| Wins for Mental Healthcare in Virginia! We are happy to announce both bills that VOTA advocated for as part of our advocacy day this year have passed the house and the senate! Below you can find the bill as written: Here you can find talking points about the two bills: |
Advocacy win: Lapsed License Reinstatement Virginia has some of the strictest active practice requirements for maintaining OT licensure in the US. As a result, some practitioners were experiencing license lapses as they did not perform the required hours of active practice during the renewal period. This was a particular challenge for practitioners stepping away for their health or to provide care for family members. Rigorous requirements for supervised work in order to reinstate a lapsed license were often prohibitive as it was difficult for practitioners to find settings that would host them for these hours. In 2022 the advisory board voted on an amendment to the regulations to remove the supervision requirement for license reinstatement.This change has been stalled in the regulatory approval process since 2023. VOTA is proud to announce that, after a recent advocacy effort, the regulatory update is moving forward and is set to take effect on 5/8/2025 after a period of public comment. This is an important step forward in ensuring flexibility for practitioners to attend to other life circumstances without facing prohibitive barriers to returning to active practice. For updates about this regulatory change, visit the regulatory townhall site. |
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Scope of Practice
VOTA is in the process of drafting proposed changes to the OT scope of practice in Virginia. These proposed changes are planned to be introduced during the 2026 legislative session. We want your input! Please join our committee, which meets on the second Sunday of the month from 7-8pm.
Email: president.vota@gmail.com if interested.
More information on scope of practice efforts is available on our scope of practice initiative page.
