Working together we have solved a problem that could have ‘snowballed’ out of control denying California contractors the opportunity to grow. It began because a few applicants tried to give the Board a ‘snow job’ by obtaining several new classifications. Quick action by the Board corrected an errant policy that was making some contractor’s claims of experience invalid. It is no wonder contractors were having a ‘meltdown’…
Q: The CSLB rejected my application for an additional license. The letter I received from the Board stated they could not accept “overlapping experience”. It also implied I could never use this experience again and that I should “reapply in 2013”
I applied for an “A” license 6 months ago showing 10 years experience in General Engineering from 1999 to 2009. My current application showed that I also have the same number of year’s experience – with the same employer -- in General Building! I have worked on multi-million dollar projects that involved both General building and engineering, so why is the Board preventing me from getting this license? Do you have any idea what the heck is going on? Please let me know what I can do at this point so I can secure this “B” classification. This delay is causing my company problems. Thank you.
A: During the past week I have received a number of calls from clients and non-clients alike regarding this issue. In my nearly 30 years experience dealing with the CSLB, I had never seen an application rejected for this type of “overlapping experience”. There is NO reason an applicant cannot use the same time 10-year period for qualifying both the “A” and “B” classifications.
After my phone finished ringing off the hook, I immediately contacted the Registrar of Contractors and CSLB Licensing Deputy to determine why applications like yours were being rejected for seemingly arbitrary reasons. I also spoke with several long-time industry representatives who had received similar calls regarding this issue.
What appeared to be a dramatic change in CSLB policy was apparently a misinterpretation of an internal email to processing technicians. The goal was to go after applicants who had been “gaming the system” by applying for numerous unrelated classifications using the same time period. For instance, CSLB staff gave us an example of a contractor who was applying for his 6th classification using the same 8-year employment period. Your application, and those of other legitimate contractors, was unfortunately swept up in this glaring “misunderstanding”.
No one at this meeting had a problem with the CSLB looking at past experience where there appeared to be an abuse or questionable claim. But rejecting an application for an additional classification simply because someone had listed the same employment period was obviously unsettling to say the least.
As CSLB staff summarized, “Clearly, we all have the same goal of ensuring that only those individuals who possess the necessary qualifications receive licenses.” To ensure that experience certifications such as yours are properly evaluated and accepted, we were told that staff would be instructed to stop rejecting applications like yours.
One problem is that the Contractors Board may not be able to locate all those who may have had their application erroneously rejected. I urge my readers who received a reject letter for “overlapping experience” to call the CSLB program tech whose name is at the bottom of the correspondence to determine if there was, in fact, an error. Or you can contact my office at the phone number or email below and I’ll be happy to discuss this issue with you personally.
It’s difficult enough in this economy to compete for jobs without having to battle the bureaucracy. It was nice to see that the Board’s staff heard industries’ concerns and acted immediately to correct this situation.
Knowledge is power. Knowing where to go for the answers is half the battle. Get expert assistance immediately when you e-mail info@cutredtape.com, call (916) 443-0657, fax (916) 443-1908, or write me at Capitol Services, Inc., 1225 8th St. Ste. 580, Sacramento, CA 95814.
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