A massage therapist complained that, even though he had applied seven months prior, the State Board of Massage Therapists had not yet issued him a license. The complainant said that the delay had caused him to lose clients, was preventing him from obtaining employment, and was creating a financial hardship. He had previously been licensed by the Municipality of Anchorage prior to the State of Alaska taking over the licensing of massage therapists. Upon Ombudsman inquiry, the division director acknowledged that the agency had “dropped the ball” in processing the complainant’s application. The director ordered that the complainant’s application be expedited for processing and called the complainant herself to explain the delay and offer him an apology. (A2016-0429)