The surviving spouse of a blind vendor operating a facility pursuant to this article shall have the right after the death of the blind vendor to operate the facility operated by the blind vendor immediately prior to his or her death if the spouse meets all of the following conditions:
(a)
The spouse is blind as that term is defined for purposes of this article.
(b)
The spouse has been certified as qualified to operate a vending facility prior to the death of the blind vendor, even if the spouse is not currently certified as qualified to operate a vending facility.
(c)
The spouse, within a period of one year after the death of the blind vendor, becomes certified as qualified to operate a vending facility by passing a certification examination with a score of at least 70 percent.
(d)
The spouse has assisted the blind vendor in the operation of the vending facility.
A license shall be issued to a surviving spouse who meets the requirements in subdivisions (a) through (d). If the spouse needs to be recertified as qualified to operate a vending facility, the spouse shall have undergone at least a two-month supervised on-the-job training experience at the facility which the blind vendor operated.
A spouse seeking to operate a vending facility pursuant to this section shall be permitted to operate the facility during the one-year period after the death of the blind vendor operating the facility without regard to the status of the spouse’s certification, and the spouse shall be eligible during the one-year period after the death of the blind vendor for any training provided by the department, or any agency designated by the department, to persons seeking to become certified as qualified to operate a vending facility.
This section shall apply to vending facilities where the death of the blind vendor operating the facility occurs on or after January 1, 1981.