Existing law, the Optometry Practice Act, establishes the State Board of Optometry within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of the practice of optometry. Existing law makes any violation of the act a crime.
Existing law required the board to issue a temporary license to practice optometry to a person who, among other things, applied for and was eligible for licensure, as specified, but who was unable to immediately take the Section III - Clinical Skills Examination due to the state of emergency, proclaimed by the Governor on March 4, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In connection with that temporary license, existing law imposed various requirements and restrictions on a temporary licensee and provided that a temporary license would expire upon the date the temporary licensee completed all requirements for licensure, as specified, or six months after the end of the state of emergency, whichever occurred first.
The act also requires the board to issue, upon application and payment of a specified fee, a retired license to an optometrist who holds a license that is current and active and, among other things, exempts a retired licensee from continuing education requirements, as specified.
This bill would require the board to issue, upon application and payment of a specified fee, a retired license to an optometrist who holds a license that is current.
This bill would also make a nonsubstantive change to update the name of the above examination.