All references to the executive director in this section shall allow for the delegation of authority by the executive director to other staff members. An application for registration shall be handled in the following manner and order:

1. (1) The application is received at the board office.
2. (2) The executive director shall review the application for completeness.

3. (3) The executive director shall:

   1. (A) accept the application as complete for processing and evaluating; or
   2. (B) accept the application and notify the applicant at the earliest possible time of deficient information and give the applicant 60 calendar days to complete the application. The executive director or designee may grant the applicant an additional 30-day period to submit any information identified as necessary to complete the application. If the applicant does not submit all documents required in the time allowed for such submittals, the application shall be administratively withdrawn and further processing performed in accordance with §134.89 of this chapter (relating to Processing of Administratively Withdrawn Applications).

4. (4) Once an application is complete, the executive director shall review and evaluate the qualifications found in the application and determine whether the applicant should interview with the licensing and registration committee or whether the application should be:

   1. (A) approved;
   2. (B) denied; or
   3. (C) referred to the Licensing and Registration Committee in accordance with §134.93 of this chapter (relating to Personal Interviews of Applicants).
5. (5) The executive director may approve the application without further board review unless the application is accompanied by an unfavorable recommendation by one or more reference providers.

6. (6) The executive director may deny an application for registration without further board review if the applicant does not:

   1. (A) have sufficient years of experience to qualify for registration;
   2. (B) have an education acceptable to the board as prescribed in §134.31 of this chapter (relating to Educational Requirement for Applicants);
   3. (C) pass an examination within the time allotted; or
   4. (D) complete the application and it becomes administratively withdrawn for more than six months.
7. (7) An application for registration that cannot be approved or denied by the executive director pursuant to paragraphs (5) and (6) of this section shall be referred to the Licensing and Registration Committee in accordance with §134.93 of this chapter (relating to Personal Interviews of Applicants).

Source Note:The provisions of this §134.83 adopted to be effective December 30, 2020, 45 TexReg 9513.