that the candidate is EMS certified until recertification is issued. (3)An individual who has not met the requirements for recertification prior to his expiration date shall be considered late. (4)A candidate whose certificate has been expired for more than 90 days but less than one year may renew the certificate by submitting an application and paying to the department a non-refundable renewal fee that is equal to two times the normally required application renewal fee as listed in subsection (a)(4) of this section. An applicant shall submit documentation that verifies completion of a formal Recertification course, which reflects completion date to be within one year prior to application. An applicant shall pass the department's written exam for recertification as described in subsection (b)(1)(A)-(F) of this section. (5)The applicant shall be recertified for a period of four years beginning on the date of issuance. (6)A candidate whose certificate has been expired for one year or more may not renew the certificate. The candidate may become certified by complying with the requirements of §157.33(a) of this title. (7)A candidate who was certified in this state, moved to another state, and is currently certified or licensed and has been in practice in the other state for the two years preceding the date of application may become certified without reexamination. The candidate may gain recertification by: (A)submitting to the department a non-refundable fee that is equal to two times the normally required renewal fee for certification as listed in subsection (a)(4) of this section, and (B)attesting to regular practice of emergency medical care in the other state for the two years preceding the date of application.
This agency hereby certifies
that the proposal has been
reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's legal authority
to adopt.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State, on May 21, 2001
TRD-200102833 Susan K. Steeg
General Counsel
Texas Department of Health
Earliest possible date of adoption: July 1, 2001
For further information, please call: (512) 458-7236
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