Posted on the CAPT website
www.psychtechs.net
January 16, 2009

BVNPT to revamp rates, fingerprint requirements

Avoid headaches, work loss -- get prints and renew A.S.A.P.

Emergency regulations from the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians will require fingerprinting for all licensees, as well as rate increases for new and renewing license holders.

As of April 1, 2009, a licensee who was initially licensed before Jan. 1, 1998, or for whom an electronic fingerprint record no longer exists, will be required to submit fingerprints through the Department of Justice.

Between 1981 and 1998, the BVNPT didn't require fingerprints for Psych Techs: The board found there were very few licenses that required investigation, and the DOJ fingerprint reports took a long time. Due to that hiatus, several Psych Techs don't have fingerprints on file.

To help fund the retroactive fingerprinting process, the BVNPT will increase both licensure renewal rates and initial license fees from the current $200 to $300. Delinquent renewal fees also will increase, from $100 to $150. CAPT contract language requires the state to reimburse Psych Techs for renewal costs.

The BVNPT also is increasing fingerprint requirements and licensure fees for LVNs; the Board of Registered Nursing has made similar changes for RNs.

Watch your mailbox. The BVNPT plans on directly notifying Psych Techs of the new requirement in coming weeks, and will encourage everyone affected to submit fingerprints anytime before their renewal date to prevent any delays.

Check with the BVNPT at (916) 263-7830 or bvnpt@dca.ca.gov (fastest method). There is a possibility that, even if you have prints on file, they may have been lost or misplaced. Be safe, not sorry -- check with the BVNPT to make sure you're OK!