ABESPA - Licensee Renewal Information Arkansas Department of Health

ABESPA - Licensee Renewal Information

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Renewal Information

Renewal notices are sent electronically starting in mid-April. The renewal portal opens May 1. All licenses shall be renewed annually by July 15, to avoid delinquent renewal fees. Please remember all licenses expire on June 30th of each year.

Mailed Renewals

Renewals that are mailed to the Board office will be processed as quickly as possible. Remember they must be postmarked by July 15th or be considered delinquent. If you wish to confirm that we have received your renewal documentation, we recommend sending it via certified mail.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

CPEs shall consist of a series of planned learning experiences beyond the educational programs that have led to the degree that qualifies one for licensure. The licensee must participate in CPE activities of at least ten (10) clock hours for each license period (July 1 through June 30 of each year). At least five (5) of these hours must be in Content Area I. Dual licensees must complete fifteen (15) clock hours with a minimum of five (5) hours in each discipline from Content Area I. Renewal of a license shall be contingent upon the licensee fulfilling the CPE requirements, submitting an annual CPE report, and maintaining evidence for possible audit.

Provisional and full licensees are not required to complete a report of continuing professional education and will not be audited during the initial licensing year, but will need to submit the report to document a minimum of ten (10) hours for the next licensing period (7/1 to 6/30). There is no exemption for the year in which the provisional license is converted to a full license unless it occurs in the initial licensing year.

Full instructions including definitions of content areas and audit information can be found in Section 9 of the rules and regulations.

Audits

Annually, the Board will select licensees for audit. Audits are randomly selected and licensees will be notified by mail. Licensees who are audited are required to submit verification of CPE’s submitted, including information regarding date, the content of course, and number of hours.

Inactive Status

Inactive status is available for licensees who wish to no longer practice in the state of Arkansas. To apply for inactive status the licensee must hold a license that is active. If inactive status is requested more than 30 days after expiration, late fees will apply. Request for inactive status must be made to the Board in writing. The individual shall not engage in the practice of speech-language pathology and/or audiology in a non-exempt facility in Arkansas while his/her/their license is inactive.

An individual wishing to regain active status shall notify the Board in writing, submit documentation of CPE’s for each year the license was inactive (maximum of 50 hours for a single license or 75 for dual licensure), and submit the $40 reactivation fee.

From July 16, 2023 through July 15, 2024, Inactive/reactivation fees are reduced from $40 to $2. This is in accordance with Act 114 of 2023.

Delinquent Renewals

Delinquent renewals will be accepted by the board through the mail. A licensee is considered delinquent if it is postmarked after July 15, and a late fee will apply. To renew after July 15, a licensee must submit the paper renewal form, the renewal fee, plus the additional late fee. The following penalties are added to the renewal fee according to the tardiness of the renewal:

$100 between July 16-Dec. 31.
$200 between Jan. 1-July 15
$300 after one year of delinquency (maximum of $500.00)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I make a change in my name, address, employment, or other information?

Complete the associated form, located below, and submit to abespa@arkansas.gov.

2. How do I change my SP Provisional license to a Speech Pathology license?

You may request ASHA directly send proof that you have received your Certificate of Clinical Competence, or you may forward the confirmation from ASHA to abespa@arkansas.gov. There is no additional fee or application needed for transitioning a license from provisional to Speech Pathology.

Resources:

Important Documents:

Arkansas Department of Health

ABESPA - Licensee Renewal Information

Boards & Committees