OT Licensure Compact enacted in 20 states

On May 13, South Carolina joined the occupational therapy licensure compact (OT compact) after Governor Henry McMaster signed the OT compact legislation. With this bill signed into law, South Carolina became the 20th state to enact compact legislation! Congratulations to the South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association!

In order to become a member of the OT compact, each state's legislature must enact the OT compact language into law. In 2022, 11 states enacted the compact legislation, joining the 9 states that enacted the compact in 2021. Legislation is pending in 5 other states at this time.

The compact legislation creates the Occupational Therapy Compact Commission (OTCC) to implement the licensure compact after 10 states enact the legislation. Members of the OTCC are appointed by compact member states and may be state occupational therapy licensure board members or board or agency staff. To operationalize the compact, the OTCC will elect an executive committee, draft bylaws, and promulgate regulations to implement the compact. Once the members of the OTCC agree upon rules and establish a method for compact member states to share information, states will be able to grant compact licenses, and individuals residing in those states will be able to take advantage of the benefits the compact offers. The OTCC will likely hold its first meeting later this summer to begin the steps necessary to operationalize the compact, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

For more information, and a list of states that have enacted and are considering the OT compact, please visit otcompact.org.

The OT compact is a joint initiative of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®), with state occupational therapy associations leading legislative initiatives in the states.