Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Updates

Useful up to date COVID-19 Vaccine information

COVID-19 Vaccine information for health professionals

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has information on the Coronavirus Disease for both healthcare professionals and the general public which is updated regularly, as new information becomes available. Read more here.

Have you downloaded COVIDWISE, Virginia's COVID-19 exposure notification app? Add your phone to the fight here.

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See all COVID-19 Announcements from the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators

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COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION

To find out more information related to the COVID-19 vaccinations, and when the vaccination will be available to you, please see the Virginia Department of Health information at the following link https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/ or the following link "Find out Which Phase You are Eligible For."

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Scam Alert

The Department of Health Professions (DHP) has been made aware that some licensees have received fraudulent communications from individuals claiming to be from one of our licensing boards, such as the Board of Pharmacy, or another agency, such as the DEA. The communications, often by phone, may threaten arrest or license suspension, demand personal information, or require the payment of fines. Read More.

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2021 Continuing Education

For more important information about Continuing Education for the 2021 renewal see the FAQ page

1. Partial Exemption from Continuing Education (CE) Requirements for 2021 Renewal

Due to ongoing concerns with the COVID emergency and access to continuing education courses, the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators (“Board”) voted at its September meeting to grant licensees a partial exemption from completing 10 hours of continuing education for purpose of 2021 licensure renewals. This means that, for renewal of licenses by March 31, 2021, licensees will be required to attest to completion of 10 CE contact hours for the previous year (from April 1, 2020-March 31, 2021) instead of the usual 20 CE contact hours in order to renew their licenses.

The 10 hours of required CE can be obtained through approved coursework in a format permitted in the regulations – live courses, online courses, or self-study courses. For more information on what courses may be acceptable as live courses, see the information provided in #2 below.

Also, the Board’s regulations, 18VAC95-20-175(A)(1) and 18VAC95-30-70(A)(1), specify that up to 10 CE hours in excess of the number required may be transferred or credited to the next renewal year. For 2021 renewals, the number of hours required pursuant to the partial exemption is 10 hours. 

Please note that this partial exemption only applies to 2021 renewals and does not impact the educational requirements for other regulatory agencies, including the Virginia Department of Social Services or the Virginia Department of Health/Office of Licensure and Certification.

2.  Live, in-person courses during the COVID public health emergency

Also in September, the Board formalized guidance for licensees regarding the completion of live coursework hours during the COVID public health emergency. 

The Board’s regulations, specifically 18VAC95-20-175(A)(1) and 18VAC95-30-70 (A)(1), provide that, “Up to 10 of the 20 [required, approved continuing education] hours may be obtained through Internet or self-study courses…”

The Board adopted the following guidance:

During the pendency of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Board interprets these provisions to mean that the 10 hours of continuing education required in addition to the hours that may be obtained “through Internet or self-study courses” are required to be live coursework hours. These live coursework hours may be satisfied by attendance of (1) in-person programs or courses or (2) real-time, interactive programs delivered via teleconference or webcast where there is an opportunity to interact with the speaker. 

Please note that the Board’s guidance, as reflected in a new Guidance Document 95-13, is currently pending a 30-day public comment period. The public comment period will be open on the Virginia Town Hall website from October 12, 2020 to November 12, 2020. The anticipated effective date of the Board’s guidance will be November 12, 2020.

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Renewal Information

The renewal deadline for licenses and registrations for the Board of Long-Term Care Administrators is March 31, 2021.

Online Renewals and PIN Requests
PIN numbers to renew your license/registration are provided with your emailed renewal notice. You should maintain this PIN number in a safe place, as this number does not change from year-to-year and will be required to renew your license online.  

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License Verifications

The Board offers electronic license verifications using the DHP License Lookup feature. License Lookup is updated in real time and available 24/7 to anyone seeking public licensure information on healthcare practitioners in Virginia. Please click here for instructions and fees on requesting a paper version to be sent to another jurisdiction on your behalf.

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News from NAB (National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards)

NAB CE Registry
The National Association for Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) offers a voluntary and free CE Registry for administrators to record and track their continuing education hours.  The registry enables you to track both CE approved by NAB’s National Continuing Education Review Service (NCERS) and non-NCERS approved CE.  To access the NAB registry, please click here.

If you already have a CE Registry account, please be sure to designate the Virginia Board to electronically access your registry to assist the Board when it conducts random CE audits in accordance with the Regulations.

Health Services Executive (HSE) Credential

NAB introduced the Health Services Credential (HSE) as a credential for experienced administrators that meet qualifications representing the continuum of long-term care services.  For more information on this credential and the application process, please click here.

Resources for AITs and Preceptors

To access NAB’s resources for AITs and Preceptors, including the AIT Program Manual, online Training Modules for Preceptors, and the Career Development Toolkit, please click here. 

Handbook for Exam Candidates

NAB has released a handbook for exam candidates, covering the core exam and all line of service exam modules, including NHA and RCAL (Assisted Living). The handbook can be accessed here on NAB’s website (pdf).