DEA Renewal

[DEAornot]

I'm currently in fellowship and my DEA is expiring in a month. I'm in a different state than residency, where we had to have the license. At this institution, trainees cannot write for narcotics, so my DEA is going unused. I've tried to find an answer on the internet but have come up empty--am I ok to let it expire and then reapply once I have a job in place where they'll pay for it? I'd like to save the money if possible. Thank you!

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[Apollyon]

Why don't you call the DEA?

 

[Raryn]

I'm currently in fellowship and my DEA is expiring in a month. I'm in a different state than residency, where we had to have the license. At this institution, trainees cannot write for narcotics, so my DEA is going unused. I've tried to find an answer on the internet but have come up empty--am I ok to let it expire and then reapply once I have a job in place where they'll pay for it? I'd like to save the money if possible. Thank you!

No issues at all. Policy since 2017 has been on the day of expiration it counts as voluntarily retiring your DEA # (i.e. the number will no longer be valid).

When you are ready to change that, the DEA is hyper-efficient and you'd be renewed within 4 or 5 days of reapplying. They don't discriminate against you if you voluntarily let one expire (as opposed to it being revoked or something). The website says 4-6 weeks but the longest I've ever heard it taking is 1.5. I've even had the turnaround time for being issued a new certificate as low as a day.

That said:

A) If you have any intentions of moonlighting, you will probably need it renewed.

B) Check with your institutional policy whether they require you maintain it. Even if you're not writing for narcotics/benzos/ADHD medications/testosterone/etc, you very well may be required by some bylaw or another that you have to have a valid DEA.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Do jobs routinely pay for DEA licenses?

 

[RangerBob]

Do jobs routinely pay for DEA licenses?

My employer paid for mine. And by my employer, I mean me.

I do believe some employers do cover license fees (I believe the VA does. I know my residency program reimbursed us as well).

 

[Raryn]

Do jobs routinely pay for DEA licenses?

Renewal comes out of the CME budget for every employed physician job I've been aware of (not true private practice), same as license renewals.

The only +/- is for the one you get *in advance* of starting - which you inevitably will need to do when you're hired, because you need to be ready to work on day 1. You can negotiate reimbursement for expenses you undergo before you start - but it needs to be confirmed in writing and is not always consistently applied.

 

[Piebaldi]

I'm currently in fellowship and my DEA is expiring in a month. I'm in a different state than residency, where we had to have the license. At this institution, trainees cannot write for narcotics, so my DEA is going unused. I've tried to find an answer on the internet but have come up empty--am I ok to let it expire and then reapply once I have a job in place where they'll pay for it? I'd like to save the money if possible. Thank you!

I don't think you can. I think you have to renew it - if you let it expire you'd have to pay for the whole thing again. Not all employers pay for this. I would not gamble with this. And it's common for people to move states and what not - you get the same number, it's just a different address. Your DEA number I believe just like NPI stays with you for life.

 

[Raryn]

I don't think you can. I think you have to renew it - if you let it expire you'd have to pay for the whole thing again. Not all employers pay for this. I would not gamble with this. And it's common for people to move states and what not - you get the same number, it's just a different address. Your DEA number I believe just like NPI stays with you for life.

Renewal costs just as much as a new one, so that is irrelevant.

DEA numbers are super easy to change - many people have multiple (if they work in two states concurrently), and there's no requirement to maintain the same number. I've changed mine once already and I've only had one for 4 years or so (changed it from a free state-employee one to a personal one - renewing it wouldn't have given me the full 3 years for the same price, cancelling the old one and getting a new number did).

 

[Piebaldi]

My employer paid for mine. And by my employer, I mean me.

I do believe some employers do cover license fees (I believe the VA does. I know my residency program reimbursed us as well).

I liked your post! Same here. I applied for DEA before starting and paid for it myself. I get CME monies but I don't think DEA applied. DEA is 731$ for 3 years - so not cheap, but not mind blowingly $$ either.

 

[Piebaldi]

Renewal costs just as much as a new one, so that is irrelevant.

DEA numbers are super easy to change - many people have multiple (if they work in two states concurrently), and there's no requirement to maintain the same number. I've changed mine once already and I've only had one for 4 years or so (changed it from a free state-employee one to a personal one - renewing it wouldn't have given me the full 3 years for the same price, cancelling the old one and getting a new number did).

I called DEA - since I will be moving states for fellowship - and they told me that the same nunmber applies. So not sure why it would change. Seems odd to me.

 

[Raryn]

I called DEA - since I will be moving states for fellowship - and they told me that the same nunmber applies. So not sure why it would change. Seems odd to me.

If you work in two states *at the same time*, you must have two separate numbers. Otherwise, you can just move your one over.

The reason I changed was very simple - in residency, I had a free DEA, which you can have a state employee. In fellowship, I did moonlighting, so I needed to change to a paid DEA. Changing a preexisting one from free to paid is possible, but does NOT reset your expiration date - so I'd have paid the full $731 for a 1 year certificate. The easy alternative there was to just cancel my old one entirely and pay the money to get a fresh 3-year certificate with a new number - and it was an absolutely painless process. I applied for the new one, it was issued two days later, and I cancelled the old one the day after that with a simple email.

 

[Smurfette]

Do jobs routinely pay for DEA licenses?

I've never had to pay for license or DEA out of my own pocket. My contracts have always specified that DEA and state license are paid for by my employer (because I can't work without them) and it is separate from my CME budget. Obviously, it varies from place to place based on local custom.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I've never had to pay for license or DEA out of my own pocket. My contracts have always specified that DEA and state license are paid for by my employer (because I can't work without them) and it is separate from my CME budget. Obviously, it varies from place to place based on local custom.

Thanks...its been a long time since I've been employed so couldn't recall.

 

[dpmd]

If you work in two states *at the same time*, you must have two separate numbers. Otherwise, you can just move your one over.

The reason I changed was very simple - in residency, I had a free DEA, which you can have a state employee. In fellowship, I did moonlighting, so I needed to change to a paid DEA. Changing a preexisting one from free to paid is possible, but does NOT reset your expiration date - so I'd have paid the full $731 for a 1 year certificate. The easy alternative there was to just cancel my old one entirely and pay the money to get a fresh 3-year certificate with a new number - and it was an absolutely painless process. I applied for the new one, it was issued two days later, and I cancelled the old one the day after that with a simple email.

Very important step was cancelling the other number. They didn't do that when I was in a similar situation so when the other number came up for renewal I didn't realize it was the wrong one and paid it. Getting the money back was a bear but thankfully they did finally give it back otherwise would have been a costly mistake.