2025 Physician Assistant Renewal
Effective at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on March 31, 2025, all current licenses for physician assistants will expire unless successfully renewed during the Board’s renewal period.
License renewal for physician assistants begins on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 8:30 am, and ends promptly at 4:30 pm EDT on March 31, 2025. 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.
Physician Assistant Renewal FAQs
Renewal Process and Fees
- Do I need to renew my license in 2025?
- 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 employer pay for all renewing physician assistants 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 of controlled substances. Does it renew when I renew my physician assistant license?
- My NCCPA certification is expired. Can I renew?
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?
- 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 renewed license?
- Can you fax or mail a copy of my renewed license to me or my employer?
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 retirement date?
- I was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving on New Year’s Eve in 2024. 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 West Virginia Medical Professionals Health Program (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 (CME)
- Are there CME requirements for renewal?
- How much and what kind of CME do I need?
- I am NCCPA certified. Do I have to do CME?
- I received my initial NCCPA registration in 2023. Do I have to do CME?
- Can I renew my license in February 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 April 1, 2023. 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 April 1, 2023. How do I get a waiver of the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME?
- I was granted an initial license after April 1, 2024. 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 March of 2023. Do I have to take it again?
- 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?
- I was required to complete an eight-hour CME training to fulfill my DEA obligations, does the training that I took to satisfy my DEA obligations fulfill my Board of Medicine drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training requirement?
Registration with the Controlled Substance Monitoring Program Database
- What is the CSMP and what does it have to do with renewing my license?
- Is my CSMP registration the same as my DEA registration?
- Who has to be registered with the CSMP for 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 license renewal
- I can’t get my CSMP certificate from the Board of Pharmacy. What do I do?
- It’s March 31th 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?
Practice Agreements and Practice Notifications
- How does my license renewal affect my practice notification(s)?
- Can I renew my license if I don’t have a practice notification?
- Does my practice notification(s) need updated when I renew my license?
- How do I change my practice notification(s) during renewal?
License Expiration and Reinstatement
- I am not currently practicing in West Virginia. Can I renew my license?
- 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 March 31, 2025. What happens now?
- My license expired on March 31, 2025. 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 March 31, 2025, and I am scheduled to work next week. Can my reinstatement application be expedited?
Contact the Board
- Who can I call at the Board with a question about renewal?
- What email address should I use for questions about 2025 renewal?
If you want to keep your West Virginia license after March 31, 2025, you need to apply for renewal during the 2025 renewal process.
All physician assistants must renew online. The Board does not accept paper renewals.
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 $150.
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 whether or not your payment was successfully completed.
Your application is incomplete until your renewal fee is successfully submitted. Your renewal application, along with your payment, must be completed on or before March 31, 2025, at 4:30 pm EDT, or your license will expire.
No. Online payment is the last step in each individual application. Each physician assistant must pay the fee individually.
Yes.
Physician assistants who administer or dispense 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 physician assistant license, then submit a 2025 Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration Renewal Application for Physician Assistants and pay the associated renewal application fee before 4:30 pm EDT on March 31, 2025. For other questions regarding Controlled Substance Dispending Practitioner Registration, please review the 2025 Controlled Substance Dispensing Practitioner Registration Renewal FAQs for Physician Assistants 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 March 31, 2025. You must submit a paper renewal application and pay the associated renewal application fee to renew an existing controlled substance dispensing location or to obtain a new registration. All current registrants will receive an email renewal notification in January 2025.
Yes. If you are not NCCPA-certified, you may submit an application to renew your license, but you will need to use the professional designation PA instead of PA-C.
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 April 1, 2023, you must be registered to access the West Virginia Controlled Substance Monitoring Program (CSMP) database in order to renew your license. You will need your 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 WVBOM license number; and
- The last four digits of your social security number.
If you do not remember your WVBOM license number, use the “Look up a Doctor or PA” search feature located on the Board’s website to obtain your number. If you contact the Board for your license number, you will be redirected by Board staff to the Board’s website search feature.
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 (no leading zeros) 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 March 31, 2025 at 4:30 pm EDT to avoid license expiration.
Once you submit your application and renewal fee, 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.
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 March 31, 2027, your application is complete, and you may print your license.
If your profile still shows an expiration date of March 31, 2025 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 renewed license to anyone. After your application has been accepted, you can print your renewed license using the Print License Link on the Board’s home page.
West Virginia state law requires all licensing boards to ask 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 April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025 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 April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025. You can report 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 in February 2025 and settle a case in March 2025, please email the Board for instructions on how to amend your application.
No. If you have a voluntary confidential agreement with the WVMPHP 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 March 31, 2025, 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 April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025 licensure cycle.
Mandatory Controlled Substance CME for all Licensees
If you have prescribed, administered, or dispensed any controlled substance pursuant to a West Virginia license between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025, you are required to complete 3- hours of Board-approved CME in drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training (this course is now called risk assessment and responsible prescribing of controlled substances training) between April 1, 2023 and the date that 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 OR if you were granted an initial license by the Board of Medicine after April 1, 2024. If you were initially licensed after April 1, 2024, and have prescribed, administered and/or dispensed any controlled substances, you must complete this requirement within one year of your initial licensure. 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 April 1, 2023.
In addition to the mandatory drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME, there are three pathways to satisfy the remainder of your CME obligations for this renewal cycle.
Option 1 Classic CME
Complete 100 hours of CME designated as Category I or Category II by the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), or the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) with the following requirements:
- A minimum of 50 hours of your CME must be Category I.
- A maximum of 50 hours of your CME may be Category II.
- Your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training CME satisfies 3 of your 50 Category I CME hours.
Option 2 Passing a NCCPA Recertification Examination
You may satisfy all of your CME requirements except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances requirement if you pass a recertification examination administered by the NCCPA during the reporting period of April 1, 2023 through the date you submit your renewal application.
Option 3 Limited Exception for New Licensees with Master’s Degrees
For the 2025 renewal cycle, you may satisfy all of your CME requirements except your 3-hour Board-approved drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances CME if your original license was issued after April 1, 2023 and you have received a master’s degree after April 1, 2024.
Yes. All physician assistant renewal applicants must complete CME through one of the pathways identified in question 30. NCCPA certification does not exempt you from meeting this obligation.
Yes. Please review question 30 for all approved methods of satisfying your CME obligation.
No. You are not eligible to renew your license until you have completed your required CME for the April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025 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 April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2025, you are required to complete 3-hours of Board-approved CME in drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training (this course is now called risk assessment and responsible prescribing of controlled substances training) between April 1, 2023 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 OR if you were granted an initial license by the Board of Medicine after April 1, 2024. If you were initially licensed after April 1, 2024, and have prescribed, administered and/or dispensed any controlled substances, you must complete this requirement within one year of your initial licensure. The Board maintains a list of all drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training courses that have been approved by the Board since April 1, 2023.
Maybe. If you were granted an initial license after April 1, 2024 you must complete the drug diversion training and best practice prescribing of controlled substances training requirement within one year of the date of initial licensure, and therefore would be eligible for a waiver during the 2025 renewal cycle. If you were granted an initial license prior to April 1, 2024, you would not be eligible for a waiver.
Yes, you are eligible for a waiver.
You can request a waiver on the CME portion of your renewal application by attesting that you have not prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substances whatsoever pursuant to your West Virginia license since April 1, 2023.
You can request a waiver on the CME portion of your renewal application by attesting that you were granted an initial license after April 1, 2024, and therefore will complete this specific 3-hour required training within one year of the date of initial licensure.
Yes. You have to take this mandatory CME every renewal cycle unless you are eligible for a waiver. To satisfy the requirement for your current renewal, you must have taken the course on or after April 1, 2023.
No. To satisfy this mandatory CME requirement, you must take a course which has been approved by the Board.
Yes. Online courses are included on the Board’s approved list.
Maybe. You will need to review the list of Board approved courses to determine if the course that you took to satisfy your DEA obligations has been approved by the Board.
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. If you prescribe or dispense Schedule II, III, IV, and/or V controlled substances pursuant to your West Virginia license, you must obtain and maintain access to the CSMP database.
If you have prescribed or dispensed Schedule II, III, IV, and/or V controlled substances in West Virginia at any time since April 1, 2023, you must be registered to access the CSMP database in order to renew your license. You will need the original 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 license, you must obtain and maintain access to the CSMP database.
No. If you do not prescribe or dispense Schedule II, III, IV and/or V controlled substances pursuant to your West Virginia 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 March 31, 2025 renewal deadline, you must allow your license to expire.
Renewal of your license will not affect your activated practice notification(s). Failure to renew your physician assistant license will automatically terminate any practice notification(s) effective March 31, 2025, at 11:59 pm EDT.
Yes. You may renew your license if you have met the eligibility requirements for renewal. However, before you practice pursuant to your West Virginia license you must file a practice notification with the Board and receive notification from the Board that the practice notification has been activated.
No. You are not required to update your practice notification(s) at renewal.
Please email the Board if you need to change your practice notification(s) during renewal.
Yes. You may renew your license if you have met the eligibility requirements for renewal. An active license alone does not allow you to practice as a physician assistant. Please remember you must also have a Board-activated practice notification before you start to practice in West Virginia.
If you do not want to renew your West Virginia license, simply do nothing and it will expire at 11:59 pm EDT on March 31, 2025. 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 March 31, 2025. You may not practice as a physician assistant, write prescriptions or administer prescription drugs in West Virginia with an expired license under any circumstances. Any activated practice notification will also terminate with the expiration of your license.
Please renew early to allow for unforeseen circumstances. If you attempt to renew on March 31, 2025 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 April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, you may apply for reinstatement of your expired license. The reinstatement application is similar to the physician assistant renewal application, but it also requires you to submit proof of CME completion. The reinstatement fee is $225. The reinstatement application will be posted on the Board’s website at the end of the renewal period.
Beginning April 1, 2026, you will need to reapply for licensure to activate an expired license.
It depends. If your license expires and you apply for reinstatement in early April, 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, and submit appropriate and complete CME documentation. Please remember you must also have a Board authorized practice notification to practice as a physician assistant in West Virginia.
No. You cannot practice until your license reinstatement application and a new practice notification have been approved.
No. Reinstatement applications and new practice notifications will be processed in the order in which they are received
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 Renewal FAQs and other information readily available on the Board’s website. The Board’s preferred method of contact at this time is via email.
If this email link does not work with your browser or email account, please email the Board at wvbom@wv.gov.
