Administrators licensed in other state; licensed nursing home administrators; acute care hospital administrators, etc.

(a) The board may, subject to this chapter and the rules and regulations of the board prescribing the qualifications for an assisted living administrator license, issue a license to an assisted living administrator who has been issued a license by the proper authorities of any other state or issued a certificate of qualification by any national organization, upon complying with the provisions of licensure, payment of a fee established by the board pursuant to its rule-making authority, and upon submission of evidence satisfactory to the board of all of the following:

(1) That the other state or national organization maintained a system and standards of qualification and examinations for an assisted living administrator license or certificate which were substantially equivalent to those required in this state at the time the other license or certificate was issued by the other state or national organization.

(2) That the other state gives similar recognition and endorsement to assisted living administrator licenses of this state. The board may charge a fee for completion of a reciprocity questionnaire, pursuant to its rule-making authority.

(b) Any person who has a license in good standing in this state, and continuously maintains such license as a licensed nursing home administrator, shall be exempt from the licensure requirement herein if the person at the time of application has responsibility for administration of an assisted living facility subject to the following conditions:

(1) If the person wishes to also be issued a license as an assisted living administrator, the person shall pay an annual administrative fee as determined by the board and document initially and annually thereafter the good standing of the nursing home administrator license.

(2) If any person requests an exemption from the licensure requirements provided herein during the initial 18-month licensing period described in subsection (a) of Section 34-2A-2, the initial license issued shall be a provisional license until the end of the 18-month period at which time, and thereafter, an active license shall be issued.

(3) Any assisted living administrator license issued according to subdivision (1) or subdivision (2) of this subsection shall become void if the requisite nursing home administrator license becomes void. Further, the license shall become inactive, as described in subsection (e) of Section 34-2A-12, if the licensee no longer has responsibility for an assisted living facility. After 12 months in inactive status, the license shall expire and become void.

(c) Any person who is an administrator/chief executive officer of an acute care hospital in this state shall be exempt from the licensure requirement herein if the person at the time of application has responsibility for administration of an assisted living facility subject to the following conditions:

(1) If the person wishes to also be issued a license as an assisted living administrator, the person shall pay an annual administrative fee as determined by the board and document initially and annually thereafter their continued employment as an administrator/chief executive officer of an acute care hospital.

(2) If any person requests an exemption from the licensure requirements provided herein during the initial 18-month licensing period described in subsection (a) of Section 34-2A-2, the initial license issued shall be a provisional license until the end of the 18-month period at which time, and thereafter, an active license shall be issued.

(3) Any assisted living administrator license issued according to subdivision (1) or subdivision (2) of this subsection shall become void if the person no longer is the administrator/chief executive officer of a hospital. Further, the license shall become inactive, as described in subsection (e) of Section 34-2A-12 if the licensee no longer has responsibility for an assisted living facility. After 12 months in inactive status, the license shall expire and become void.

(4) For the purpose of this subsection, the term "acute care hospital" shall be defined as a health institution planned, organized, and maintained for offering to the public generally facilities and beds for use in the diagnosis and/or treatment of illness, disease, injury, deformity, abnormality, or pregnancy, when the institution offers such care of service for not less than 24 consecutive hours in any week to two or more individuals not related by blood or marriage to the owner and/or chief executive officer/administrator and, in addition, the hospital may provide for the education of patients, medical and health personnel, as well as conduct research programs to promote progress and efficiency in clinical and administrative medicine.

(Act 2001-1057, 4th Sp. Sess., p. 1032, §11; Act 2015-319, §1.)