It’s that time of year again to renew your professional license with DORA before August 31, 2013. Note that since they sent out the notice so late this year they are extending the renewal process until Sept. 15, 2013 without making people pay a late fee.
You should give yourself plenty of time when you go to do renew your license since it has several steps to complete. Here are a couple of tips that might help:
Gather Your Paperwork: I would recommend that you first have all your documentation in a file to prove that you accomplished your goals from 2011 to 2013. Next I would lay out my “Learning Plan for 2013 – 2015” before starting this task online.
Note that you need different kinds of learning in your plan such as mentoring, presenting, coursework, independent learning, group learning, etc. So think about what kind of learning you are planning on doing in the next 2 years and how many hours for each category. Look at what you did last year and let that guide you.
If you are wondering how to fit EMDR into your DORA Learning Plan, read our previous post: “How EMDR Fits Into the 2011 LPC License Renewal Program“
Updating and Submitting Your Learning Plan: Now you are ready to go online and begin the process. The first step is to update your Learning Plan from 2011-2013.
Click on following link
https://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/cproweb/cpro.logon
Once there you will need to enter your Logon ID and Password. The ones you used in 2011 should work just fine. Hit the “Logon” button.
You will then begin the updating process of your Learning Plan. Put in the dates that you accomplished each goal from your plan and then click the box for the documentation button saying that you have documented proof that you completed each of your goals. You won’t need to submit any of this paperwork, just have it on file in case of a future audit. Then submit your plan.
Next you must submit a new Learning Plan for 2013 – 2015. You will enter one learning category at a time, the number of hours of study, your start date (9/1/2013) and your ending date of completion (8/31/2015) and then check the documentation box. Hit Save and then enter your next category. Make sure your hours come to 40 hours of study. Your plan is now complete. The next step is to actually to renew your license.
Renewing Your License: Click on Professions and Occupations Online Services
This will take you to another page to begin the process. If you have logged onto your account before July 1, 2102 then you can log in. If you have not logged into your account since July 1, 2012 then you will need to re-register your account. To do so, click on the “register” link on the left menu.
Once you have re-registered your account, then you will sign in to start the renewal process for your license. They will ask a lot of questions, but I would recommend you have your driver’s license handy to use as your proof of citizenship.
You will then be directed to the payment page. The cost is $130 and you can pay by credit card. If you do this after September 15, 2103 you will be charged a $15.00 late fee. Make sure to print a copy of your receipt for your tax records.
Once the renewal is completed, we will print a copy of your renewed license card and mail it to your address of record and you are set for the next 2 years. I would make sure that you keep filing away the documentation as each goal occurs so you are ready in 2015 and not trying to remember what you did the last 2 years.
As you can see there are many steps to this process. I would recommend leaving extra time to complete this because you may run into problems as you are trying to complete this task. I also noticed that their new registration site is still a work in progress, so some of their processes may have changed since this posting.
For the most updated information about the renewal process, or if you have any problems, you can email or call DORA for help:
[email protected] or call 303-894-2984
I found that the DORA folks were very friendly and helpful as I ran into issues at each step of the way. I’m hoping that your renewal process goes smoothly since you will be more prepared than I was.