(1) Renewing licensees shall submit a completed renewal form to the department either electronically or by mail and pay the applicable renewal fee.

(a) At renewal, licensees must affirm they have complied with all continuing education (CE) requirements.

(b) New licensees renewing for the first time are exempt from CE reporting, but shall affirm compliance with all CE requirements beginning with their second renewal.

(2) Licensees must maintain documentation of completed CE for two years and make the records available to the department if the licensees are selected for a random audit. The department will annually conduct a random audit of 15 percent of renewed licensees to verify compliance with CE requirements.

(3) Documentation verifying attendance must be attached for all CE listed on the submission form.

(4) Certificates of completion will not be returned and must include the course name, number of hours earned, date of completion, and signature of the provider.

(5) For each training attended, and in addition to the certificate of completion, LACs must submit an agenda with the specific breakdown of training hours (specific time of registration, breaks, lunch, etc.), a description of the training, and names of the presenters.

(6) A maximum of ten contact hours may be earned over the one-year renewal period by licensees presenting workshops. Presenting licensees may earn up to one-half of the actual contact hours presented for preparation time. Credit for preparing presentations will be granted only one time per workshop.

(7) Licensees may earn up to five hours for each professional article or book authored by licensees. Licensees may earn up to a maximum of ten hours per renewal cycle in this manner.

(8) Training films may be used for continuing education, provided the films are observed as part of continuing education that includes a discussion period. Films observed outside a work setting may be counted if the film includes a test instrument to verify training. Webinars also may be used for continuing education.

(9) Counselors may earn all or part of the required continuing education from advanced academic courses. Course work must be completed after the date of licensure or license renewal. Courses must be taken for credit. Audited courses will not receive continuing education credit. Ten hours will be granted for each academic quarter hour and 15 hours for each semester credit hour in the fields of addiction counseling, psychology, social work, professional counseling, and sociology.

(10) Home study courses require a certificate of completion that includes the course name, number of hours earned, date of completion, and signature of the provider.