Advocacy Wins
On March 18th, 2021 Senate Bill 1189 passed, making Virginia the first state to successfully pass licensure compact legislation.
The OT Compact Commission is establishing rules and preparation for implementation to begin issuing compact privileges to practice occupational therapy. Find more on the compact here.
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.
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 town hall site.
| 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: |
