What is the role of the Division of Professional Licensure (DPL) in relation to the Board?

• A. Supervises the Board and may discipline licensees
• B. Issues licenses directly
• C. Handles patient complaints
• D. Sets fees

Answer: (A)

The Division of Professional Licensure acts as the overarching regulator that oversees professional boards and ensures enforcement of the governing laws and rules. In Massachusetts, the Board of Registration of Podiatry handles licensing and regulates the practice, while the DPL provides supervision over the Board and has the authority to pursue disciplinary actions against licensees when violations occur. This supervisory and enforcement role is what makes the option describing the DPL as overseeing the Board and potentially disciplining licensees the correct one. The other activities—issuing licenses directly, handling patient complaints, or setting fees—are not the DPL’s primary function: licensing and practice regulation are carried out by the Board, complaints are generally processed through the Board, and fee setting is typically handled by statutes or the Board under statutory guidance with oversight, rather than by the DPL alone.