Because of recent findings in the audits the division performed with the assistance of the Continuing Education Advisory Committee, this bulletin provides additional guidance to assist licensees in complying with the biennial 24 continuing education (CE) credit hour requirement. It also informs course sponsors and providers of what they must do to ensure that courses offered will be accepted for CE credit.

Recent audits reveal that some credits claimed do not fall within any of the general subject categories listed in 3 AAC 23.105. Credits may only be claimed for courses that contribute directly to the professional competence of the licensee. The course of study must be in a general subject area listed in 3 AAC 23.105. Training that is provided on a computer (either through the Internet or on a disk) must be specific to an area of professional technical expertise to be accepted for CE credit. Training on the operation of computer hardware or software is not acceptable for CE credit.

If you are selected for an audit, you will be required to provide supporting documentation to verify the CE credit hours you claimed on your renewal. We recommend that each licensee retain a log or workbook listing the time that was spent on each course taken. The course sponsor, provider, or other independent third party will also be required to verify the CE credit hours you have claimed.

To verify the CE credit hours claimed, you must provide sufficient documentation to prove that you completed the program. Except for programs listed in 3 AAC 23.125, to determine the number of credit hours you can claim for a course, calculate the total number of minutes you actually spent on the course and divide that number by 50. The division will accept a certificate of completion, work papers, grade or test results, a purchase receipt for the course, course materials, copies of computer printout screens that indicate sign in and sign out times, or a personal logbook as adequate documentation to prove that the licensee completed a course or program. For a self-study program, including an instructional video or instruction by electronic means, the division will also accept a signed statement from an individual third party attesting that the licensee completed the program.

Any CE credits claimed for academic or nonacademic programs requiring class attendance must meet the requirements of 3 AAC 23.105 and, under 3AAC.23.110, the sponsor or provider of the course must:

prepare a course outline in advance of presenting the program and retain it for four years;

provide a program that is a minimum of one contact hour, which is 50 minutes of continuous instruction or participation;

ensure that the program is conducted by a qualified instructor;

retain a record of registration and attendance for four years that has been signed by each attendee; and

retain biographical information on each qualified instructor for four years after the instructor has presented the program.

When requested as part of recent audits, some sponsors or providers have not submitted all the documentation required under 3 AAC 23.110 to verify the credit hours claimed by a licensee. To date, the division has been lenient in accepting the credit hours claimed, but from now on,

IF THE SPONSOR, PROVIDER, OR OTHER INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY CANNOT PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION TO VERIFY THE CREDIT HOURS YOU CLAIM, WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THOSE CREDITS. You should make sure that the sponsor or provider of a course you take complies with all the requirements of 3AAC 23.110 so proof of your credits can be verified if you are selected for audit.

The regulations and other information pertaining to CE may be accessed on the Internet at www.commerce.state.ak.us/insurance/coned. We encourage you to review this material to ensure that you will fully meet the continuing education requirements when you renew your license.

DATED: July 8, 1999

John R. Ference
Acting Director

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Revised 08/09/99