Published Date: 2016-10-26
BVNPT seeks equitable fee restructure
Plan seeks to reduce PT license renewal fees
At its Oct. 21 meeting, the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians approved an audit report that resulted from CAPT-sponsored language that was added to AB 179 by Assembly member Bonilla. The User Fee Audit Report, prepared by Capitol Accounting Partners, LLC, provided a detailed cost analysis of the Board’s individual and institutional licensing fee structures and sought to determine a fair and equitable method of allocating non-fee expenses, such as enforcement practices, including educational requirements, standards of practice and consumer rights education.
After careful review and discussion, the Board approved three actions, supported by CAPT, to implement an equitable fee restructure. The first board-approved action sought regulation to rollback the licensing renewal fees of psychiatric technicians. The second action approved seeking legislation that would increase slightly the licensing renewal fees of vocational nurses. The third action approved seeking legislation to dramatically increase the licensing and renewal fees imposed on academic institutions.
“The actual cost to process a PT license renewal is just $150 yet, for years, they have been paying renewal fees of $300,” said CAPT Consultant Coby Pizzotti, who testified before the BVNPT in support of its newly proposed fee structures. “Psych techs have been subsidizing the accreditation process of academic institutions for far too long.”
Essentially, the proposed schedules seek fee allocations that will fairly recover adequate expense reimbursement revenues. The proposed fee schedules equalize the biennial licensing renewal fees of psych techs to vocational nurses, set fees at the actual cost of doing business, and make academic institutions pay their fair share of the costs associated with educational accreditation.
“This will go a long way helping licensed psychiatric technicians throughout the state,” said State President Eric Soto. “A savings of $150 per renewal means PTs have more to spend on groceries or other essential items. Great job to our staff and lobbyist at headquarters for their hard work.”
Signed by Gov. Brown last year, AB 179 addressed the fiscal solvency of the PT program by merging the LVN and PT funds. The merger opened for review the fee schedules and why psych techs have been paying double the cost for processing their license renewals. Last session, CAPT additionally sponsored legislation to increase by $5,000 the accreditation application fee for academic institutions. While the bill did not move through the legislative process, it did afford CAPT the opportunity to provide testimony about the topic at legislative committee hearings.
CAPT will keep you posted as the new fee proposals work their way through the regulatory and legislative processes, which could take up to a year. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact CAPT Consultant
Coby Pizzotti at (800) 677-2278.
October 25, 2016 | Download Flier
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