645—131.2 (152C) Requirements for licensure. All persons acting or serving in the capacity of a massage therapist shall hold a massage therapist’s license issued by the board. The following criteria shall apply to licensure:
	 131.2(1) The applicant shall complete a board-approved application packet. Application forms may be obtained from the board’s Web site (http://www.idph.state.ia.us/licensure) or directly from the board office. All applications shall be sent to Board of Massage Therapy, Professional Licensure Division, Fifth Floor, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075.
	 131.2(2) The applicant shall complete the application form according to the instructions contained in the application. If the application is not completed according to the instructions, the application will not be reviewed by the board.
	 131.2(3) Each application shall be accompanied by the appropriate fees payable by check or money order to the Board of Massage Therapy. The fees are nonrefundable.
	 131.2(4) The applicant shall have official copies of academic transcripts sent directly from the board-approved school to the board of massage therapy. If a school has closed and is no longer operational, the board will accept an official transcript provided by the student.
	 131.2(5) The board may consider applications on a case-by-case basis which do not appear on their face to meet requirements if the requirements may be alternatively satisfied by demonstrated equivalency. The burden shall be on the applicant to document that the applicant’s education and experience are substantially equivalent to the requirements which may be alternatively satisfied.
	 131.2(6) The applicant shall submit proof of completion of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course and a first-aid course that were certified by the American Red Cross, by the American Heart Association, or by the National Safety Council. One of the following shall be required:
	  a.   	 Official transcript documenting completion of a CPR class and a first-aid class within one year prior to submitting the application for licensure; or
	  b.   	 Copy of the current certification card(s) or renewal card(s).
	 131.2(7) The applicant shall provide proof of passing any National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) examination or the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx). Proof of passing shall be sent directly from the testing service to the board of massage therapy. The applicant may submit a copy of the official notification from the testing service of the applicant’s passing a board-approved examination. The copy of the applicant’s official notification may be used by the board as proof of passage of a board-approved examination until the official proof of passage is received directly from the testing service. Submission of the applicant’s copy of the official notification from the testing service shall not be allowed in lieu of the applicant’s arranging for and the board’s receiving the official record of proof of passage sent directly from the testing service. The examination score must be received from the testing service within 60 days of issuance of the license. The passing score on the written examination shall be the passing point criterion established by the national testing authority at the time the test was administered.
	 131.2(8) Licensees who were issued their licenses within six months prior to the renewal shall not be required to renew their licenses until the renewal month two years later.
	 131.2(9) Incomplete applications that have been on file in the board office for more than two years shall be considered invalid and shall be destroyed.
	 131.2(10) The applicant shall provide verification of license(s) from every state in which the applicant has been licensed as a massage therapist, sent directly from the state(s) to the board office.