Legislative News

Useful Links: 

Office of the Governor: governor.virginia.gov

Virginia General Assembly: virginiageneralassembly.gov

Who’s My Legislator: whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov

Virginia Board of Social Work: dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/SocialWork

Town Hall Regulatory Site: townhall.virginia.gov

Council of State Governments: clinicalsocialworkassociation.org/Announcements/13075590

GWSCSW/VSCSW Richmond Recap – March/April 2024

The Virginia General Assembly passed more than 1,000 bills during the recent legislative session, which adjourned on March 9. The Governor had until midnight on April 8 to act on the bills. He signed nearly 800 bills, offered amendments to more than 100 bills and vetoed 153 bills, which exceeds the number of bills vetoed by previous governors over their four-year terms. In addition, the Governor offered more than 200 amendments to the state budget bill. The General Assembly will convene on April 17 to consider the amendments and vetoes.

Of particular interest to the GWSCSW/VSCSW were the two social work compact bills, Senate Bill 239 (Senator Hashmi) and House Bill 326 (Delegate Glass). Throughout March, the legislative committee coordinated with the patrons and reached out to the Governor’s Office on several occasions to encourage him to sign the bills. The Governor signed SB239 and HB326 before the April 8 deadline making Virginia the sixth state to adopt the compact. Once the compact has been adopted by seven states, the Council of State Governments will begin the process to formalize the application process and administration of the licensing reciprocity with other member compact states.

Of note, the Virginia Board of Social Work cancelled their March 29 meeting due to a lack of a quorum. The next meeting is scheduled for July 12.

GWSCSW/ VSCSW Richmond Recap – February 2024

Mark Smith, GWSCSW /VSCSW Lobbyist

The 2024 Virginia General Assembly session has adjourned. The Virginia Society of Clinical Social Work (VSCSW) and the Greater Washington Society of Clinical Social Workers (GWSCSW) partnered with the Clinical Social Work Association and the National Association of Social Work to secure passage of the Social Work Compact legislation. The joint legislative committee of VSCSW and GWSCW invested a significant amount of time and energy to reach out to state decision-makers on behalf of members. In fact, several social workers came to Richmond on February 14 and 15 to meet with more than 20 legislators and state officials regarding the Compact. In the end, Senate Bill 239 (Senator Hashmi) and House Bill 326 (Delegate Glass) were overwhelmingly supported by the General Assembly. The bills are currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.

For more information on the Social Work Compact: https://swcompact.org/

There were a number of other bills of interest to the social work community. Senate Bill 682 and House Bill 1479 pertaining to universal licensure were advanced by the Governor. The legislators carried the bills over until the 2025 session so that stakeholders can come together to fine tune the proposal. Likewise, House Bill 606 pertaining to a social work exam alternative and House Bill 178 which would create a social work advisory board were carried over until 2025 for additional discussion.

One bill of interest to LCSWs was House Bill 125. House Bill 125 modifies the special justices and independent evaluator fees for emergency custody and voluntary and involuntary civil admissions. The bill is pending the Governor’s signature. Below is the summary taken from the General Assembly website:

Special justices and independent evaluator fees; emergency custody and voluntary and involuntary civil admissions. Increases the fee that a special justice receives for presiding over emergency custody and voluntary and involuntary civil admissions from $86.25 to $120 for each commitment hearing and from $43.25 to $70 for each certification hearing. The bill also increases the fee that an independent evaluator receives if required to serve as a witness or an interpreter from $75 to $120 for each commitment hearing and from $43.25 to $70 for each certification hearing.

The next meeting of the Board of Social work is at 10:00 on March 29th in Richmond.

Social Work Richmond Recap — January 2024

On February 2, 2024 the Virginia General Assembly completed its third full week of deliberations on nearly 2,600 bills and resolutions. The legislature is quickly approaching their February 13th “crossover” date. By February 13th the House and Senate must complete work (except the budget bill) on bills in the House of origin and surviving legislation crosses over to the other body for consideration.

The legislative committee for the Virginia Society of Clinical Social Workers (VSCSW) and the Greater Washington Society of Clinical Social Work (GWSCSW) has been hard at work monitoring more than 25 bills that may have an impact on our profession and directly participating in the legislative process by meeting with legislators and testifying before committees.

This session the VSCSW and GWSCSW top priority has been to advance a proposal to create a social work compact. Details and benefits of the compact are posted on this website. We are fortunate to have champions like Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) and Delegate Jackie Glass (D-Norfolk). Please continue to reach out to your elected representatives and encourage support for Senate Bill 239 and House Bill 326.

Senate Bill 239 is expected to be on final passage on the Seante Floor on February 5th and, if passed, will be communicated to the House for Consideration. House Bill 326 was reported from House Subcommittee and is expected to be heard by the full Health and Human Services Committee on February 6th.

The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Additional bills of interest include:

House Bill 123 – Clean Claim: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=hb123

House Bill 178 – Social Work Advisory Board: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=Hb178

House Bill 606 – Licensure Examination Alternative: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=hb606

House Bill 1479 – Universal Licensure: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=hb1479

Senate Bill 403 – Behavioral Health Aids Scope of Practice: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=241&typ=bil&val=sb403

Senate Bill 682 – Universal Licensure: LIS > Bill Tracking > SB682 > 2024 session

January 10th, 2024

Virginia Senate Bill SB 239

LEGISLATIVE ALERT FROM SUSAN WITT, LCSW
VSCSW PRESIDENT

Dear VSCSW Members and Colleagues across the state,

The Virginia General Assembly has just convened for the 2024 legislative session. VSCSW and GWSCSW have partnered with Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA) to seek passage of the Interstate Social Work Compact. We are also collaborating with NASW on this initiative.

The Social Work Compact will join other health care Compacts being introduced during this General Assembly Session. The Counseling Compact was passed in 2023. The passage of the Interstate Social Work Compact in Virginia will benefit consumers, licensure boards, and the social work profession by:

• Aid in addressing work force shortages by increasing availability of LCSW’s to provide mental health treatment to children and adults. Several states bordering Virginia are currently considering Social Work Compact legislation.
• Support military personnel and spouses by making it easier to maintain their social work licenses when relocating and to serve those in the jurisdiction to which they move to.
• Enhance mobility for clinical social workers who meet the Compact uniform licensure requirements.
• Preservation and strengthening the current system of state licensure by creating a shared data system, reducing administrative burdens and reducing application processing times.
• Will allow LCSW’s to work in other states that have also passed Social Work Compacts without having to become licensed separately in those states under certain conditions as outlined in the Compact bill. (LCSW joins Compact as an individual, pays set fee for separate Compact license, and has a current unrestricted license in home state of Virginia)

Senator Ghazala Hashmi (Chesterfield) is the patron of Social Work Compact Senate Bill SB239

We anticipate that the bill will be considered in the first 2 weeks of the legislative session.

Please reach out to your elected members of the General Assembly ASAP and seek their support of Senate Bill 239.

There have been a lot of changes in legislative districts with the recent redistricting. Please confirm who your representative is in the House of Delegates and in the Virginia Senate by entering your mailing address at this site: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov The site will also provide you with the email address to your elected representatives.

Your message should state that you are a constituent and as a social work professional that you would appreciate their support for Senate Bill 239.

BE alert and respond quickly to legislative alerts sent out to you. Our GWSCSW/VSCSW lobbyist Mark Smith (mesmith@verizon.net) will directly contact some of you (especially the Richmond Chapter) asking for help in meeting directly with legislators at our Capital.

Background on Social Work Compact

June 2023

There are currently eight Compacts (which is essentially a multi-state agreement) in the United States that allow health care professionals to practice across state lines without having to be licensed in every state in which they wish to work (i.e., nursing, psychology, occupational therapy, etc). The mobility of clinical social workers and their patients makes the Compact a valuable asset to clinical social work practice. Here is a summary of how the Social Work Compact, funded by the Department of Defense and developed by the Council of State Governments, was created:

Potential Impact

There are approximately 320,000 licensed clinical social workers in the United States today. Despite the high demand for clinical social work services, licensees are limited to providing services within their own state borders. The Social Work Licensure Compact seeks to increase public access to clinical social work services, provide licensees with opportunities for multistate practice, support relocating military families, enhance public protection abilities and allow for expanded use of telemental health technologies.

History of the Social Work Compact

In October of 2021, the Technical Assistance Group, which included stakeholders of all the major social work groups, began the process of creating a bill which would allow states to consider joining a Social Work Compact. The final bill was released on February 27, 2023. The intent of the bill is to benefit states by:

• Enhancing mobility for clinical social workers who meet the Compact uniform licensure requirements;
• Allowing military personnel and spouses to more easily maintain their social work licenses when relocating; and
• Preserving and strengthening the current system of state licensure.

The Social Work Compact will allow LCSWs to work in other states without having to become licensed in these states under the following conditions:

• If the LCSW’s home state joins the Compact
• If the LCSW then joins the Compact as an individual
• If the LCSW has no actionable complaints

The Social Work Compact is expected to benefit licensees, licensing authorities, and its member states in the following ways:

Benefits for Licensees

• Eases mobility for licensees.
• Expands employment opportunities into new markets
• Allows for continuity of care for clients who are moving to a new jurisdiction or who frequently relocate.
• Leverages technological innovations like telehealth.
• Supports relocating military spouses and families.
  Benefits for Licensing Authorities
• Creates a shared data system which reduces administrative burdens – Provides rapid access to information on licensees, investigations and discipline – Reduces application processing time
• Expands cooperation among member states on investigations and disputes – Enhances public safety

Benefits for States

• Provides a tool for addressing workforce shortages
• Expands consumer access to highly qualified social workers
• Preserves state sovereignty

Creating the Social Work Compact Commission

When seven states have joined the Compact, a Commission will be created to oversee the Compact and develop rules by which the Compact will be run. The Commission will be responsible for the functioning of the Compact and reviewing any problems that occur. The Commission will be funded by the individual social workers who join the Compact after their state has joined the Compact.

Licensure compacts for nurses, physical therapists, physicians, psychologists and counselors have been successful in increasing licensure portability for practitioners while allowing member state regulatory boards to better protect patients through enhanced sharing of licensure information.

Summary

The Social Work Compact will benefit access to mental health services by clinical social workers across state lines. It will allow patients to continue to work across state lines if the licensed clinical social worker and/or the client is outside the state in which the clinical social worker is licensed.

CONTACTS:

Kendra Roberson, PhD, LICSW, President
Clinical Social Work Association
president@clinicalsocialworkassociation.org

Laura Groshong, LICSW, Director, Policy and Practice
Clinical Social Work Association
lwgroshong@clinicalsocialworkassociation.org