West Virginia Code 30-6-8 – Embalmer license requirements
The board shall issue a license to practice embalming to an applicant who:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 30-6-8
- Apprentice: means a person who is preparing to become a licensed funeral director or a funeral service licensee and is learning the practice of embalming, funeral directing, or cremation under the direct supervision and personal instruction of a duly licensed funeral service licensee. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Board: means the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Embalmer: means a person licensed to practice embalming. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Embalming: means the practice of introducing chemical substances, fluids, or gases used for the purpose of preservation or disinfection into the vascular system or hollow organs of a dead human body by arterial or hypodermic injection for the restoration of the physical appearance of a deceased. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Funeral: means a service, ceremony, or rites performed for the deceased with a body present. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Funeral directing: means the business of engaging in the following:
(a) The shelter, custody, or care of a deceased. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Funeral director: means a person licensed to practice funeral directing. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- License: means a license, which is not transferable or assignable, to:
(a) Practice embalming and funeral directing. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Mortuary: means a licensed place of business devoted solely to the shelter, care, and embalming of the deceased. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Person: means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, not-for-profit organization, or any other organization. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
- State: means the State of West Virginia. See West Virginia Code 30-6-3
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
(a) Is free of a felony conviction bearing a rational nexus to the profession pursuant to § 30-1-24 of this code;
(b) Is 18 years of age or over;
(c) Is a citizen of the United States or is eligible for employment in the United States;
(d) Has a high school diploma or its equivalent;
(e) Has completed one of the following education requirements, as evidenced by a transcript submitted to the board for evaluation:
(1)(A) Has an associate degree from an accredited college or university; or
(2) Has successfully completed at least 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of academic work in an accredited college or university toward a baccalaureate degree with a declared major field of study; and
(3) Has graduated from a school of mortuary science, accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, Inc., which requires as a prerequisite to graduation the completion of a course of study of not less than 12 months; or
(B) Has a bachelor degree in mortuary science from an accredited college or university;
(f) Has completed a one-year apprenticeship, under the supervision of a licensed embalmer and funeral director actively and lawfully engaged in the practice of embalming and funeral directing in this state, which apprenticeship consisted of:
(1) Diligent attention to the work in the course of regular and steady employment and not as a side issue to another employment; and
(2) The apprentice taking an active part in:
(A) The operation of embalming not less than 35 dead human bodies; and
(B) Conducting not less than 35 funeral services;
(g) Passes, with an average score of not less than 75 percent, the following examinations:
(1) The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards examination at a testing site provided by the national conference, which passage is a condition precedent to taking the state law examination;
(2) The West Virginia Laws, Rules, and Regulations Examination, administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards; and
(3) Any other examination required by the board; and
(h) Has paid all the appropriate fees.
A license to practice embalming issued by the board prior to July 1, 2012, shall for all purposes be considered a license issued under this section: Provided, That a person holding a license issued prior to July 1, 2012, must renew the license pursuant to the provisions of this article.