Provider Alert! Subject: Emergency Extensions for Optometry Provider License Renewals

Attention: Optometrists

Effective Date: December 18, 2020

Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event. 

Call to action: Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) would like to inform network optometrists that due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, effective December 18, 2020, the Texas Optometry Board has issued an emergency rule extending the license expiration dates if the provider has met all the requirements outlined in the emergency rule. The emergency extension will only apply to licenses not renewed as of December 31, 2020. The emergency extension will expire on April 1, 2021, or the date that the Texas Optometry Board issues a final determination on a renewal application for the original license.

How this impacts providers: Emergency license renewal extensions will be given to optometry providers if the following criteria is met:  

• The license renewal process is initiated before December 31, 2020. 
• The renewal fee is paid before December 31, 2020, and  
• All appropriate continuing education (CE) are completed and submitted before December 31, 2020.  

Next steps for providers: Licenses will not be issued with the emergency extension date. Optometry providers can refer to the Texas Optometry Board website to confirm that their license was granted an extension. Providers that are indicated on the Texas Optometry Board website as meeting extension requirements should utilize a license expiration date of April 1, 2021, to submit provider enrollment applications. 

If you have any questions, please email Provider Network Management at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org. 

For access to all provider alerts, log into:
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.