Virginia Becomes First State to Enact Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact legislation into law on March 18.  Senate Bill 1189, introduced by Senator Ghaza Hashmi, authorizes Virginia to join the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact (OT Compact). The OT Compact takes effect when it is enacted by 10 states.

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 technical assistance from the Council of State Governments. AOTA is collaborating with state occupational therapy associations to get OT Compact legislation introduced and passed across the states with support from NBCOT and CSG.

The OT Compact is a legal agreement or contract between state governments. In this case, the occupational therapy compact will provide licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants with the opportunity to practice in the states that join the compact without having to secure a new license in each of these states.

The Virginia Occupational Therapy Association (VOTA) led the charge in Virginia. According to Erin Clemens, VOTA President, “passage of this compact has been supported by occupational therapy practitioners across the state ever since it was a possibility for us to pursue legislation. We are very grateful to Senator Hashmi for being our bill patron and providing the steadfast leadership it needed to pass. As a military spouse, this compact bill will assist not only other military spouses who are occupational therapists, but will help the continuity of care for so many clients across the lifespan.”

In addition to the enacted legislation in Virginia, OT Compact bills are pending in 13 additional states (GA, IL, IA, ME, MD, MO, NE, NH, NC, OH, SC, TX, and UT). OT Compact legislation is expected to be introduced in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin later this year.   

For more information about the OT Compact, please visit https://otcompact.org/.