What is the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board?
The primary mission of the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board (NCASPPB) is to:
- To establish standards for professional practice in the alcoholism and addiction service delivery systems,
- To provide a means by which individuals certified under these standards may be recognized and identified as possessing the necessary competencies as professionals in the field of alcoholism and addictions counseling,
- To establish a means by which alcoholism and addiction professionals may demonstrate their integrity and credibility to the general public and to other health care professionals.
What is the complaint process?
Once a complaint has been submitted to the NCASPPB, there will be an investigation on the matter of the complaint and who the complaint was made on.Upon completion of the investigation, the ethics committee chairperson in consultation with the investigating entity may determine that:
- the complaint is without merit. The chairperson shall notify the complainant that the complaint is dismissed and shall notify the respondent of the dismissal; and
- upon completion of an investigation wherein the complaint is not dismissed, the Ethics Committee chairperson may:
- offer an informal resolution pursuant to G.S. 150B-22;
- schedule a meeting with the respondent;
- refer the report to the ethics committee or its hearing panel;
- schedule a hearing before the Board; or
- the chairperson may take a voluntary dismissal of the case where the respondent relinquishes his or her credential for an agreed upon period of time.
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- dismiss the complaint;
- remand the matter to the investigating entity in order to obtain additional evidence sufficient upon which to base a decision;
- make a written offer of informal resolution;
- schedule a meeting with the respondent whereby the dispute may be settled through informal procedures; or
- schedule a disciplinary hearing before the Board.
What do I do now?
After carefully reading the letter and documents sent from the NCASPPB about what actions they are choosing to take, the licensee should contact an attorney.
The main thing a licensee should remember is do not panic. Receiving a letter from a licensing board can be a scary thing. There are a number of outcomes that can affect your livelihood. However, responding in an articulate and well thought out manner can drastically help reduce your chances of license discipline.
Nothing in this blog post is legal advice or establishes the attorney-client relationship. This is for informational purposes only. If you’d like to learn more about professional licensing issues in North Carolina check out our site at www.northstatelawfirm.com or our YouTube site here. 919-521-8810 is the direct line to North State Law.