TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Hundreds of Georgia registered nurses have holds on their license renewals due to a new law requiring them to submit documents verifying their citizenship.
The law was amended in 2011 and requires registered nurses (RN) to submit secure and verifiable documentation of their U.S. citizenship/qualified alien status when applying for their first license or renewing an existing one.
Though Ga. officials say that The Nursing Board worked to make sure that all licensees knew about the new requirements, more than 3,500 RNs have holds on their account due to unsubmitted documents.
If a licensee submitted a renewal application on or before January 31, 2013, the license status should change to “Active-Renewal Pending” while the staff awaits the submission of the required renewal documentation. However, this doesn't mean the license is inactive or invalid.
RN's who haven't submitted their documents with all of the required paperwork only have a few days to fix the issue. All documentation for licensees who submitted a renewal application before January 31, 2013, must be submitted/postmarked by Friday, February 8. After that date, none will be accepted, and the licensee will have to complete the reinstatement process.
