Board recommends Department of Health reinstate optician license after required continuing education

The board of examiners voted to recommend that the Department of Health reinstate Ben Fitchman's optician license once he provides the required continuing education credits the department requires.

"I'll make a motion then that reinstate Ben Fitchman's license once he obtains the required amount of CDCs that are missing," the chair said when moving the recommendation; members subsequently amended the motion to specify seven CECs for 2025 if the missing files cannot be produced.

At the hearing, Ben Fitchman told the board his paperwork showed seven CECs but that file attachments may have been split across multiple emails. The chair and staff said their records showed fewer uploads and asked Fitchman to resubmit the documentation. Board member Skip raised a precedent that "for reinstatement of licensing for opticians, you only need 1 year, the previous year CECs for reinstalled by the board."

Board counsel and participants clarified the board's role. "The board is not actually reinstating the license. The board is making a recommendations to the department with regard to the applicants' suitability for reinstatement," Steve Carriger said, noting the Department of Health retains final authority.

The board approved the amended motion recommending reinstatement once the required credits are produced. The motion passed with a recorded tally of three ayes and no recorded nays. The board instructed Fitchman to provide the missing documentation to the department for final action.