Medicine

License Requirements

Three-year Limited Medical License and Extension

General Requirements

All applicants for three-year limited medical licensure must also submit an application, separate fee of $735, and all required forms and documentation for licensure as a physician in New York State. Information about the requirements for licensure as a physician, including the application forms and can be obtained on our Web site or by contacting us at opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by phone at 518-474-3817 ext. 320.

Introduction

The Board of Regents may grant a three-year limited medical license by granting a limited waiver of the citizenship/permanent residence requirements in exchange for the physician's service in a medically underserved area of New York State.

To be eligible, you must meet all requirements for licensure as a physician except for the citizenship/permanent residence requirement. This includes three years of accredited postgraduate training (or the substantial equivalent) and an acceptable licensing examination sequence (e.g., USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3).

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 131, Section 6524 of New York State Education Law and Part 60 of the Commissioner's Regulations. Copies of the relevant sections of NYS Education Law and the Commissioner's Regulations are available upon request by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320.

Limitations of the Three-Year Limited Medical License and Extension

Physicians who obtain three-year limited medical licenses must agree to limit their practice to a medically underserved area of New York State. Physicians are required to sign and notarize an Affidavit of Agreement with the New York State Department of Health in which they formally agree to practice only in a specified underserved area. The Affidavit must be amended with the Department of Health if the practice location or situation changes. The license is valid only for a three-year period; however, a physician pursuing permanent residency status may have an extension of up to six years.

Medically Underserved Areas

Areas designated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services or by the New York State Board of Regents are eligible service areas for primary care physicians, which includes family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, and obstetrics/gynecology.

Primary Care Shortage Areas

Eligible primary care shortage areas in New York State include:

• the Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUAs/MUPs) designated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and
• all primary care areas and facilities designated by the New York State Board of Regents for the Regents Health Care Scholarships in Medicine Program and the Regents Physician Loan Forgiveness Award Program.

Detailed information on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUAs/MUPs) may be found in The Federal Register. Since many of these HPSAs or MUSs/MUPs (particularly those located in urban areas) are identified by census tracts, it is important to know the census tract of the practice site. Both The Federal Register and information on census tracts are commonly available at local libraries or on the Web at www.hpsafind.hrsa.gov and www.ffiec.gov (select Geocoding mapping system).

Detailed information on physician shortage areas designated for the Regents Health Care Scholarships in Medicine as well as the Regents Physician Loan Forgiveness Award Program are available by requesting the most recent version of the Supplementary Bulletin: Regents-Designated Physician Shortage Areas in New York State from:

Office of K-16 Initiatives and Access Programs
Scholarship Unit
Room 1078 EBA
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: 518-486-1319
E-mail: scholar@mail.nysed.gov
Web: www.highered.nysed.gov/kiap/scholarships/home.htm

Contact the New York State Department of Health for information about the eligibility of specific practice locations. Include the name, address and specialty of the applicant seeking the information and the name(s) and full address (es) of no more than five practice location(s).

New York State Department of Health
Division of Health Facility Planning
Corning Tower, Room 1084
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237

Subspecialty Shortage Areas

Eligible subspecialty shortage areas in New York State include all subspecialty approved counties and facilities designated by the New York State Board of Regents for the Regents Health Care Scholarships in Medicine Program.

A subspecialist who is seeking a three-year limited license to practice in an area or at a facility that is not designated by the Board of Regents as having a shortage in the specific subspecialty must obtain endorsement of unmet need from the New York State Department of Health (DOH). Due to the way unmet need is measured, occasionally extenuating circumstances can affect access to subspecialty health care. Any applicant considering this alternative must work closely with the Department of Health in preparing the documentation for DOH review.

Applying for a Three-Year Limited Medical License

To apply for a three-year limited license, you must submit the following:

• An Application for Licensure (Form 1), fee and all other required forms for New York State licensure as a physician.
• An Application for a Three-Year Limited License and Extension (Form 1LL) and fee.

Send the completed forms and fees to the Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the forms.

• An Affidavit of Agreement (Form LL-AOA).
• A copy of your employment contract/agreement specifying your medical specialty and the exact address(es) of practice sites must be attached to the Affidavit of Agreement.

Send the completed forms to:

New York State Department of Health
Division of Health Facility Planning
Corning Tower, Room 1084
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237.

Applying for a Limited Medical License Extension

An extension of the three-year limited license may be granted to physicians actively pursuing permanent resident status. The limitations of the three-year limited license remain in effect during the extension. The extension can be issued for up to six years.

To apply for a limited medical license extension, you must submit the following along with the appropriate fee, to the New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the Application for a Limited License and Extension (Form 1LL).

• the Application for a Limited License and Extension (Form 1LL). Mark the box to indicate you are applying for an extension.
• evidence that you are actively pursuing permanent residency status.

Fees

Applicants for a three-year limited license must also apply for licensure as a physician in New York State, and pay the applicable fees for both applications. The application fee for the three-year limited license is $135. In addition, you must submit the $735 application and two-year registration fee for licensure as a physician. In the third year of your limited license, you will be billed a one-year registration fee of $315.

For those individuals eligible to apply for a limited license extension, the application and registration fee for an extension of a limited license is $735.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

  NYS Education Department
  Office of the Professions
  PO Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Medicine Unit at opunit2@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 260 or by fax at: 518-402-2323.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Questions and Answers About the Three-Year Limited Medical License and Extension

1. Can I practice outside the medically underserved area specified on my Affidavit of Agreement?
   
   Answer: No. The practice of medicine for a physician with a three-year limited license is restricted to the approved underserved area or facility.
   
   We recognize, however, that hospitals sometimes serve people who live in a medically underserved area although the hospital is not within the boundary of this medically underserved area (particularly in rural locations). Physicians practicing medicine in these areas have a need to provide ongoing medical treatment to patients who require hospitalization. Under these circumstances, a physician may seek approval for admitting privileges at a hospital located outside the medically underserved area for the sole purpose of following the hospitalized patients who reside in the underserved area.
   
   
2. Can I change my practice location or add practice locations during the term of my three-year limited license?
   
   Answer: Yes, under certain conditions:
   
   
   1. The new or additional practice location(s) must be approved by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) as being within an underserved area.
      
      You must write a letter requesting approval to the following address. Your letter should state whether each additional practice location is an office at which you will practice or a facility (such as a hospital or clinic) where you will see patients without having an office.

      New York State Department of Health
      Division of Health Facility Planning
      Corning Tower, Room 1084
      Empire State Plaza
      Albany, New York 12237
      

   2. Upon approving your new practice location(s), the Department of Health will forward the request to the State Education Department. An application to register the new facility/site will be mailed to you. There is a fee of $10 for each additional registration certificate.
      
      Once the fee is received, the New York State Education Department will issue an additional registration certificate(s), for the new or additional practice location.
   
   
3. Can I practice medicine on my limited license while fulfilling a service obligation under a J-1 visa waiver program?
   
   Answer: Yes, provided that the site where you are fulfilling your service obligation is within the approved practice area for your limited license.
   
   
4. If my service obligation agreement under the J-1 visa waiver program extends beyond the expiration date of my three-year limited license, can I extend my three-year limited license?
   
   Answer: Yes, you must complete a new Form 1LL, attach evidence that you are pursuing permanent residency status, and submit the form and attachment with the fee of $735 to the New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions.
   
   
5. I have an O-1 visa, do I qualify for an extension of my three-year limited license?
   
   Answer: Yes, if you can document that you are actively pursuing permanent residency status.
   
   
6. If I later become a United States citizen or am lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, what do I need to do to obtain a permanent, unlimited medical license in New York State?
   
   Answer: At that time you must update any application forms as necessary and submit any required registration fees and proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residence.