Health Law Monitor
WVBOP COVID-19 Emergency Licensure Rules
March 30, 2020
By: Alaina N. Crislip and Briana Cunningham Breault
On March 20, WVBOP issued a memo containing various updates regarding the COVID-19 crisis, including “out of state pharmacy staffing.”1 The Board explained that West Virginia Code Section 30-5-6(5) gives the Board the authority to “determine the qualifications of any applicant for a license, permit, and registration.” Due to COVID-19 and an anticipated shortage of healthcare workers, the Board has decided to grant temporary permits to pharmacists, pharmacy interns, or pharmacy technicians to work in West Virginia so long as the applicant can demonstrate that they have an unrestricted licensure in another state. Pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians can access the application for a temporary COVID-19 permit at https://www.wvbop.com/practitioners/temp/application/person.asp.