[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6191532,"mediaKeyId","4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901","parentId",4697305,"title","Board hears mixed licensing trends, low exam pass rates in some programs and calls to revise degree names and curriculum","audioSeconds",3061,"startMs",850000,"endMs",3911000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901&start=850&end=3911","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901/thumbnail_850000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6191532/California/Board-hears-mixed-licensing-trends-low-exam-pass-rates-in-some-programs-and-calls-to-revise-degree-names-and-curriculum","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191532-f8dd532fbe2c77deec6294202d90181d/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637468&Signature=lUrT-43Qlkqy5GtBvTHXxiehFjdQOcXOwqodfKrxP7Q0sJd0pKfCroXp4MP~8pvNIseKJLdpUHxIOc7Q6C8wRFWfZqJmJZtunGv60ckRGuWcBXDUFnyZfByUPMWdeUUaDr-J7KG8bsyZgci2mfYH3UXuA7fQs~npWNwXlvWQlndnrUT5xDw2UZreEQFflq9i2b0A3qeRK8Wi1V6o0T40YDdjEGB1sDmF7tToZpTH5mlRld0H31p68JiEpPi8rPYKQMS5rY6iWbYG8e5DBrxSUqf8aR4KQk2zpG5xyIlh~QM0ZZ5olvaGta6EpTNWI25H6QEXiuSHuvTvLAl0LN6ZSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California Acupuncture Board","date","2025-06-20T19:42:54.117Z","article","Jay Hirt, the board’s licensing manager, presented the licensing report for fiscal year 2024–25 Q3, telling members the board’s active license count and exam statistics and summarizing continuing education and program approval activity.

“As of Q3, our active licenses were 10,109, inactive licenses were 1,441, delinquent licenses were 1,614,” Hirt said, and he outlined other license categories including wallet licenses and canceled licenses. Hirt reported the board approved 57 initial licensing applications in Q3 and provided continuing education metrics (e.g., 695 course applications received and 559 approved in Q3). He said first‑time exam takers had a 72% pass rate; the overall pass rate (including retakers) was 61%. By language, he reported pass rates of roughly 68% for Chinese, 60% for English, and 55% for Korean test takers.

Board members probed delinquent‑license trends and whether the increase reflected online‑renewal issues or other causes. Hirt and staff said month‑9 data make trend analysis preliminary and that more months of data (and licensing report details) will help. Members also discussed the decline in new licensing and school enrollment and noted a small bump in canceled licenses in Q3.

The board and staff also discussed the tutorial training program, which Hirt reported has 62 active tutorial programs; five new program approvals and two terminated/abandoned programs were noted for the quarter. Executive Officer Ben Bodhi said a prior fee analysis found it cost the board roughly $11,000 to process and supervise a completed tutorial program and observed that the board set tutorial fees at a statutory fee floor; he said staff may propose fee changes by regulation if warranted.

At a separate licensing committee meeting on June 12 (reported to the full board June 13), committee members and stakeholders extensively discussed degree and title naming, curriculum prerequisites and science course requirements, clinical hours and externship/internship placement, English proficiency standards for foreign‑trained tutorial students, and clean needle technique standards. Committee Chair Dr. Amy Matecki summarized the items discussed and recommended continued stakeholder work; the committee did not forward regulatory language or a formal board action at this session.

Discussion points included whether to adopt a unified doctoral title (members discussed variations such as Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine / DAChM or Doctor of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine / DACIM), how to balance in‑school clinical hours (California currently requires about 950 clinical hours) with externships, and whether to add or raise prerequisite and English proficiency requirements for certain pathways. Several public commenters and board members argued that improving clinical competencies, externship pathways and marketing/business training for graduates could help graduate employability and support school enrollment.

No formal rule changes or title adoptions were made at the board meeting; staff and the licensing committee will continue stakeholder discussions and are expected to return proposed regulatory language or further committee recommendations in future meetings.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","California Acupuncture Board Meeting -June 13, 2025 - 1 of 2","oneSentenceSummary","The board's licensing manager reported 10,109 active licenses, 1,614 delinquent licenses and a first‑time exam pass rate of 72%; members raised concerns about downward trends in new licensing and school enrollments and asked staff to continue monitoring.","taxTitle","California Acupuncture Board, Other State Agencies, Executive, California","taxId",15958,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191537,"California Acupuncture Board projects roughly $5.7 million fund balance as fiscal year closes",355,425000,780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901&start=425&end=780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901/thumbnail_425000.jpg","/articles/6191537/California/California-Acupuncture-Board-projects-roughly-57-million-fund-balance-as-fiscal-year-closes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191537-d32ec99b07a136172679bb26b2a81d89/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637468&Signature=UqlxCMX94b-GUoTLAb3bMo~BnaZZO6S0VEI~LnlyjWnrSieXaUoQO0Vy-A47-V-3ArgWUJCgZv1MS9e3hbKSc7CyHELkd9tXf3aRjM5vfKphvr8cdFHdoTTBkE~-NyG-ULE5I0EjT8P5bFZ2IwFxzPaaS5guRMSaM8iJuXeFJ5Fawi9fkWVLXc5AMc0UOLjWM0Gm9L6ym6mDA99pZ-44EFZ~~N5Opo6j9ytzJzY3QGreWtZf9aulHQELk8gO1is9ezuBFy6~pwJTtEONSXiAHC8iP~2KXjEKT6kgjeK65UkLlcQlMBlLFcy3~PBo9XgA~UNWD5-BSDNIT8H5jK2-qQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jennifer Tompkins, a budget analyst in the Department of Consumer Affairs budget office, told the California Acupuncture Board on June 13 that the board’s fiscal projections show stronger-than-expected reserves heading into the next fiscal year.

“The board had a beginning based budget of approximately 3,800,000.0 and is projected to spend approximately 3,200,000.0, creating a reversion to the board's fund of approximately 521,000 or a reversion percentage of 14.05%,” Tompkins said. She described the figures as a “snapshot in time” based on actual data through fiscal month 9 and said the board currently projects about $4.5 million in revenue and roughly $3.4 million in expenditures for 2024–25, leaving an approximate fund balance of $5.7 million or about 16.3 months in reserve.

The budget presentation walked through the board’s fund condition statement and revenue mix. Tompkins said 2023–24 actuals showed about $4.1 million beginning balance, roughly $4.1 million in revenues the prior year, and an ending reserve of about $4.6 million (16.2 months). For 2024–25 she listed revenue line items including delinquent fees, license renewals and other regulatory fees, and noted out‑year revenue assumptions rise in the document. She also said the budget office conservatively applies a 3% ongoing increase to expenditures to reflect salary and retirement adjustments.

Board members asked about delinquent-fee trends and whether delinquency counts were rising because of online renewal changes or other causes. Tompkins said the report covers month 9 and that staff cannot yet determine a definitive trend; she suggested waiting another quarter for clearer data and reported that delinquent-license figures will also be included in the licensing report.

Ben Bodhi, the board’s executive officer, and members discussed the potential for future legislation or unanticipated events to change resource needs; Tompkins said such developments could require additional funds. Staff committed to continuing monthly monitoring and to return with updated expenditure projections as the fiscal year closes.

Board action: none on the budget presentation itself. The board did take an unrelated procedural vote earlier in the meeting to approve the March 7, 2025, meeting minutes.

Looking ahead: staff will report updated figures to the board in future monthly updates and expects clearer delinquency trends after additional months of data.

","The board’s budget analyst told members the 2024–25 revenue and expenditure projections show an expected fund balance of about $5.7 million (roughly 16.3 months in reserve); staff cautioned the figures are a snapshot for fiscal month 9 and said ongoing salary and retirement adjustments will raise expenditures in future years.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191522,"Board launches online CE audit and advances licensing modernization; staff say more services coming",360,2697000,3057000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901&start=2697&end=3057","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901/thumbnail_2697000.jpg","/articles/6191522/California/Board-launches-online-CE-audit-and-advances-licensing-modernization-staff-say-more-services-coming","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191522-106a6533071dc93937ac5901cc90455e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637468&Signature=FZo4k0jQSnlqhdRuPuf3EgDYQn3idrx2NhIUE73~G8noejWp2dZRH~I4I~~RGBVVWbc9kIM5LiWD419SolJONYUFdqKePQRJUN3pCRdmGOLYmxmFpoOSTyVSUQDl5rqaVIvUKVqlm2Ztt3aPtHR59pH09kg1yg0~974Li982BKY~H4ttioE5yfdlptdv9iM7B09nzChfUHg6cGSNhTm1Egk9t7r1zllgMIBcOFXYqkYfJaLHMsdyr6aSoUhcv1AchwAuEVW8bT21JoGo~v2HC61oIOewmxpifuNa-NyIj-WKxQ9PWwBxxjh~ZrdBVexICN~xfHhXf-zYtTn1XatrCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Staff gave an update on business modernization and the board’s shift to online services. Jay Hirt and other staff described work with the Office of Information Services and contractor Lumen to modernize licensing and enforcement systems.

“The board has been working, on updating its online software presence and ability for licensees to have access 24/7 to different processes required for licensing,” Hirt said. He reported the continuing‑education audit function went live on Jan. 1, 2025, enabling applicants to submit audits online and staff to process them in the licensing system. The board also reported ongoing work on an enforcement management “Connect” functionality and continuing refinements to licensing automation such as online active/inactive status, wallet license and renewal functions.

Board members and licensees praised the modernization. A board member said the online CE audit simplified a prior manual review process, where paper certificates required substantive staff time to verify; a public commenter described the new system as making audits easier to assemble and submit. Staff said the CE audit has had a good response in its initial months and that more automation is planned to move additional licensing processes online.

No regulatory action was tied to the modernization report; staff described it as ongoing development and implementation work that will continue with DCA IT partners.

","The board has rolled out continuing‑education audit functionality and is developing additional licensing and enforcement online capabilities; staff said the CE audit feature went live Jan. 1, 2025, and members praised modernization for improving staff efficiency and licensee access.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6191527,"Enforcement report: 34 complaints in quarter, backlog and unlicensed‑practice investigations remain",499,2920000,3419000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901&start=2920&end=3419","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4697305-b4e434465e2df7d552ea14b259d5b901/thumbnail_2920000.jpg","/articles/6191527/California/Enforcement-report-34-complaints-in-quarter-backlog-and-unlicensedpractice-investigations-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6191527-be20ad989390eb3a1edbfb568a238dae/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637468&Signature=YVkAhvMjOIlYeYa630zEmggLWqhHb4XvnUh~jBEbB6cgmPpQzUggMw6HcV6BM3gzYlbuaj4yIv-70rTH9e~p7RpeO16Toj91nxHhYQ40zngSRCU0Wv2fwv9q-elJQRo~V3bjW4Oa0vMFhdVRkJzRQW~QMfo2orc713oArK5u11bxHnkGq0p3APSBxWvMhxsoB1wMqp-5Bjd9rhrtPYLHqOe3c9i~o4lv9jd38q1lC3l-IfPXNxQAhMVstUyb9Pf5fjI6VQh8AdOxf-DJCx-vWc7EWEyIHlUSkgGehAQGWvKuNRO6hRpmTYy39eiKpnFpDciww7OdVxVQU~YoqLAvNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Executive Officer Ben Bodhi presented the enforcement report for Q3 (2024–25) and summarized complaint and investigation activity to the board on June 13.

“Total received was 34. Among those, we had 4 for criminal charges or convictions, 5 for ****** misconduct, 10 for unprofessional conduct, 8 for incompetence or negligence, 1 for non jurisdictional, 6 for fraud,” Bodhi read from the report. He later said 34 investigations were received in Q3, 26 were closed and “318 are pending.”

Bodhi reported performance measures including 22 desk investigations and 4 field investigations closed in the quarter, with an average days‑to‑close figure provided to the board. He gave an aging breakdown for non‑AG cases and said some cases—particularly those that cross jurisdictions or involve possible fraud—require lengthy interaction with other state or international agencies. The enforcement unit issued two citations in the quarter and had no final orders closed during Q3. He noted an attorney general case was initiated and three others remained pending. The board’s probation population decreased to two licensees from a prior year count of 13.

Board members questioned whether some investigation categories were within target timelines and whether the number of unlicensed‑practice complaints had changed. Bodhi said targets exist but the unit exceeded some target times and attributed part of the backlog to vacancies in enforcement positions; he said staff are making headway in reducing the pending caseload. On unlicensed practice, he confirmed there were 11 pending investigations and noted that some matters are non‑jurisdictional or involve out‑of‑state practitioners the board cannot reach.

Board members and staff discussed fraud allegations (some involve insurance or accounting issues) and the potential workload impact of document collection and case processing. No disciplinary final orders were reported closed in the quarter.

The board requested ongoing attention to aging investigations and staffing; staff said they will continue to report enforcement performance measures at future meetings.

","The enforcement unit reported 34 complaints received in Q3 (including four with criminal charges or convictions), 26 investigations closed and a substantial pending caseload; staff said vacancies contributed to longer case times and noted 11 pending unlicensed‑practice investigations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board hears mixed licensing trends, low exam pass rates in some programs and calls to revise degree names and curriculum

California Acupuncture Board projects roughly $5.7 million fund balance as fiscal year closes

Board launches online CE audit and advances licensing modernization; staff say more services coming

Enforcement report: 34 complaints in quarter, backlog and unlicensed‑practice investigations remain