Missouri State Board of Optometry: Composition, Powers, Duties, and Procedures
Composition
The Missouri State Board of Optometry is appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Its members include licensed optometrists and public members who are not optometrists. Optometrist members must meet practice and residency qualifications; public members represent the consumer interest. Members serve staggered terms and may be removed for cause. The board sits within the Division of Professional Registration, which supplies staff and administrative support but does not make clinical scope decisions.
Powers and duties
The board examines applicants, issues and renews licenses, adopts rules, sets fees within statutory limits, investigates complaints, and imposes discipline. It may subpoena records and witnesses, administer oaths, and conduct hearings. It also interprets its own rules through advisory opinions and disciplinary decisions.
Procedure
A complaint is screened and investigated; if probable cause exists, the matter moves to a contested case. Missouri contested cases follow Chapter 536, and many professional discipline cases are heard by the Administrative Hearing Commission, which issues findings; the board then imposes the sanction. Licensees receive notice of the charges and an opportunity to be heard. Final decisions are subject to judicial review.
Worked example. A patient complains that an optometrist altered a record after a billing dispute. Staff investigates, the board finds probable cause, and the case is set for hearing. Because the facts are contested, the matter proceeds as a contested case with notice, evidence, and a written decision. The board may not simply revoke the license by email.
Traps. Assuming the board can impose criminal penalties; confusing the board's investigative and adjudicative roles; forgetting the public member's role; treating a staff letter as a final board order.