The following fees are required to be paid to the department before any certificate or permit is issued. All fees shall be submitted in the form of a check or money order and are nonrefundable. The department may direct examination applicants to submit examination fees to the National Board for Respiratory Care, Inc. (NBRC). (1) Schedule of fees for certification as a respiratory care practitioner: (A) application (includes initial certificate) fee--$120; (B) renewal fee for a license issued for a two-year term is $100; (C) renewal fee for a license issued to a retired respiratory care practitioner performing voluntary charity care for a two-year term is $50; (D) certificate and/or identification card replacement fee--$20; (E) NBRC examination fee--the fee designated by the NBRC at the time of examination or reexamination; (F) certificate fee for upgrade of temporary permit--$30; (G) written verification of certification status--$10; (H) returned check fee--$50; (I) annual inactive status fee--$25; (J) reinstatement fee for a license that was suspended for failure to pay child support--$50; (K) one to 90 days late renewal fee--one and one half times the normally required renewal fee; (L) 91 days to one year late renewal fee--two times the normally required renewal fee; (M) for all applications and renewal applications, the department is authorized to collect subscription and convenience fees, in amounts determined by the Texas Online Authority, to recover costs associated with application and renewal application processing through Texas Online; and (N) for all applications and renewal applications, the department is authorized to collect fees to fund the Office of Patient Protection, Health Professions Council, as mandated by law. (2) Schedule of fees for a temporary permit as a respiratory care practitioner: (A) application (including initial permit) fee--$50; (B) temporary permit renewal fee--$20; (C) temporary permit and/or identification card replacement fee--$20; (D) written verification of certification status--$10; (E) returned check fee--$50. (3) Criminal history evaluation letter fee--$50. (4) Any certificate holder whose check to the department is returned marked insufficient funds, account closed, or payment stopped shall remit to the department a money order or check for guaranteed funds in the amount of the check submitted to the department plus the returned check fee within 30 days of the date of receipt of the department's notice. Failure to comply with this requirement may be the grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including denial of the certificate holder application or the revocation of the certificate. If a certificate is issued or renewed or an application processed upon the submission of a check to the department, and if such check is later returned unpaid, the department may cancel the certificate or application if the certificate holder or applicant does not redeem the check in compliance with this section. The effect of such a cancellation shall be the same as if the application for renewal or for licensure had not been submitted. (5) If the department's notice, as set out in paragraph (4) of this section, is returned unclaimed, the department shall mail the notice to the applicant or certificate holder by first class mail. If a money order or check for guaranteed funds is not received by the department's cashier within 30 days of the postmarked date on the second mailing, the approval or certificate issued shall be invalid. The department shall notify the applicant's or certificate holder's employer that the person has failed to comply with this section. (6) The department shall make periodic reviews of the fee schedule and recommend any adjustments necessary to provide sufficient funds to meet the expenses of the respiratory care practitioner certification program without creating an unnecessary surplus. Such adjustments shall be made through rule amendments approved by the Executive Commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. |
