Section 682.200  Application Procedures

a)         Applicants for licensure shall submit to the Department the following forms and fees that are required for license application:

1)         Application processing fee − $80;

2)         Application form that provides the following information:

A)        Name of applicant, date of birth, gender, home mailing address, home phone number, business or agency name, business mailing address, e-mail address (if available), business phone, preferred mailing address, highest level of education completed, any university attended, educational degrees awarded, professional certificates held, number of years applicant has dispensed hearing instruments, previous convictions or disciplinary actions against the applicant, citizenship status, indication that the applicant is free from infectious disease, and a Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act compliance statement with the signature of the applicant;

B)        Verification of the successful completion of 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours of academic undergraduate course work in a U.S. Department of Education accredited institution consisting of three semester hours of anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanism, three semester hours of hearing science, three semester hours of introduction to audiology, and three semester hours of aural rehabilitation or the quarter hour equivalent;  and

C)        Official transcripts from an accredited institution of higher education that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education verifying a minimum of an associate degree pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Act. (Section 8(e) of the Act)

3)         License Fee − $200 (two year);

                        Duplicate/Additional License Fee − $20 (each);

Six-month trainee license fee − $100;

Annual licensing fee for organizations registered pursuant to Section 6(a)

of the Act (mail order sales) − $200;

Reciprocity fee − $500.

4)         Proof of liability insurance, which shall give the name and address of the agency; names and addresses of the applicants insured; name of the company affording coverage; type of insurance (malpractice); policy number; policy expiration date; limits of liability in thousands; and any cancellation clauses and the address of the Department as the agency to be notified if the policy is cancelled or expires.

b)         Applicants for a six-month trainee dispenser license shall submit a letter of verification from the licensed supervisor and a completed trainee form signed by the supervisor.

c)         Before a trainee license will be  issued, the trainee shall show documentation of successful completion of the required courses as outlined in Section 8(e) of the Act and subsection (a)(2)(B) of this Section, or their equivalent as determined by the Department, and pay the trainee license fee.

d)         Applicants pursuing a hearing instrument dispenser license pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Act (reciprocity) shall show proof of having:

1)         Met requirements of subsections (a) through (d) of this Section;

2)         Met the requirements of Section 8(b) of the Act;

3)         Met the academic requirements of Section 8(e) of the Act;

4)         Obtained a valid license as a hearing instrument dispenser, or its equivalent, from another state that has an examination that is comparable to the examination required under the Act;

5)         Practiced as a hearing instrument dispenser for at least three months, or possessing current certification by the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences; and

6)         Paid the required fees (application, licensing, and reciprocity fees set forth in this Section).

(Source:  Amended at 35 Ill. Reg. 10312, effective June 17, 2011)