Important Notification for Pharmacy Technician License Applicants from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

This notification was sent to MPA members late last week. Just in case you missed the information we wanted to make sure that you received this update as well. The following statement was issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA):

Due to the high volume of pharmacy technician applications already received by the Bureau of Health Care Services within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and with the June 30, 2015, deadline fast approaching for individuals to be licensed, the Department has taken administrative action to help applicants continue their ability to work so long as the applicant meets the following: 

Individuals applying for a pharmacy technician license must have their application submitted with a U.S. postmark date stamp on or before June 30, 2015, to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. If an application is received with a postmark date on or before the June 30, 2015, deadline, the applicant can continue to practice as a pharmacy technician until the Department can complete the issuance of the license. 

However, if the Department finds problems or issues with the applicant's criminal background check, the Department will inform the individual that they must discontinue working as a pharmacy technician until the concerns can be resolved. 

Applicants with a U.S. postmark date stamp after June 30, 2015, on their application cannot continue working as a pharmacy technician until their license is fully issued. 

The Bureau and Department are committed to processing these applications as quickly as possible and are also coordinating with MPA and other stakeholders to communicate this information and help applicants through this process. 

Please note that applications submitted to the Department could take up to eight weeks to be processed. Please provide the Department with adequate time to process your application.

If you have any outstanding questions related to the application process, please contact Eric Roath, MPA director of professional practice, at Eric@MichiganPharmacists.org.