Section 124-9-009 - Professional Development Hours (PDH)009.01 Required PDHs for Certificate Renewal. A certified professional will successfully complete a minimum of 12 PDHs of continuing education during every two-year certificate period.009.01A For a certificate issued in the first or even numbered year of the two-year certificate period a certified professional will successfully complete a minimum of 12 PDHs of continuing education during the first certificate period.009.01B For certificates issued in the second or odd numbered year of the two-year certificate period there are no PDH requirements until the next 2-year cycle.009.01C PDHs completed within 30 days prior to obtaining initial certification by examination will be accepted for the purposes of complying with the PDH requirement for certificate renewal.009.02 A PDH is to be recorded to the nearest quarter-hour (15 minutes).009.03 A maximum of six PDHs acquired in excess of the minimum hours required during any certificate cycle may be carried over into the next two-year certificate cycle. If a certificate has expired and the late renewal period has lapsed there can be no carryover of PDHs.009.04 All PDHs for certificate renewal will be from courses or programs approved by the Department. These courses or programs must be appropriate, directly associated with the onsite wastewater industry or related workplace safety, cover topics related to the responsibilities carried on by the certified professional, and provide information or training that serves to enhance a certified professional's knowledge of and ability to perform activities that protect the public health and the environment.009.04A Any person may submit to the Department a proposed program or course for approval to be counted as PDHs. The submission of a proposed course or program is to be at least 60 days prior to the date the proposed program or course is offered for presentation. The Department may request additional information as determined necessary to fully evaluate the proposed course or program. The Department will evaluate and determine the number of professional development hours that a certified professional can claim for successful, documented completion of the course or program.009.04B A maximum of two professional development hours in each two-year certification cycle may be from pre-approved courses peripheral to the actual activity of the onsite wastewater industry such as business tax law, accounting, insurance, or first aid training. For the purposes of PDHs, work place safety and protection of work activities will be considered directly related to the actual activity of the onsite wastewater industry.009.05 Continuing education records are to be maintained by the certified professional and submitted to the Department as part of application for certificate renewal. Continuing education records including evidence of participation are to be retained by the certified professional for a minimum of three years and are to be submitted to the Department upon request. 009.06 The Department may waive or exempt a certified professional from continuing education requirements or extend the period for completion of the required continuing education, in whole or in part, for any period for which the certified professional submits documentation supporting an exemption for circumstances beyond his or her control which prevented completion of such requirements.124 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 9, § 009
Amended effective 6/27/2022