Complaints, Investigations, Disciplinary Process, and License Maintenance
Complaints and the disciplinary process
Anyone - a client, family member, employer, another licensee, or the Board on its own motion - may file a complaint. After intake, the Board, often through an investigative committee, screens the matter, may request records and interviews, and may dismiss it as unfounded, resolve it by agreed order or consent decree, or issue formal charges. Formal matters proceed under the Administrative Procedures Act: notice of the allegations, an opportunity for a hearing, the right to counsel, presentation of evidence, and a written decision with findings and conclusions. Sanctions include reprimand, probation with conditions (extra supervision, continuing education, treatment), suspension, revocation, and civil penalties. Emergency action may follow when continued practice presents imminent risk.
Practicalities: respond to Board correspondence on time, keep your own records, maintain professional liability coverage, and remember the Board's standard of proof is not the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.
Maintenance obligations
Renewal requires the continuing education hours specified in Board rules, including ethics hours, payment of fees, a truthful attestation of compliance, and prompt reporting of changes the rules require - address, name, and adverse actions in other jurisdictions. Practicing on a lapsed license is unlicensed practice, and reinstatement may require fees, education, or examination.
Rule of thumb: complete continuing education throughout the cycle, keep certificates, and treat every renewal attestation as sworn testimony.