Chapter 250-4 APPRENTICESHIP

Rule 250-4-.01 Americans With Disabilities Act

The Board will provide reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The request for an accommodation by an individual with a disability must be made in writing and received in the Board office by the application deadline along with appropriate documentation, as indicated in the Request for Disability Accommodation Guidelines.

Rule 250-4-.02 Apprentice Registration. Amended

(1)

An apprentice must be currently registered with the Board in order to receive credit for time served as an apprentice. An applicant for registration as a funeral service apprentice must:

(a)	be at least 18 years of age;

(b)	at a minimum, is a high school graduate or holder of a General Education Development (GED) certification of high school equivalency;

(c)

file an application on a form available from the Board; this application must be verified by oath and be accompanied by the registration fee. This application shall ask questions regarding the applicant's conviction of a felony or misdemeanor and violations or sentences under the First Offender Act.

(d)	designate the specific funeral director and/or embalmer under whom the applicant will be apprenticing. The supervisor must be approved by the Board as specified in Rule 250-4-.05;

(e)

designate the specific establishment in the State of Georgia at which the applicant will be apprenticing. The establishment must be approved by the Board as specified in Rule 250-4-.05 and must have conducted an average of at least thirty (30) funerals per year over the preceding five (5) years; and

(f)	submit an application for registration at least fifteen (15) business days prior to a Board meeting, and the Board's acceptance or rejection of each application shall be by majority vote of the entire Board. An application for registration shall be viewed only after it is complete.

Rule 250-4-.03 Serving of Apprenticeship

(1)

Hours and Duration. An apprenticeship period consists of 3,120 hours served in a time period of no less than eighteen (18) months and no more than two (2) renewal cycles as defined in O.C.G.A. § 43-18-50(c).

(a)	This period shall be measured from the date the application is approved by the Board.

(b)	The (18) eighteen-month minimum is in addition to the time required to graduate from a college of funeral service accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education or other college specifically approved by the Board.

(c)	An apprentice shall be allowed to serve a maximum of four (4) hours per day for credit towards completion of the apprenticeship period while enrolled in college.

(2)	Business Hours. For purposes of apprenticeship, regular business hours are the hours between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M.

(3)	Sleeping. An apprentice shall not count hours spent sleeping in a funeral establishment toward the hours of requirement, even if the time spent sleeping occurs during the regular business hours as defined in Rule 250-4-.03(2).

(4)

Reports. Every six (6) months, each apprentice shall furnish to the Board the details of the hours spent in employment as an apprentice on forms approved by the Board. After completing the 3,120 hours for apprenticeship within the specified period, the apprentice shall send the last report to the Board regardless of the date. The information contained in the report shall be certified as correct by the funeral director in full and continuous charge and by the supervising funeral director and embalmer. The report will specify the number of bodies which the apprentice has assisted with embalming and the number of funerals in which the apprentice has assisted. This report shall be kept current and made available for inspection upon request.

Rule 250-4-.04 Apprentice Fees and Renewal

(1)	Each apprenticeship registration expires on March 31 of even-numbered years.

(2)	Renewal. An apprenticeship registration may be renewed for a two-year period and requires submission of an application and fee (see fee schedule), due and payable by March 31 of even-numbered years. An apprenticeship registration shall not be renewed more than two (2) times.

(3)

Late Renewal with Penalty. An expired apprentice registration may be renewed between April 1 and April 30 of the renewal year with submission of a renewal form and a penalty fee in addition to the regular renewal fee. The applicant for renewal may not practice as an apprentice during the late renewal period, nor will any hours be credited during the late renewal period.

(4)	Revocation. A registration that is not renewed prior to May 1 of the renewal year shall result in revocation of the registration. Hours served after revocation and prior to reinstatement may not be counted toward the 3,120 hour requirement for an apprenticeship.

(5)

Reinstatement. An apprentice whose registration has been revoked for failure to renew a registration, within one (1) year of the registration expiration date, may apply for reregistration with submission of an application, renewal fee, and penalty fee. The Board reserves the right to refuse to reinstate a registration and shall not reinstate a registration more than twice.

Rule 250-4-.05 Board-approved Supervisor

(1)

An apprenticeship must be served under one (1) or more Board-approved supervisors. A board-approved supervisor shall be either:

(a)	an individual who is currently licensed by the State of Georgia as a funeral director and embalmer; or

(b)	two (2) individuals, one (1) of whom is currently licensed by the State of Georgia as a funeral director and the other of whom is currently licensed by the State of Georgia as an embalmer.

(2)

An embalmer and/or funeral director seeking Board approval to serve as a supervisor:

(a)

must be employed, either full time or as a trade embalmer, at an establishment approved by the Board as an apprentice site. In addition to any other requirements, a trade embalmer seeking approval as a supervisor:

1.	must embalm at the establishment where the apprentice is registered;

2.	can only supervise four (4) apprentices in total; and

3.	must appear before the Board for approval.

(b)	must have been employed as a licensee for at least three (3) years;

(c)	must provide direct supervision which shall mean that the embalmer, funeral director, or both, are present on the premises overseeing the activities of the apprentice.

(d)	is responsible for ensuring that the apprentice complies with the Rules and Regulations of the Board while under supervision; and

(e)	may not provide concurrent supervision to more than four (4) apprentices without Board approval.

(3)	The Board may withdraw approval of a supervisor based upon evidence of the inability to supervise an apprentice properly or upon other relevant considerations.

(4)	A licensee who becomes unable to continue to supervise must notify the Board within five (5) days of the last date of service as a provider of supervision.

(5)

An apprentice may receive credit for hours served only if the supervisor has current Board approval. An apprentice serving under a licensee whose approval to supervise has been withdrawn or who is unable to continue to supervise may apply to the Board to apprentice under a different Board-approved supervisor without paying an additional fee for Change of Supervisor.

Rule 250-4-.06 Board-approved Apprenticeship Establishment

(1)

An apprenticeship must be served at a Board-approved establishment. An establishment, to become a Board-approved establishment, must:

(a)	have a valid Georgia funeral establishment license;

(b)	have no unresolved inspection violations; and

(c)

certify that an average of at least thirty (30) bodies per year have been embalmed at the establishment over the preceding five (5) years. Funeral establishments which have been in business for less than five (5) years or have averaged less than thirty (30) embalmed bodies per year must have embalmed at least one hundred fifty (150) bodies.

(2)	An establishment may qualify for one (1) apprentice for each thirty (30) bodies it embalms each year. An establishment which embalms less than thirty (30) bodies per year may only have one (1) apprentice.

(3)

The Board may withdraw approval of an establishment if it deems the establishment to be inappropriate for apprenticeship training. An apprentice serving at an establishment whose approval is withdrawn shall receive notification thereof at least sixty (60) days prior to the effective date of withdrawal and may not receive credit for any hours served at the establishment after said sixty (60) days. The apprentice may apply to the Board to serve at a Board-approved establishment without paying an additional fee for change of location.

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