CHAPTER 376
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS

      Sec. 20-71. Licensure without examination. Physical therapists and physical therapy assistants. (a) The Department of Public Health may issue a license to practice physical therapy without examination, on payment of a fee of two hundred twenty-five dollars, to an applicant who is a physical therapist registered or licensed under the laws of any other state or territory of the United States, any province of Canada or any other country, if the requirements for registration or licensure of physical therapists in such state, territory, province or country are deemed by the department to be equivalent to, or higher than those prescribed in this chapter.

      (b) The department may issue a physical therapist assistant license without examination, on payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars, to an applicant who is a physical therapist assistant registered or licensed under the laws of any other state or territory of the United States, any province of Canada or any other country, if the requirements for registration or licensure of physical therapist assistants in such state, territory, province or country are deemed by the department to be equivalent to, or higher than those prescribed in this chapter.

      (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 20-70, prior to April 30, 2007, the commissioner may issue a physical therapist assistant license to any applicant who presents evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having completed twenty years of employment as a physical therapist assistant prior to October 1, 1989, on payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars.

      (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 20-70, the commissioner may issue a physical therapist assistant license to any applicant who presents evidence satisfactory to the commissioner of having registered as a physical therapist assistant with the Department of Public Health on or before April 1, 2006, on payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars.

      (1949 Rev., S. 4404; 1953, S. 2207d; 1959, P.A. 575, S. 3; 616, S. 22; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 385, 610; P.A. 81-473, S. 18, 43; P.A. 89-251, S. 80, 203; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 21, 117; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-271, S. 27, 40; P.A. 00-226, S. 14, 20; P.A. 06-195, S. 47; P.A. 07-252, S. 26, 27.)

      History: 1959 acts increased fee in Subsec. (a) from $10 and added Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services and required that qualifying examination be acceptable to commissioner of health services as well as to board of examiners in Subsec. (b), effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 81-473 amended section to permit the department, with the consent of the board, to set fees for licensure by endorsement and to conform licensing procedures with those of other health professions under sunset review process begun in 1980; P.A. 89-251 set the application fee at $150, where previously fee was set by department with board's consent; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 raised license fee from $150 to $225; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-271 deleted the requirement that the foreign state, etc., grant reciprocity, deleted former Subsec. (b) re licensure without examination based on certain schooling and made a technical change; P.A. 00-226 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), making technical changes therein, and added new Subsec. (b) re issuance of physical therapist assistant license without examination, effective the later of October 1, 2000, or the date notice is published by the Commissioner of Public Health in the Connecticut Law Journal indicating that the licensing of athletic trainers and physical therapist assistants is being implemented by the commissioner, i.e. April 11, 2006; P.A. 06-195 deleted former Subsec. (b)(2) and (3) re conditions for granting physical therapist assistant licenses without examination and added Subsecs. (c) and (d) re physical therapist assistant licensure without examination for applicants who have either completed 20 years of employment as a physical therapist assistant before October 1, 1989, or registered as a physical therapist assistant with Department of Public Health on or before April 1, 2006, effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-252 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to give department complete discretion in determining whether the qualifications of applicants for licensure without examination who are licensed or registered in another jurisdiction are equivalent to, or higher than, those prescribed in chapter.

      Sec. 20-73b. Continuing education requirements. Waivers and extensions. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, each physical therapist licensed pursuant to this chapter shall complete a minimum of twenty hours of continuing education during each registration period. For purposes of this section, registration period means the twelve-month period for which a license has been renewed in accordance with section 19a-88 and is current and valid. The continuing education shall be in areas related to the individual's practice. Qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not limited to, courses offered or approved by the American Physical Therapy Association or any component of the American Physical Therapy Association, a hospital or other licensed health care institution or a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

      (b) Each licensee shall obtain a certificate of completion from the provider of continuing education activities for all continuing education hours successfully completed. Each licensee shall maintain such written documentation for a minimum of three years following the license renewal date for which the activity satisfies continuing education requirements. Certificates of completion shall be submitted by the licensee to the Department of Public Health not later than forty-five days after a request by said department for such certificates. A licensee who fails to comply with the continuing education requirements may be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to section 20-73a.

      (c) The continuing education requirements shall be waived for licensees applying for licensure renewal for the first time. The department may, for a licensee who has a medical disability or illness, grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements or may grant the licensee an extension of time in which to fulfill the requirements, provided the licensee submits to the Department of Public Health an application for waiver or extension of time on a form prescribed by said department, along with a certification by a licensed physician of the disability or illness and such other documentation as may be required by said department. The Department of Public Health may grant a waiver or extension for a period not to exceed one registration period, except that said department may grant additional waivers or extensions if the medical disability or illness upon which a waiver or extension is granted continues beyond the period of the waiver or extension and the licensee applies to said department for an additional waiver or extension.

      (P.A. 03-209, S. 5; P.A. 06-125, S. 4; P.A. 07-252, S. 42.)

      History: P.A. 06-125 made a conforming change in Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (b) by establishing deadline for submission of certificates of completion to Department of Public Health of not later than 45 days after a department request, and amended Subsec. (c) by requiring department to develop form application for waivers and extensions based on medical disability or illness, requiring applications to be supported by medical certification, limiting length of extensions to one registration period and allowing for the granting of additional waivers or extensions; P.A. 07-252 amended Subsec. (a) to specify activities that qualify as continuing education activities, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 20-73d. Professional liability insurance required. Reports from insurance companies. (a) Each person licensed to practice physical therapy under the provisions of this chapter who provides direct patient care services shall maintain professional liability insurance or other indemnity against liability for professional malpractice. The amount of insurance which each such person shall carry as insurance or indemnity against claims for injury or death for professional malpractice shall not be less than five hundred thousand dollars for one person, per occurrence, with an aggregate of not less than one million five hundred thousand dollars.

      (b) Each insurance company that issues professional liability insurance, as defined in subdivision (10) of subsection (b) of section 38a-393, shall on and after January 1, 2007, render to the Commissioner of Public Health a true record of the names and addresses, according to classification, of cancellations of and refusals to renew professional liability insurance policies and the reasons for such cancellations or refusals to renew said policies for the year ending on the thirty-first day of December next preceding.

      (P.A. 06-195, S. 83; P.A. 07-252, S. 28.)

      History: P.A. 07-252 made technical changes in Subsec. (b).