2024 Medical Doctor Renewal FAQs for Physicians not Licensed Pursuant to the IMLC (Traditional Pathway Licensees Whose Last Names Begin With the Letters A - L)
Effective at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on June 30, 2024, all current licenses for physicians whose last names begin with the letters A through L (“A through L physicians”) will expire unless successfully renewed during the Board’s renewal period.
License renewal for A through L physicians begins on May 1, 2024 at 8:30 am, and ends promptly at 4:30 pm EDT on Friday, June 28, 2024. Failure to renew by this deadline will result in licensure expiration. Because there is no grace period for practice after expiration, the Board strongly encourages early renewal to avoid unexpected problems or delays in renewal completion.
Renewal Process and Fees
- Do I need to renew my license in 2024?
- How do I renew my license?
- Can I use my mobile device to renew my license?
- Who can renew my license for me?
- How much does it cost to renew my license?
- How do I pay my renewal fee?
- How do I know if my renewal fee payment was accepted?
- What happens if my payment fails?
- Can my practice group pay for all renewing physicians with one credit card transaction?
- Is the Board’s online renewal site secure?
- What is a Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration?
- I have a Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration for the office-based dispensing and/or administering of controlled substances. Does it renew when I renew my medical license?
Getting Started
- What information do I need to have handy when I fill out my renewal application?
- What is my login information for renewal?
- How can I find my WVBOM license number?
- The renewal application login screen won’t let me in. What do I do now?
- Will I need to upload documents to complete my renewal application?
- Do I have to finish my renewal application all at once?
- How do I get my wallet card?
- Can you fax or mail a copy of my wallet card to me or my employer?
License Status
- What is an inactive status license, and what does that mean in West Virginia?
- Can I change my license status during renewal?
- I changed my status to inactive on my application by mistake. How do I fix this?
- I changed my license status from active to inactive on my application, so why does my Board profile still have me listed as active?
- I am not interested in keeping my West Virginia license. Do I need to renew?
- I don’t want to keep my West Virginia license, but I do have a complaint with the Board that has not yet been resolved. What happens if I let my license expire?
- I can’t finish my renewal application by 4:30 pm EDT on Friday, June 28, 2024. What happens now?
- My license expired on June 30, 2024. How do I get it back?
- How long does it take to get a license reinstated?
- Can I practice while the Board processes my reinstatement application?
- My license expired on June 30, 2024 and I am scheduled to work next week. Can my reinstatement application be expedited?
General Application Questions
- Why are you asking me about my child support?
- Can I review the Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Questions before I get to that part of the on-line application?
- Why do you want to know my anticipated retirement date?
- I was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving on New Year’s Eve in 2022. The charges were bogus and were later dismissed. Do I need to report this on my renewal?
- What malpractice will I be required to report during renewal?
- I am a voluntary confidential participant in the WVMPHP. Do I have to report this on my renewal application?
- I’ve already renewed, but I have new information that changes one of my answers. What do I do?
Continuing Medical Education
- Are there CME requirements for renewal?
- How much and what kind of CME do I need?
- I am Board certified. Do I have to do CME?
- I am a resident/fellow. Do I have to do CME?
- I have an inactive license. Do I have to do CME?
- Can I renew my license in May and finish up my CME after I renew?
- Who has to take the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME?
- I think I have only written one controlled substance prescription since July 1, 2022. Am I eligible for a waiver of the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME?
- I only prescribe controlled substances outside of West Virginia. Am I eligible for a waiver of the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME?
- I have not prescribed any controlled substances whatsoever since July 1, 2022. How do I get a waiver of the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME?
- I took a Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME in May or June of 2022. Do I have to take it again?
- I took three one-hour prescribing CMEs last year. Do these courses satisfy the prescribing course requirement?
- I took a Controlled Substance CME for my license renewal in another state. Can I use this course to satisfy West Virginia’s prescribing CME requirement?
- How can I find a Board-approved course?
- Has the Board approved any online courses that satisfy the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement?
Registration with the Controlled Substance Monitoring Program Database
- What is the CSMP and what does it have to do with renewing my medical license?
- Is my CSMP registration the same as my DEA registration?
- Who has to be registered with the CSMP for medical license renewal?
- I prescribe controlled substances, but not in West Virginia. Do I have to register with the CSMP?
- What information will I need about CSMP registration for my medical license renewal application?
- I can’t get my CSMP certificate from the Board of Pharmacy. What do I do?
- It’s June 28th and I am unable to get my CSMP registration completed by 4:30 pm. Can I just answer that I do not prescribe controlled substances to be able to complete my renewal and register with the CSMP next week?
Contact the Board
- Who can I call at the Board with a question about renewal?
- What email address should I use for questions about 2024 Renewal?
If your last name begins with the letters A through L, and you want to keep your West Virginia license after June 30, 2024, you need to apply for renewal during the 2024 renewal process.
All physicians must renew their license online.
The use of mobile devices, such as smart phones or tablets, is not recommended for licensure renewal.
You are the only person authorized to renew your license. The Board’s online license renewal application includes several certifications and attestations that require you to personally complete and submit your renewal application. Allowing anyone else to complete these certifications and/or attestations on your behalf can constitute misconduct and/or fraud.
The renewal fee is $400 for an active status license, and $150 for an inactive status license.
Once you complete your online renewal application, you will be directed to an online payment portal. Payment must be made online via credit card. No other methods of payment are accepted.
After you pay your renewal fee, you will receive an email receipt from the West Virginia Treasurer’s e-gov payment system at the email address you enter into the payment screen. Please open the receipt, which is provided as an attachment to the email, to verify that your payment was successfully submitted.
Your application is incomplete until your renewal fee payment is successfully submitted. Your renewal application, along with your payment, must be completed on or before Friday, June 28, 2024, at 4:30 pm EDT, or your license will expire.
No. Online payment is the last step in each individual application. Each physician must pay the fee individually.
Yes.
Physicians who dispense and/or administer controlled substances (including free samples) in an office-based setting must be registered with the Board as a Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner. To renew as a Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner first renew your medical license, then submit a 2024 Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration Renewal Application and make the appropriate payment by 4:30 pm EDT on Friday, June 28, 2024. For other questions regarding Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration, please review the 2024 Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration FAQs or email the Board.
No. If you currently have a Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration for one or more locations, your registration(s) will expire at 11:59 EDT on June 30, 2024. You must submit a paper application to renew an existing controlled substance dispensing practitioner registration or to obtain a new registration. All current registrants will receive an email renewal notification in April 2024.
In addition to your login credentials and method of payment, please make sure that you have any documents you may need to refer to in order to provide complete and accurate responses to the renewal application questions.
Be prepared to describe and provide documents related to any of the Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Questions that require you to provide an affirmative answer. You can be prepared by reviewing these questions in advance.
You will also need to have information handy to assist you in verifying your successful completion of CME.
If you have prescribed or dispensed controlled substances in West Virginia at any time since July 1, 2022, you must be registered to access the West Virginia Controlled Substance Monitoring Program (CSMP) database in order to renew your license. You will need the date of registration from your CSMP Registration Certificate to complete your renewal application.
To log in to your renewal application, you will need to input the following information on the Board’s secure renewal application login screen:
- Your last name on record with the Board;
- Your West Virginia Board of Medicine (WVBOM) medical license number; and
- The last four digits of your social security number.
If you do not remember your WVBOM medical license number, use the “Look up a Doctor or PA” search feature located on the Board’s website to obtain your number.
If the renewal application login screen indicates that your information does not match the information on file with the Board, please double check that you have entered your last name only in the name field. Your last name must exactly match your name as it appears on your licensee profile, including all hyphens and spaces. Do not include your suffix. You should also verify that you have input the correct data for your license number and your social security number (last four digits only). Most error messages are caused by the use of full names, incorrect spelling, and/or the inadvertent transposing of numbers.
Maybe. If you answer yes to certain Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Questions, you may be required to upload documents supporting or explaining your answer(s). Certain active members of the armed forces who are currently deployed may also upload documents in association with a request for payment and CME waivers. The Board’s renewal application supports uploading of the following file types: .pdf, .jpeg, .doc, .docx, .txt and .rtf files.
No. At the end of each renewal screen, you have the option to “save for later.” This will permit you to return to your application later without having to re-enter information into previously completed sections. The Board encourages you to review saved information when returning to your application. If you decide to save your application to finish at a later time, make sure you complete it before Friday, June 28, 2024 at 4:30 pm EDT to avoid license expiration.
Once your application is complete, it will be reviewed by Board staff to determine if additional information is needed. If you are required to submit additional information, you will be contacted by email. This is another reason why it is important to renew early.
If you have not heard from the Board within three business days, check your licensee profile on the Board’s website:
If your profile indicates an expiration date of June 30, 2026, your application is complete, and you may print your wallet card.
If your profile still shows an expiration date of June 30, 2024 after three business days, please check your email to see if the Board has attempted to contact you. If not, please email the Board to verify your contact information and to follow up regarding your application.
No. The Board will not fax, scan or mail a copy of your wallet card to anyone. After your application has been accepted, you can print your wallet card using the Print License feature on the Board’s home page.
If you hold an inactive status license, you cannot practice medicine or surgery, write prescriptions or administer prescription medications in West Virginia under any circumstances. This license status allows you to retain your West Virginia license while you practice in other states or during a period of clinical inactivity. You are still required to renew your license every two years, and you must complete all required CME during each license cycle.
Yes and no.
Yes, you can change your license status from active to inactive during renewal.
No, you cannot change your status from inactive to active during renewal. If your status is inactive when you renew, you may only renew as an inactive status licensee. If you want to change your status from inactive to active status you must submit a Change of Status Application in addition to your online renewal application. Please email the Board for instructions.
Please email the Board for instructions.
If you hold an active license when you renew, your license will remain in active status until 11:59 pm EDT on June 30, 2024. Your license will convert to inactive status beginning at midnight on July 1, 2024.
No. If you do not want to renew your West Virginia license, simply do nothing and it will expire at 11:59 pm EDT on June 30, 2024. Please be aware that license expiration while under investigation by the Board is reportable to the National Practitioner Data Bank.
If you permit your license to expire while the Board is investigating a complaint against you, your license expiration is reportable to the National Practitioner Data Bank for allowing your license to expire while under, or to avoid, investigation.
Your license will expire at 11:59 pm EDT on June 30, 2024. You may not practice medicine or surgery, write prescriptions or administer prescription drugs in West Virginia with an expired license under any circumstances.
Please renew early to allow for unforeseen circumstances. If you attempt to renew on June 28, 2024 and your application is incomplete, or your payment unexpectedly fails, you will not have time to complete your application or to correct the payment error, and your license will expire.
Between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, you may apply for reinstatement of an expired West Virginia license. The reinstatement application is similar to a renewal application, but it also requires submission of CME documentation. The reinstatement fee is $600 for an active status license. The reinstatement application will be posted on the Board’s website beginning July 1, 2024.
After July 1, 2025, you will need to apply for re-licensure to activate an expired license.
It depends. If your license expires and you apply for reinstatement in early July, please expect an interruption in your ability to practice. To avoid prolonged delays, please read the reinstatement instructions carefully, provide accurate and complete answers to all of the application questions, submit appropriate and complete CME documentation, and pay the correct fee.
If your reinstatement application includes discrepant information, it cannot be approved until after it is reviewed by the Licensure Committee. The first Licensure Committee meeting where reinstatement applications will be discussed is on July 15, 2024.
No. You cannot practice until your application has been approved.
No. Reinstatement applications will be processed in the order in which they are received.
West Virginia state law requires all licensing boards to ask applicants about court-ordered child support obligations.
Absolutely. The Board strongly encourages you to review and thoughtfully consider the Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Questions and your answers in advance of completing your application. Providing false, misleading or inaccurate answers to these questions can result in disciplinary action.
The West Virginia Legislature has tasked the Board with collecting retirement and practice data from renewal applicants to help in workforce planning. If you aren’t sure when you will retire, please provide your best estimate.
Question number two of the Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Questions asks:
2. During the last two-year registration period of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024 have you, in any jurisdiction, for any reason been charged with or convicted of or pled nolo contendere to any felony or misdemeanor?
You must answer yes to this question and provide a detailed explanation of the facts and circumstances if you have ever been charged with or convicted of (or pled no contest to) a felony or misdemeanor, even if the charge/conviction was bogus, dismissed, deferred or expunged.
You are required to report and explain the facts and circumstances surrounding any medical malpractice settlement or judgment rendered against you between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024. You can provide the case information, including case number, settlement/judgment amount, and circumstances in a text box on the application interface, or by uploading a document as an attachment to your application. If you renew early, and settle a case prior to July 1, 2024, email the Board for instructions on how to amend your application.
No. If you have a voluntary confidential agreement with the West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program and are in good standing with the WVMPHP, you do not have to report this on your renewal application, and you may answer “No” to Professional Practice, Character and Fitness Question Number 13.
If your answer to any application question should change for any reason prior to July 1, 2024, you have a duty to amend your application. Please email the Board for instructions on how to amend your application.
Yes. You cannot renew your license until you have completed your required CME for the July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 licensure cycle.
Mandatory Controlled Substance CME for all Licensees
If you have prescribed, administered, or dispensed any controlled substances pursuant to a West Virginia license between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024, you are required to complete 3-hours of Board-approved CME in drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application. This mandatory course can only be waived if you have not prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substances pursuant to a West Virginia license during this time frame. The Board maintains a list of all drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME courses that have been approved by the Board since July 1, 2022.
In addition to the mandatory drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training, there are four pathways to satisfy your CME obligation for this renewal cycle.
Option 1 Classic CME
Complete 50 hours of CME which is designated as Category I by the AMA or AAFP.
- 30 hours of your CME must be in your area(s) of specialty.
- You may count up to 20 hours of medical student teaching/preceptorship in your 50-hour total.
- Your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME can be used for 3 of your 50 CME hours.
Option 2 ABMS Certification/Recertification Exam
You may satisfy all of your CME requirements except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement if you sit for and pass a certification or recertification examination of an ABMS member board and receive certification or recertification between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application.
Option 3 Active Participation in MOC
You may satisfy all of your CME requirements except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement if you can provide documentation of successful involvement in maintenance of certification (MOC) from an ABMS member board between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application.
Option 4 One Full Year of ACGME Approved Training
You may satisfy all of your required CME hours except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement if you can provide documentation of successful completion of one full year of ACGME approved postgraduate training between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application.
Yes. Board certification does not excuse you from CME requirements. However, you may satisfy all of your CME requirements except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement if you: (1) pass a certification or recertification examination of an ABMS member board and receive certification or recertification between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application; or (2) you can provide documentation of successful involvement in maintenance of certification (MOC) from an ABMS member board between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application.
You may satisfy all of your required CME hours except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME requirement if you can provide documentation of successful completion of one full year of ACGME approved postgraduate training between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application.
Yes. An inactive status license does not excuse you from the CME requirements.
No. You are not eligible to renew your license until you have completed your required CME for the July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024 licensure cycle. Your CME must be complete at the time you submit your renewal application.
If you have prescribed, administered, or dispensed any controlled substance whatsoever pursuant to your West Virginia license between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024, you are required to complete 3-hours of Board-approved CME in drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training between July 1, 2022 and the date you submit your renewal application. This mandatory course can only be waived if you have not prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substances whatsoever pursuant to your West Virginia license during this time frame. The Board maintains a list of all drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME courses that have been approved by the Board since July 1, 2022.
No, you are not eligible for a waiver. If you have prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substances whatsoever pursuant to your West Virginia license since July 1, 2022, this CME is mandatory for license renewal.
You are eligible for a waiver if you have not prescribed any controlled substances in West Virginia or to patients who are located in West Virginia.
You can request a waiver on the CME portion of your renewal application by making the appropriate attestation.
Yes. You have to take this mandatory CME every renewal cycle unless you are eligible for a waiver. Your May or June 2022 course cannot be used this cycle. To satisfy the requirement for your current renewal, you must have taken the course on or after July 1, 2022.
Maybe. To satisfy this mandatory CME requirement, your course must appear on the Board-approved list. There is currently one Board approved course that is a three part series and can be used to satisfy this CME requirement.
No. To satisfy this mandatory CME requirement, your course must appear on the Board-approved list.
The Board maintains a list of all drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME courses that have been approved by the Board since July 1, 2022.
Yes. Online courses are included on the Board’s approved list.
The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy’s Controlled Substance Monitoring Program (CSMP) is an online controlled substance prescription dispensing data collection and tracking system. Under certain circumstances, prescribers are required to review patient information in association with making prescribing decisions. Pursuant to state law, if you prescribe or dispense any controlled substances pursuant to your West Virginia medical license, you must obtain and maintain access to the CSMP database.
If you have prescribed or dispensed any controlled substances in West Virginia at any time since July 1, 2022, you must be registered to access the CSMP database in order to renew your license. You will need the date of registration from your CSMP Registration Certificate to complete your renewal application.
No. Your DEA registration is completely different from your registration to access the Board of Pharmacy’s CSMP database.
If you prescribe or dispense Schedule II, III, IV and/or V controlled substances pursuant to your West Virginia medical license, you must obtain and maintain access to the CSMP database.
No. If you do not prescribe or dispense any controlled substances pursuant to your West Virginia medical license, you do not need to register with the CSMP.
You will need to know the date you originally registered with the CSMP for access to the database. This date appears on your CSMP Registration Certificate issued by the Board of Pharmacy.
Please contact the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
No. Providing false information on an application for any reason is a fraudulent act and may result in disciplinary action against your license. If you are unable to truthfully comply with all renewal requirements by the June 28, 2024 renewal deadline, you cannot renew. A license reinstatement application will be available on the Board’s website on July 1, 2024.
Prior to contacting the Board, please review the renewal FAQs carefully before reaching out to the Board with questions. The overwhelming majority of telephone inquiries the Board received regarding renewal in 2023 were resolvable by reviewing the 2023 Renewal FAQs and other information readily available on the Board’s website. Please email questions that cannot be resolved via the FAQs to wvbom@wv.gov.
If this email link does not work with your browser or email account, please email the Board at wvbom@wv.gov.
