Action Alert: NLAC requests that nurses contact their legislators to request approval of the budget request from the Texas Board of Nursing. The board is asking that legislators restore the 5% cut from their budget during the last legislative session.
Talking Points: Why is restoring the 5% cuts so important for the next biennium?
The Board of Nursing was required to reduce its budget by 5% in the current biennium. The two main strategies used to achieve this reduction were to delay filling open positions and to eliminate use of temporary staff during peak graduation times (May, August and December). These measures affected all essential functions of the agency including licensing, school of nursing approval and enforcement.
In particular, the following performance measures were revised to absorb these cuts:
- Days to issue a LVN/RN license by renewal increased from 10 business days to 15-20 business days.
- Days to issue a LVN/RN license by endorsement increased from 10 business days to 30 business days.
- Days to issue APRN licenses increased from 15 business days to 20+ business days.
- Days to retrieve and process background checks increased from 10 business days to 30 business days.
- Days to deem students eligible to take the NCLEX increased from 7 business days to over 30 business days during our peak graduation time in May and June.
These delays have increased time to issue licenses and deem students eligible for the NCLEX and ultimately delay the availability of nurses to provide care. During the pandemic, delays impacted the delivery of health care services to respond to surges in COVID-19. Qualified licensed nurses must be available to protect public health.
During fiscal year 2020 customer service phone line calls doubled from same period in 2019 and webmaster emails to the agency tripled over 2019. This demand was created by delays in application processing timelines.
Without the 5% restoration, the Board anticipates eliminating up to 9 staff positions and requesting revision of performance measures to reflect longer processing timelines.