18VAC140-20-30. Fees.

A. The board has established fees for the following:

B. Fees shall be paid by check or money order made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia and forwarded to the board. All fees are nonrefundable.

C. Examination fees shall be paid directly to the examination service according to its requirements.

18VAC140-20-45. Requirements for licensure by endorsement.

A. Every applicant for licensure by endorsement shall submit in one package:

1. A completed application and the application fee prescribed in 18VAC140-20-30.

2. Documentation of active social work licensure in good standing obtained by standards required for licensure in another jurisdiction as verified by the out-of-state licensing agency. Licensure in the other jurisdiction shall be of a comparable type as the licensure that the applicant is seeking in Virginia.

3. Verification of a passing score on a board-approved national exam at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure in Virginia.

4. Documentation of any other health or mental health licensure or certification, if applicable.

5. A current report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).

6. Verification of:

a. Active practice at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure in another United States jurisdiction for 24 out of the past 60 months;

b. Active practice in an exempt setting at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure for 24 out of the past 60 months; or

c. Evidence of supervised experience requirements substantially equivalent to those outlined in 18VAC140-20-50 A 2 and A 3 and 18VAC140-20-60 C 2 and C 3.

7. Certification that the applicant is not the respondent in any pending or unresolved board action in another jurisdiction or in a malpractice claim.

B. If an applicant for licensure by endorsement has not passed a board-approved national examination at the level for which the applicant is seeking licensure in Virginia, the board may approve the applicant to sit for such examination.

18VAC140-20-60. Education and experience requirements for an LBSW or LMSW.

A. Education. The applicant for licensure as an LBSW shall hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited school of social work. The applicant for licensure as an LMSW shall hold a master's degree from an accredited school of social work. Graduates of foreign institutions must establish the equivalency of their education to this requirement through the Foreign Equivalency Determination Service of the Council on Social Work Education.

B. Master's degree applicant. An applicant who holds a master's degree may apply for licensure as an LMSW without documentation of supervised experience.

C. Supervised experience requirement for bachelor's degree applicants. Supervised experience without prior written board approval will not be accepted toward licensure, except supervision obtained in another United States jurisdiction may be accepted if it met the requirements of that jurisdiction.

1. Registration. Prior to the onset of supervision, an individual who proposes to obtain supervised experience in Virginia shall:

a. Register on a form provided by the board and completed by the supervisor and the supervised individual; and

b. Pay the registration of supervision fee set forth in 18VAC140-20-30.

2. Hours. Bachelor's degree applicants shall have completed a minimum of 3,000 hours of supervised post-bachelor's degree experience in casework management and supportive services under supervision satisfactory to the board. A minimum of one hour and a maximum of four hours of face-to-face supervision shall be provided per 40 hours of work experience for a total of at least 100 hours.

3. Supervised experience shall be acquired in no less than two nor more than four consecutive years from the beginning of the supervised experience. An individual who does not complete the supervision requirement after four consecutive years of supervised experience may request an extension of up to 12 months. The request for an extension shall include evidence that demonstrates extenuating circumstances that prevented completion of the supervised experience within four consecutive years.

D. Requirements for supervisors.

1. The supervisor providing supervision shall hold an active, unrestricted license as a licensed social worker with a master's degree, or a licensed social worker with a bachelor's degree and at least three years of post-licensure social work experience or a licensed clinical social worker in the jurisdiction in which the social work services are being rendered. If this requirement places an undue burden on the applicant due to geography or disability, the board may consider individuals with comparable qualifications.

2. The supervisor shall:

a. Be responsible for the social work practice of the prospective applicant once the supervisory arrangement is accepted by the board;

b. Review and approve the assessment and service plan of a representative sample of cases assigned to the applicant during the course of supervision. The sample should be representative of the variables of gender, age, assessment, length of service and casework method within the client population seen by the applicant. It is the applicant's responsibility to assure the representativeness of the sample that is presented to the supervisor. The supervisor shall be available to the applicant on a regularly scheduled basis for supervision. The supervisor will maintain documentation, for five years post supervision, of which clients were the subject of supervision;

c. Provide supervision only for those casework management and support services activities for which the supervisor has determined the applicant is competent to provide to clients;

d. Provide supervision only for those activities for which the supervisor is qualified;

e. Evaluate the supervisee in the areas of professional ethics and professional competency; and

f. Ensure that the board is notified of any change in supervision or if the supervision has ended or has been terminated by the supervisor.

3. The supervisor shall not provide supervision for a family member or provide supervision for anyone with whom the supervisor has a dual relationship.