Anyone ever get their license back after revocation?

Nurses Recovery

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OK, hope I'm doing this right. Now that I have some clean time, I am considering getting my nursing license back. I have no idea how to go about this. I "failed" IPN (FL) in 2002, -that was my last year of practice as an RN. After surrendering my license, in a fog, it was later revoked. I do not have the courage to start making calls yet, but would like to know if anyone has had a similar situation. If so, what steps did you take? Appreciate your help. * I am not asking for any legal advice.* Just maybe some personal, anonymous experience-sharing. Thanks. :bugeyes:

And how do I "subscribe" to this topic?:bowingpur

thanks and God bless.

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the nursing board told my wife that she would have to go through the process of getting her license back in order to get off the exclusion list, even though she is going back to college to be a dental hygenist, this does not make sense to me. does anyone know if this is correct?????

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what i do know is this - (my experience) After i got my nursing license reinstated i did get off the OIG list. My Nursing Board gave me the web address to request the forms online, which I did, and in a matter of a few weeks I got a letter in the mail stating I was off the list. What I also do know is - do not accept the answer your wife got from her state board as the truth regarding what they told her she would have to do, go one step further and get your own "version of the truth" from the source (OIG people), as how she can get off exclusion list. from my experience once I opened up a line of communication with the OIG people they were very helpful and had my best interest.

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Specializes in Surgical Intensive Care.

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for." I agree with the others in saying that it is best to have an attorney represent your interests and be your advocate when you are dealing with the state board. I know it is not cheap, but payment plans may be an option. The attorney should have experience in handling nursing board related matters. The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (of which I am a member) has a referral list and many of the nurse attorneys do have experience in representing nurses before the nursing board. As far as getting your license back, check the order of revocation to see if it stated how long of a period had to pass before you could re-apply for your license. The primary thing that any board is going to be interested in is your recovery and what evidence you can present on that issue including participation in any treatment programs and continued sobriety. The nursing board websites for each state offer a wealth of information. Take some time and review the website and your particular state's rules. The nursing board staff can and will answer your questions but keep in mind that they are their to protect the public's welfare, not your license. Even if you are able to get your license re-instated, be prepared that it may be granted with conditions including monitoring and certain restrictions on your practice. Best wishes. (These are my personal opinions, not legal advice.)

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the nursing board told my wife that she would have to go through the process of getting her license back in order to get off the exclusion list, even though she is going back to college to be a dental hygenist, this does not make sense to me. does anyone know if this is correct?????

No it makes absolutely NO sense, but this is the only way to get off the OIG list. I am in the same boat and have looked into this, and have never seen a reversal from the judge.

My thoughts on this whole scam would take a mini novel. and everyt time I am reminded of this I get all worked up.

I am not familiar with dentists accepting medicare and medicaid payments. I know there are a few that take state medicaid, but most don't and as far as I know, medicare does not cover dental work.

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I know your feelings exactly about the OIG. so totally Draconian. why was your wife put on the OIG list in the firstplace? I got put on by being reported by a nursing home for insubordination of duites as an LPN. funny story-I can look back now and chuckle- two weeks out of nursing school, was trying to figure out how to do a sterile dressing to a bed sore in a pt.'s coccyx, rolled the pt. over (tiny 90 yr. old female) on her side, lifted up her butt cheek and couldnt figure out how to keep the butt cheek up so heating lamp(way back in the day when they still used heating lamps for bed sores)could penentrate down. So I took a light weight peice of paper tape and taped pt.'s butt cheek to bed side rail to hold butt cheek up. I left the room for one second to get something, (scissors maybe?), and just then a CNA or another nurse walked by and saw this pt. taped to rail. The next day I was called into DON's office and they had to let me go because what it looked like I did was restraining the pt. In turn, that facility reported to nursing board and in turn they report to OIG. thats how i got welcomed into the profession of nursing. another incident...fast foward about 5 years... I failed a U/A when I was active in addiction and had to voluntarily surrender my license and i do believe this kind of activity gets reported to OIG as well. I do believe the OIG wants to see that you are rehabilitated or have recitified your wrongs. As far as the medicare and medicaid reimbursement and payments...I was stumped on that too, as I am just an LPN working for a LTC facility and never entered into payee contracts from patients on medicare. what they are looking here for is (I believe) is fraudulant activity. But if this doesnt apply to you then there are boxes on the form that you check that say N/A (not applicable). The form I filled out was about 10 pages long, had to get it notorized, and sent in certified mail. I called up the OIG people and they helped me fill the form out. You posted that all this makes "absolutely no sense" and i concur, on some level with you. But what i have learned...alot of things make no sense to me at all either, but when it comes to the people who are holding your livlihood on the line, just roll with it, jump through the hoops, so you can live to tell about it and move foward. just dont give up.

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Specializes in ICU, PICU, School Nursing, Case Mgt.

Thank you, I am going through the oig nightmare right now. I have sent my paperwork back--all 40 pages of it, including reference letters. I was placed on the list over something that happened in another state over 8 years ago. My currentlicense in the state I live in is "free and clear" however, oig cought up with this somehow . I obviously have had NO fradulent dealing with medicare, just a mark on another state's license. Does anyone know what my odds are of cming off the list? The people have been very helpful, but this has now led to my current license being involved. I have just opened a file with Fl. IPN.

THIS IS A NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH I CANNOT WAKE UP.

Can someone tell me if I can ever work again?

Any info will be appreciated.

SWS RN

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Specializes in ICU, PICU, School Nursing, Case Mgt.

Could you please find my post of tonight and read and reply to it? I am just too upset to write anymore. It's under replies to other IPN and OIG posts. FROM

SWS RN

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based on my experience with the OIG, (got my name off list) odds of your name coming off the list are pretty good, and from what I hear from other nurses in recovery, thier names came off list too. just do exactly what they ask of you even if it seems strange and uncanny and makes no sense at all (i.e., I too had no fraudulent dealings with medicare) hope this helps.

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Actually, I must disagree with the above response, that is "it only makes sense to be on the exclsuoin list as payments are directly related to your license". This is not true as the scope and span of this exclusion list reaches much farther than that.

First and foremost, as a recovering addict who lost her license due to addiction, I was not told about this list. The ADA makes it illegal for any employer to ban a recovering addict from employment, yet when the balanced budget act was passed in 1997, they included all heath care professionals who had lost their license regardless of the reason, effectively barring them from an entire industry.

To find yourself on a list that was initially creayed for individuals who intentionally and feloniously defrauded the government because of an illness IS DRACONIAN. I can not work in a physician's office (in any capacity) would not be able to work in a hospital as a JANITOR, nor for any pharmaceuitcal or insurance company. Point being, you are barred from working ina an entire industry even in positions where it is not necessary to have a license.

Furthermore, I may not want my license back, but I find it completely irrational that the governement can be this punitive to sick individuals as a way to impose fines and collect money. I have NEVER been in trouble legally, yet now anytime a background check for employment is run on me, this pops up as a big, electronic "scarlet a" and they assume that I must have done something really bad and am subsequently denied employment.

To any of you who think this is fair or reasonable, you may want to re-think your position. NO OTHER industry has this kind of repurcussions for a lost license. This is literally ruining lives and making people lose hope.

I beg ANY of you who have been affected by this, contact your senators, congressman, and whoever else will listen. It is prejudicial and ruining lives

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Specializes in oncology.

I'm an RN from Michigan. I was in HPRP (health professional recovery program). I was non compliant, and was kicked out. I waited until I had 6 yrs clean time. I recently got my license full and unlimited. What you need to do first is call your board of nursing, tell them your story and that you want to get your license back. Ask what do I need to do. DON"T BE EMBARRASSED YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You will type a letter explaining what happened, what you did to correct it. what you are doing now. Include: name address phone # social security number nursing license#. They will send you a packet explaining the steps you need to take. Be brave believe in yourself, attitude is everything. If you believe that you can't you will subconsciously set things up to sabotage yourself. Go for it. What is the worst that could happen? I am back in HPRP and doing amazingly well. If you don't ask you don't get.

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I have received the packet from the OIG to be removed from the exclusion list. Before getting this, i sent the letters from sponsor, friends, famil and the director of a halfway house where i completed six months of treatment. The application has them contacting past and previous employers. Can you imagine if your employer got a call from the OIG?! That issue there would have your job lost. I offered to submit a hair sample in lieu as well as access to my addictionologist, but they insists the only way for removal is to contact employers.

My point is that it is an extremely punitive and big brother like to put people on this list, especially non-felonious, and no issues with defrauding the government, simply a disease. UNBELIEVABLE that our government has this kind a capacity to ruin lives of sick and recovering individuals.

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