(a) The department may suspend or revoke the license of a hearing instrument specialist, after notice and hearing as provided in the regulations adopted by the commissioner, or may reprimand or take any of the actions set forth in section 19a-17, for any of the following causes:

(1) The conviction of a crime in the course of professional activities. The record of conviction, or a certified copy thereof, certified by the clerk of the court or by the judge in whose court the conviction is had, shall be conclusive evidence of such conviction;

(2) Procuring of a license by fraud or deceit practiced upon the department;

(3) Unethical conduct, including: (A) The obtaining of any fee or the making of any sale by fraud or misrepresentation; (B) knowingly employing directly or indirectly any unlicensed person or any person whose license has been suspended to perform any work covered by this chapter; (C) engaging in fraud or material deception in the course of professional activities;

(4) Incompetence or negligence in fitting or selling hearing aids;

(5) Selling a hearing aid to a person under the age of eighteen without a prior ear examination by an otolaryngologist and an audiological examination performed or supervised by an audiologist;

(6) Fitting or selling a hearing aid to anyone who has a history of ear infection within the previous ninety days without requiring an examination by an otolaryngologist;

(7) Failure to comply with the examination procedures and tests prescribed in the regulations adopted under this chapter;

(8) Failure to properly supervise an individual holding a temporary permit under section 20-400;

(9) Failure to furnish to a person supplied a hearing aid a receipt containing the date of delivery of the hearing aid to such person, the licensee's signature, business address, license number, serial number of the hearing aid, the model name and model number of the hearing aid, the full terms of sale, including terms of a manufacturer's and licensee's warranties and trial period, provided in section 20-402a, and a statement of whether the hearing aid sold is new, used or reconditioned;

(10) Failure to retain for three years from the date of delivery of the hearing aid to the purchaser records containing the name and address of each purchaser of a hearing aid under a sale made by such hearing instrument specialist, a copy of such purchaser's audiogram and all information required on a receipt under subdivision (9) of this subsection;

(11) Violating any provision of this chapter or of the regulations promulgated thereunder;

(12) Violating any provision of the Food and Drug Administration regulations pertaining to hearing instrument specialists adopted under Title 21, professional and patent labeling and conditions for sale, or any provision of any regulation pertaining to hearing instrument specialists adopted by the Federal Trade Commission;

(13) Physical or mental illness, emotional disorder or loss of motor skill, including, but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process, of the license holder; or

(14) Abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals.

(b) The commissioner may order a license holder to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination if the license holder's physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation. The commissioner may petition the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enforce such order or any action taken pursuant to section 19a-17.

(c) The Attorney General shall represent the commissioner at all formal hearings held under this chapter.

(d) The department may reissue any license that has been revoked and may modify the suspension of any license that has been suspended.

(1972, P.A. 295, S. 9; P.A. 77-473, S. 10; 77-614, S. 323, 468, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 80-484, S. 131, 176; P.A. 81-471, S. 65, 71; P.A. 86-9; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 99-111, S. 7.)

History: P.A. 77-473 substituted “fitting or sale” for “fitting and sale” in Subdivs. (4) and (5), also replacing in Subdiv. (5) “gross incompetence or negligence” with “incompetence or gross negligence”, inserted new Subdivs. (9) to (11) and (13), renumbering former Subdiv. (9) as Subdiv. (12) in Subsec. (a) and required attorney general to represent health commissioner at formal hearings in Subsec. (b); P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted commissioner and department of health services for commissioner and department of health, replaced provision re 30 days notice of hearing with requirement that notice and hearing be in accordance with regulations of health services commissioner, deleted provision allowing licensee representation by attorney and power to offer evidence and examine witnesses in Subsec. (b) and substituted department of health services for board in Subsec. (c), effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-484 specifically referred to disciplinary actions in Sec. 19-4s, substituted “crime in the course of professional activities” for “felony, or a misdemeanor involving a morals offense” in Subdiv. (1), deleted reference to council in Subdiv. (2), deleted advertising and ethics offenses in Subdiv. (3)(C) to (H) and rephrased and incorporated former Subdiv. (4) as Subpara. (C) in Subdiv. (3), renumbering remaining subdivs. and deleting “gross” as modifier of “negligence” in Subdiv. (4), formerly (5), and added Subsec. (a)(13) and (14), inserted new Subsec. (b) re physical and mental examinations and petitions to court for enforcement of orders or actions and redesignated former Subsecs. (b) and (c) accordingly; P.A. 81-471 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to require an examination by an otolaryngologist prior to selling or fitting a hearing aid to anyone having a history of ear infection within 90 days prior to such sale or fitting–prior law prescribed a 60-day period; P.A. 86-9 amended Subsec. (a) to require the sales receipt to contain the date of delivery and changed the three-year record requirement from the date of “sale” to “delivery”; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-111 made technical and gender neutral changes and replaced references to hearing aid dealer with references to hearing instrument specialist.