Ohio Chemical Dependency License Lawyer
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Are you facing an investigation or potential disciplinary action from the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board. If so, contact an Ohio professional license defense lawyer from Graff & McGovern. We will review your situation and advise you on the best course of action. By working directly with the chemical dependency board, we may be able to resolve the situation quickly or help you defend yourself during an administrative hearing. We have decades of experience helping professionals retain their licenses. Let us help you.
Contact us through our online form or call (614) 228-5800 to schedule an appointment.
What the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board Does
The Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board licenses substance abuse counselors, prevention specialists, and counselor assistants within the state. The board offers three levels of licenses: Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II, and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III. There are Ohio Certified Prevention Specialists I and II.
The Board requires individuals seeking to become a substance abuse counselors, prevention specialists, and assistants to fulfill certain educational and supervised practice requirements and to pass an exam.
In addition to licensing substance abuse counselors and assistants in Ohio, the Chemical Dependency Professionals Board also creates and enforces continuing education requirements and ethical standards. If you are accused of violating a license requirement or ethics rule for your profession, then you may deal with an investigation and disciplinary action dictated by the board.
The board itself is made up of 13 members, 12 of which are appointed by the governor. The additional member is designated from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS). Each member of the board serves three-year terms and can only serve two consecutive full terms. The board must have:
- Four individuals eligible for LICDC
- Two individuals eligible for LCDC III
- One individual eligible for LCDC II
- Two individuals eligible for OCPS I or II
- One physician authorized to practice osteopathic medicine or surgery and has experienced with chemical dependency counseling
- Two members of the public
Chemical Dependency Professionals Board Hearings
When the board receives a complaint regarding a professional, it will typically perform an investigation. Anyone can make a complaint to the board through mail, fax, or an online form. The complaints are investigated by the board’s Ethics Committee, which consists of four board members and other staff.
The board will notify you if you have a complaint filed against you. Once notified, you have the opportunity to work with the board to clear up the situation as quickly as possible. If you choose to communicate with the board, you should only do so under the advice of legal counsel.
Through the investigation, the board will determine whether there is any merit to the complaint. If the Ethics Committee finds the complaint is not valid, then the process will end. However, if the committee finds it has merit, then it may pursue a disciplinary action against you. The board will send a letter informing of whether it intends to reprimand you, place restrictions on your practice, suspend your license, revoke your license, and decline to renew your license. You have the opportunity to request an administrative hearing within 30 days of receiving this notice. You not only have the right to a formal administrative hearing, you also have the right for an attorney to represent you and defend against the intended action.
How a Qualified Lawyer Can Help You
The administrative hearing will be conducted by a hearing examiner appointed by the Board, who has the same powers and authority as the Board. The hearing is a legal procedure and you have the right to have legal representation.
By having a knowledgeable attorney, it saves you from having to learn the rules to abide by during the hearing and, if necessary, the appeals process. A lawyer who has represented licensed professionals like you will be well versed in communicating with an administrative board or is single representative. They should know how to best present your defense and how to obtain and put forth evidence supporting your case. This may include gathering and presenting testimony and other evidence during the hearing. They may also cross examine witnesses who testify for the board.
Following the hearing, the hearing examiner will make a recommendation to the board, which may accept the recommendation fully, in part, or disagree with the recommendation. If the board chooses to reprimand, suspend or revoke your license, you will be informed and have the right to appeal to the court of common pleas within 15 days of receiving notice of the decision.
Contact an Ohio Chemical Dependency License Lawyer
Do not be afraid to ask for help when your professional license and career are on the line. At Graff & McGovern, our Ohio chemical dependency license lawyers understand how difficult this situation may be for you. We offer experienced and aggressive representation aimed at obtaining the best possible outcome for you, whether that requires communicating with the board, defending you at an administrative hearing, or filing an appeal in court.
To discuss how we can help you when dealing with the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board, call (614) 228-5800 or use our online form to schedule an appointment.