Source: http://vtprofessionals.org/opr1/social_workers/rules/SW_Rules_Clean.html
Timestamp: 2014-03-09 11:04:02
Document Index: 521794566

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 8', 'art 9', 'ART 1', 'art 2', '§ 121', '§ 801', '§ 310', '§ 315', '§ 129', 'art 5', 'art 3', 'art 5', 'art 4', 'art 5', '§ 3201', 'art 7', '§ 129', '§ 129', '§\n129', 'art 7', '§ 3210', 'art 9', '§ 3210', '§ 129', '§ 131']

Administrative Rules for Social Workers
Working Draft #13 October 25, 2013
1.1 Administrative Rules
1.4 Advisors to the Direct of the Office of Professional Regulation
1.5 Laws Governing Regulation of the Profession
1.6 Legislative Changes Affecting Rules
1.7 Advisory Opinions
1.8 Other Sources of Information: The Web Page
Part 2 Licensed Master’s Social Worker Licensure
2.1 Routes to Licensure
2.2 Licensure by Examination
2.3 Licensure by Endorsement
2.4 Licensed Experience: Five Year Rule
Part 3 Licensure of Independent Clinical Social Workers
3.1 Routes to Licensure
3.2 Licensure by Examination
3.3 Licensure by Endorsement
3.4 Licensed Experience: Five Year Rule
Part 4 Decisions on Licensure
4.1 Right to a Written Decision
4.2 Right to Appeal Licensing Decisions
Part 5 Supervised Practice
5.1 Supervised Practice Toward Licensure as an L.M.S.W.
5.2 Supervised Practice Toward Licensure as an L.I.C.S.W.
5.4 Unlicensed or Un-Rostered Practice
5.5 L.I.C.S.W. Supervised Practice Disclosure Requirements
5.6 Supervisors: Experience and Standing Requirements
5.7 Verification of Supervisor Credentials
5.8 Areas of Practice
5.9 Frequency and Nature of Supervision
5.10 Supervision Settings
5.11 Supervisor Prerequisites
5.12 Supervision of L.M.S.W. Applicants
5.13 Excluded from Supervising
5.14 Supervisors Outside Vermont
5.15 Distribution of Supervised Practice Hours
5.16 Time Allowed for Supervised Practice
5.17 Current Competency: Timing of Supervised Practice
5.18 Expiration of Applications
5.19 Supervision Reports
Part 6 Information for Licensees
6.1 License Display
6.2 Change of Name or Address
6.3 Continuing Education Requirements
6.4 Eligible Continuing Education Subject Areas
6.5 Ethics Requirement
6.6 Formal Educational Activities
6.7 Informal or Self-Directed Educational Activities: For L.I.C.S.W.’s Only
6.8 Ineligible Activities
6.9 Pre-Approved Activities and Sponsors
6.10 Documentation and Retention of Records
6.11 Continuing Education Audits
Part 7 Disclosure for L.I.C.S.W.’s and Those in Supervised Practice Toward Licensure
as L.I.C.S.W.’s.
7.1 Disclosure of Information
7.2 Definition
7.3 Timing of Disclosure
Part 8 Renewals
8.1 License Renewal
8.2 Lapsed (Expired) Licenses
8.3 Inactive License Status
Part 9 Discipline
9.1 Unprofessional Conduct
9.2 Sanctions for Unprofessional Conduct
9.3 Disciplinary Procedure
9.4 Confidentiality
PART 1. General Information 1.1 Administrative Rules
(a) Title 26 Chapter 61 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated gives the Director of the Office of
Professional Regulation (Director) certain powers and duties regarding licensure and discipline
of licensed masters and independent clinical social workers to protect the public health, safety,
and welfare. The Director has adopted these rules to aid applicants, licensees, and the general
public in understanding the requirements for these professions. (b) Copies of these rules and more information about the regulation of social workers may be
obtained by contacting the Office of Professional Regulation (Office) at 802-828-1505. This
information may also be obtained from the Office of Professional Regulation website at
http://vtprofessionals.org/. 1.2 General Definitions These words and phrases are defined as follows:
( a) “Accredited Social Work Education Program” means a program approved by the Council on
Social Work Education or the Council’s equivalent.
(b) “A.S.W.B.” means Association of Social Work Boards. (c) “Completed application” means an application which shows that the applicant has fulfilled
all prerequisites to licensure.
(d) “Direct service” means time spent with a client directly regardless of setting, or in
consulting with another professional about the client, for example, the client’s physician or
psychiatrist. It may include any phone time or emergency time with the client, but over all it
involves being with the client or the client’s other service providers.
(e) “Indirect services” means creating case notes, staff meetings, supervision, workshops and
conferences, general consultation, teaching, case management activities, advocacy and policy
work, and any other social work other than direct client contact.
(f) “Director” means the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation;
(g) “L.M.S.W.” means licensed master’s social worker as set forth in Part 2 of these rules. (h) “L.I.C.S.W.” means Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.
(i) “N.A.S.W.” means National Association of Social Workers;
(j) “N.A.S.W. Vermont” means, the National Association of Social Workers, Vermont Chapter.
(k) “Office” means the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR);
(l) “Trainee” means a person engaged in supervised practice towards licensure as an independent
(m) “V.S.A.” means the Vermont Statutes Annotated.
The Office’s business location is the Office of the Secretary of State, Office of Professional
Regulation, in the City Center in Montpelier. Its mailing address is:
89 Main St. Fl. 3
1.4 Advisors to the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation The Secretary of
State appoints two licensed independent clinical social workers to serve as advisors to assist the
Director of Professional Regulation in the regulation of this profession. 1.5 Laws Governing Regulation of the Profession The Director of the Office of
Professional Regulation is authorized by Chapter 61 of Title 26, Vermont Statutes Annotated, to
set standards, issue licenses, and regulate the profession. The statutes are online at
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/chapters.cfm?Title=26. The Director’s authority is also
conferred by subchapter III of Chapter 5 of Title 3 “Professional Regulation,” the statutes
creating and governing the Office of Professional Regulation ( 3 V.S.A. §§ 121-132). In addition
to the “Professional Regulation” statutes, the regulation of this profession is subject to other state
laws including the “Administrative Procedure Act” (3 V.S.A. §§ 801-849), the “Open Meeting
Law” (1 V.S.A. §§ 310-314), and the “Access to Public Records Law” (1 V.S.A. §§ 315-320). In
contested cases, the Office follows the Vermont Rules of Evidence, as amended by the
Administrative Procedure Act. These laws set forth the rights of applicants, license holders, and
members of the public. Applicants and licensees should be aware that Chapter 5 of Title 3 of the
Vermont Statutes contains several statutes which govern regulation of licensed professionals. See among them, 3 V.S.A. § 129a which defines unprofessional conduct. 1.6 Legislative Changes Affecting Rules Legislative changes from time to time may
create inconsistencies between statutes and administrative rules. When a statute and rule are
inconsistent, the statute governs.
1.7 Advisory Opinions Interpretation of the meaning of this profession’s administrative
rules and statutes often occurs in the course of deciding an unprofessional conduct case. The
Office is not authorized to issue advisory opinions.
1.8 Other sources of information: The web page. The OPR web site at
http://vtprofessionals.org contains information including periodic news letters, information
about licensing, discipline, and other matters of interest to practicing social workers. Practitioners are encouraged to visit the web page regularly.
2.1 Routes to Licensure There are three routes to licensure as a master’s social worker:
(a) licensure by examination; and (b) licensure by endorsement.
(c) five year rule.
2.2 Licensure by Examination To be eligible for licensure as a licensed master’s social
worker by examination an applicant must:
(a) receive a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited social work educational
(b) successfully complete 1,200 hours of supervised practice as specified in Part 5 of
(c) successfully complete the Association of Social Work Boards master’s level
examination or its successor examination as selected by the Director taken within five
years of submitting an application; and
(d) successfully complete the Vermont jurisprudence examination. 2.3 Licensure by Endorsement To be eligible for licensure as a licensed master’s social
worker by endorsement an applicant must:
a) hold an active license to practice licensed master’s social work or licensed
independent clinical social work in another state or Canadian province whose
requirements for licensure are substantially equivalent to Vermont’s requirements; and
b) successfully complete the jurisprudence examination. 2.4 Licensed Experience: Five Year Rule The Director may grant a license to practice as
a master’s social worker to a person licensed in another United States or Canadian jurisdiction
whose licensing requirements are determined by the Director to be not substantially equivalent to
those of this state if:
(a) the applicant holds an active unencumbered license and has no disciplinary history in
any jurisdictions currently or previously licensed;
(b) the applicant has practiced 1,200 hours per year or more for a minimum of five years; (c) the Director, in his or her discretion, has determined that the applicant’s practice
experience or education overcomes any lesser licensing requirements of the other
jurisdiction(s); and
(d) the applicant has successfully completed the jurisprudence examination. Part 3 Licensure of Independent Clinical Social Workers
3.1 Routes to Licensure There are three routes to licensure as an independent clinical
(a) licensure by examination;
(b) licensure by endorsement; and
(c) five year rule. 3.2 Licensure by Examination To be eligible for licensure as an independent clinical
social worker by examination an applicant must:
(b) successfully complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice as specified in Part 5 of
(c) successfully complete the Association of Social Work Boards clinical examination or
its successor examination as selected by the Director; taken within five years of
submitting an application; and (d) successfully complete the Vermont jurisprudence examination. 3.3 Licensure by Endorsement To be eligible for licensure as an independent clinical social worker by endorsement an applicant must:
a) hold an active license to practice independent clinical social work or its equivalent in
another state or Canadian province whose requirements for licensure are substantially
equivalent to the Vermont’s requirements; and
b) successfully complete the Vermont jurisprudence examination.
3.4 Licensed Experience: Five Year Rule The Director may grant a license to practice as
an independent social worker to a person licensed in another United States or Canadian
Jurisdiction whose licensing requirements are deemed by the Director to be not substantially
equivalent to those of this state if:
(a) the applicant holds an active unencumbered license, and has no disciplinary history in
(b) the applicant has practiced full-time for at least 1,200 hours per year for a minimum
of five years; (c) the Director, in his or her discretion, has determined that the applicant’s practice
(d) the applicant has successfully completed the Vermont jurisprudence examination. Part 4 Decisions on Licensure
4.1 Right to a Written Decision (a) The Office will notify applicants in writing of all decisions to either grant or deny a license or
license renewal. If a license or renewal is denied, the Office will give the applicant specific
reasons and will also inform the applicant of the right to appeal the decision. This is called a
“preliminary denial.”
(b) The Office most often issues a preliminary denial of licensure or renewal when it appears
from the application and accompanying documents that the applicant does not meet all of the
requirements for licensure. When this occurs, the applicant is notified of the right to file an
appeal which is heard as a formal hearing by an Administrative Law Officer. At the hearing the
burden of proof is on the applicant to show that the preliminary denial was in error. After that
hearing the Administrative law officer issues a final decision in writing. If the decision affirms
the preliminary denial of a license, the decision informs the applicant of his or her appellate
4.2 Right to Appeal Licensing Decisions If the applicant is not satisfied with the final
decision concerning the denial of a license or renewal, the applicant may appeal the decision to
the Director. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the denial. An appellate
officer will review the record made before the Administrative Law Officer for legal errors. Information about the appeal process may be obtained from the Office or online at
http://vtprofessionals.org/. Part 5 Supervised Practice
5.1 Supervised practice toward licensure as an L.M.S.W. Supervised practice toward
licensure as an L.M.S.W. means social work practice that is supervised by a qualified supervisor
who is familiar with the nature of the applicant’s social work activities and who monitors the
quality of the work and contributes to the enhancement of self-knowledge and of social work
5.2 Supervised Practice toward licensure as an L.I.C.S.W. Supervised practice toward
licensure as an L.I.C.S.W. means (a) clinical social work that is supervised by a qualified supervisor who is familiar with
the nature of the applicant’s clinical activities and who monitors the quality of the work
and contributes to the enhancement of self-knowledge and of clinical work. The
supervisor is responsible for an applicant’s work. (b) Provision of psychotherapy must comprise 2,000 of the required 3,000 hours of
supervision. The definition of “psychotherapy”is found in 26 V.S.A. § 3201(4). (c) Applicants for licensure as L.I.C.S.W.s who are already licensed as Licensed Masters
Social Workers are required to do 2,000 hours of supervised practice providing
psychotherapy. 5.3 Registration Requirements (a) For L.I.C.S.W. applicants already licensed as master’s social workers: No supervised
practice toward licensure within the State of Vermont and no psychotherapy services may be
provided as part of any supervised practice in Vermont until and unless the licensed master’s
social worker has registered the with the Office. This registration shall be renewed with the
license during the period of supervised practice. A licensee who provides psychotherapy services
without registering with the Office is engaged in unauthorized practice and subject to disciplinary
action. No unauthorized practice of psychotherapy will be counted toward the supervised
practice requirement. (b) For L.I.C.S.W. applicants not already licensed as master’s social workers: No
supervised practice toward licensure within the State of Vermont and no psychotherapy services
may be provided in Vermont as part of supervised practice in Vermont before the applicant has
been entered on the roster of non-licensed and non-certified psychotherapists. Applicants are
required to remain on the roster for the duration of the supervised practice.
5.4 Unlicensed or Un-Rostered Practice: Responsibilities and Penalties
(a) Both the supervisor and person engaged in supervised practice are responsible for verifying
that the applicant is properly registered with the Office. (b) Supervisors should have a copy of the supervision form before supervision begins. Both the
supervisor and applicant are expected to be familiar with these administrative rules at the
beginning of the supervised practice. (c) Unlicensed, unregistered, or un-rostered supervised practice is unauthorized practice and may
subject the applicant and the supervisor to disciplinary action.
(d) Unauthorized practice in Vermont will not be counted toward the supervised practice
5.5 L.I.C.S.W. Supervised Practice Disclosure Requirements Individuals engaged in
supervised practice in Vermont toward independent clinical social worker licensure must comply
with the disclosure requirements of Part 7 of these rules.
5.6 Supervisors: Experience and Standing Requirements Supervised practice
beginning after the effective date of these rules must occur under a supervisor who:
(a) has acquired 4,500 hours licensed practice in no fewer than three years, and (b) at all times during the period of supervision holds an unencumbered license in a
permitted supervisory licensed profession in the jurisdiction where the supervised
practice occurs.
5.7 Verification of Supervisor Credentials If the supervised practice occurred in a
Canadian province or a state other than Vermont, the supervisor must submit verification of his
or her licensure, registration, or certification directly to the Office. The verification must come
from the licensing or certifying authority of the other state or province. Supervision reports will
be reviewed only after the verification is received.
5.8 Areas of practice An applicant will receive credit in an area of practice only if the
clinical supervisor is knowledgeable and experienced in that area, and only for work that is
acceptable to the supervisor and satisfies the requirements of these rules.
An applicant must have one hour of supervision for each thirty (30) hours of supervised
practice. The supervision must occur in a face-to-face setting. Face-to-face supervision via
Skype or similar electronic media is acceptable.
5.10 Supervision Settings Face-to-face supervision may be in either an individual setting,
between the supervisor and the applicant, or in a group setting, including the supervisor and up
to eight trainees. Of the total hours of supervision, at least half must be in an individual setting.
5.11 Supervisor Prerequisites For supervised practice commencing after the effective date
of these rules, a supervisor of anyone engaged in supervised practice toward licensure as an
independent clinical social worker must be in currently engaged in licensed practice and have no
less than three years experience in licensed practice as: (a) a licensed independent clinical social worker. (b) a licensed clinical mental health counselor, or
(c) a licensed psychologist, or
(d) licensed physician or a licensed osteopathic physician who has completed a
residency in psychiatry.
5.12 Supervision of L.M.S.W. Applicants Supervision of applicants for licensure as
L.M.S.W.s may be provided by members of the professions listed in Rule 5.11(a-d) above or by
licensed master’s social workers.
5.13 Excluded from Supervising Preface: Successful supervision requires that the future
licensee and supervisor have a full and candid exchange regarding all aspects of the supervised
practice. Treatment issues, including issues of sexual attraction and other matters between
practitioner and client, and work conditions affecting practice should be fully explored. Because
full candor is needed, conflicts of interest between supervisor and future licensee must be
(a) Certain persons are excluded from being supervisors. (1) A “clinical supervisor” may not include a spouse, life partner, former spouse,
or family member. (2) To avoid financial conflicts of interest, persons who gain financially from the
practice of the applicant may not provide clinical supervision toward licensure.
Excluded from providing clinical supervision toward licensure, therefore, would
be employers, financial partners, shareholders in the same counseling enterprise,
or other persons who gain financially from the practice of the applicant.
(b) An individual who: (1) meets the requirements to be a supervisor; and (2) is an employee of the same employer as the applicant, and (3) does not personally financially gain from the practice of the applicant is not
disqualified from providing clinical supervision.
(c) The following arrangements are examples of those which cannot be accepted for
clinical supervision toward licensure:
(1) Supervision by current or former family members or any other persons where
the nature of the personal relationship prevents or makes difficult the
establishment of a professional relationship;
(2) Administrative supervision (for example, clinical practice performed under
administrative rather than clinical supervision of an institutional director or
executive);
(3) Classes, workshops, or seminars;
(4) Consultation, staff development, or orientation to a field or program, or
role-playing of family interrelationships as a substitute for current clinical
5.14 Supervisors Outside Vermont If an applicant’s supervised practice occurs outside of
Vermont, a person certified, registered, or licensed in another United States or Canadian
jurisdiction in one of the professions listed above, or in a licensed profession which is their
substantial equivalent, will be recognized as a permitted supervisor.
(a) LICSW: Of the 3,000 required practice hours 2,000 hours shall be the provision of
psychotherapy services, with the remaining 1,000 hours in either direct or indirect social work
(b) Master’s: The 1,200 required practice hours required for licensure at the master’s level may include direct or indirect services.
(c) “Direct service” means time spent with a client directly regardless of setting, or in consulting
with another professional about the client, for example, the client’s physician or psychiatrist. It
may include any phone time or emergency time with the client, but over all it involves being with
the client or the client’s other service providers.
(d) “Indirect services” means creating case notes, staff meetings, supervision, workshops and
conferences, general consultation, teaching, case management activities, and any other related
social work practice other than direct client contact.
5.16 Time allowed for supervised practice (a) Supervised practice towards licensure as an independent clinical social worker may be
completed in no less than two years. (b) Supervised practice towards licensure as a master’s level social worker may be completed in
not less than eight months.
5.17 Current Competency: Timing of Supervised Practice (a) The issuance of a license reflects the applicant’s demonstration of current minimum
competence to practice social work. To ensure current competence, only supervised practice
which takes place within five years of an applicant’s completed application will count toward the
required supervised practice hours.
(b) No more than 1,500 hours per year may be credited toward supervised practice requirement.
(c) Part-time practice of less than 16 hours per week will not count toward the supervised
practice requirement. 5.18 Expiration of applications Applications not completed within two years of their filing
expire. They will receive no further action. After two years, a new application and filing fee will
be required for anyone seeking licensure.
5.19 Supervision Reports A supervision report must be submitted by a clinical supervisor.
The supervision report shall contain sufficient detail to permit the Board to evaluate an
applicant’s supervised practice. The supervision report must contain, at a minimum:
(a) Applicant’s name;
(b) Supervisor’s name, signature, address, certification or licensure number, state where
granted, date granted, and area of specialization;
(c) Name and nature of the practice setting, and a description of the client population
served;
(d) Specific beginning and ending dates of practice covered;
(e) Number of practice hours during this period listing separately direct service hours and
indirect service hours (to include all duties);
(f) Applicant’s specific duties;
(g) Number of one-to-one supervisory hours;
(h) Number of group supervision hours with a maximum of eight supervisees in a group
supervised by at least one clinical supervisor;
(i) Detailed assessment of the applicant’s performance;
(j) Ethical practices reviewed; (k) for LICSW applicants only: an evaluation of the applicant’s ability to provide
psychotherapy and practice as an independent clinical social worker;
(l) A statement of the supervisor’s belief that the applicant is competent and qualified to
6.2 Change of Name or Address A licensee is responsible for notifying the Office within
30 days if he or she changes name, mailing address or business address. 3 V.S.A. § 129a(a)(14)
6.3 Continuing Education Requirements Continuing education is intended to enhance
the licensee’s knowledge and skills toward the goals of safe, ethical, and competent practice of social work.
(a) As a pre-condition for renewal, (1) each licensed independent clinical social worker is required to document and
complete twenty (20) hours of continuing education taken during the concluding
licensing period.
(2) each licensed master’s social worker is required to document and complete
ten (10) hours of continuing education taken in a formal setting during the
concluding licensing period. (b) Only actual time spent in acceptable educational activities may be claimed. Breaks
and meals are excluded.
(c) For applicants granted an initial license to practice, the mandatory continuing
education requirement begins with the first day of the first full biennial licensing period
following the issuance of initial license. The Board recommends, but does not require
continuing education for initial licensees before that time.
(d) For those licensees granted an initial license within 90 days of the end of the
licensing period/renewal date and who are not then required to renew their licenses, the
continuing education requirement begins with the first day of the biennial licensing
period so that all people licensed for two years at the time of their first renewal must
satisfy the continuing education requirements.
6.4 Eligible Continuing Education Subject Areas Relevant areas of continuing
education may include but shall not be limited to: (a) clinical theory and techniques; human growth and development; child and family
development; individual, marital, family and social change;
(b) social and health research; social and public policy development and implementation
(for example, welfare, mental health laws, health care regulation); social work education
and supervision;
(c) topics in the fields of medicine, law, administration, education, and behavioral
sciences, if specifically relevant to the safe and competent practice of clinical social
work. (d) Those who serve as supervisors are encouraged to take some continuing education
training related to supervision.
6.5 Ethics Requirement At least one and one half hours of the total required hours shall be
in ethics of social work practice, including such issues as boundaries, confidentiality, and dual
6.6 Formal Educational Activities (a) For LICSW’S: At least 15 hours shall consist of formal in person education. . (b) For master’s social workers: All hours must consist of formal education.
Formal educational activities may include but are not be limited to: (1) Conferences, workshops, seminars, academic courses, in-service programs (regularly
scheduled staff meetings are not eligible); (2) Offerings approved or sponsored by national, regional, or state professional
organizations in social work and allied disciplines and accredited social work universities
6.7 Informal or Self-Directed Educational Activities: for L.I.C.S.W.’s Only No more
than five hours of continuing education may be in informal or self-directed educational activities. Informal or self-directed educational activities may include:
(a) Independent study projects or study groups sponsored by organizations listed in these
rules or approved by the Director. (b) on line courses or programs approved by organizations specified in these rules.
6.8 Ineligible activities (a) Lectures, teaching, or other activities performed for financial remuneration are not eligible
for continuing education credit.
(b) peer supervision is not eligible for continuing education credit.
6.9 Pre-Approved Activities and Sponsors The Office will accept eligible continuing
education activities offered by the following organizations:
(a) Courses and continuing education activities offered by accredited colleges and
(b) Seminars, courses, conferences, or workshops sponsored or approved by official
national, regional, or state social work professional organizations or state boards;
(c) Courses and continuing educational activities sponsored and approved by the
appropriate national, regional, or state professional organization in the fields of medicine,
law, administration, education, and behavioral sciences;
(d) In-service and continuing education activities sponsored by hospitals, public and
private human service agencies and schools which have been approved for continuing
education credit by the above organizations.
(e) Credit hours assigned by sponsoring organizations for independent study projects will
be accepted by the Office. (f) Professional development programs, regardless of format, approved by N.A.S.W.,
N.A.S.W. Vermont, Council on Social Work Education, or A.S.W.B. qualify as approved
(g) No more than five hours may be claimed for informal or self-directed educational
activities. This includes eligible study groups and viewing of educational or training
videos, on line offerings or taped programs. 6.10 Documentation and Retention of Records Licensees maintain the following
evidence of continuing education for four years and shall make such evidence available to the
Office upon request:
(a) Documentation of formal educational activities should include programs listing
content and speakers, date offered, actual hours of attendance, certification of attendance,
course outlines, statements of attendance signed by the instructor, pamphlets, brief
summary of work content, and transcripts, if applicable.
(b) documentation of informal educational activities shall include outline of curriculum,
objectives, names, addresses and qualifications of speakers or leaders, names and
addresses of other participating members, and annotated bibliographies as appropriate,
and verification of attendance.
6.11 Continuing Education Audits (a) The Office will conduct continuing education audits of randomly selected licensees as well
as licensees whose licenses are conditioned. The Office may also audit late renewing licensees,
and licensees who in any of the preceding two renewal cycles were initially found to have not
met continuing education renewal requirements.
(b) When a licensee appears on the audit list, the Office will request documentation from the
licensee showing a detailed account of the various credits claimed. The Office will review the
documentation and determine if continuing education requirements have been satisfied.
(c) Under 3 V.S.A. § 129(k) the Director may give a licensee 90 days to develop and complete a
corrective plan to correct any deficiencies in his or her continuing education requirements. (d) Failure to comply with a corrective plan may result in disciplinary action. 3 V.S.A. §
129a(a)(4).
Part 7 Disclosure
7.1 Disclosure of Information (a) As used in this Part only, the term “Social Worker” includes both a L.I.C.S.W. and a person
in supervised practice toward licensure as a L.I.C.S.W.
(b) Each Social Worker who provides psychotherapy services shall disclose to each client the following information, printed or typed in easily readable format:
(1) The Social Worker’s professional qualifications and experience, including (A) all relevant graduate programs attended and all graduate degrees and
certificates earned, including the full legal name of the granting institution, and
(B) a brief description of any special qualifications and areas of practice.
(2) A copy of the statutory definition of unprofessional conduct (26 V.S.A. § 3210).
Information on the process for filing a complaint with, or making a consumer inquiry to,
the Director. Sample disclosure forms are available from the Office.
7.2 Definition Disclosure means, at a minimum:
(a) posting the information and informing the client where the information is posted, or (b) having the information printed, displaying the printed information in an easily
accessible location, and informing the client where the information is displayed, or (c) having the information printed and directly handing a copy of the information to the
7.3 Timing of Disclosure (a) Not later than the third office visit, the Social Worker shall present to the client for signature
a document stating that the information required to be disclosed above was disclosed to the
client. The Social Worker shall also sign the document and shall retain the signed original. If,
by the third office visit, disclosure cannot be made or the client declines to sign, the Social
Worker shall prepare and sign a written statement explaining the omission, which shall be
retained in place of the signed copy. (b) A Social Worker who provides psychotherapy services to an institutionalized client shall not
be required under this rule to repeat information already disclosed to the client pursuant to
requirements of other governmental regulatory agencies such as the Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). However, in such cases, the Social Worker
shall obtain from the client the signed document required in the paragraph immediately preceding,
clearly indicating that the information required to be disclosed under this rule was disclosed to the
client pursuant to the requirements of this rule or the requirements of another governmental
(c) When the client is not able to understand the disclosure, as in the case of an institutionalized
person, a minor, or an adult who is under the supervision of a guardian, the disclosure shall be made
to a parent or legal guardian.
(d) The Director may audit a Social Worker’s records of information disclosure. Social workers to
be audited may be selected at random.
8.1 License Renewal Licenses are issued for a two-year period on a schedule set by the Office
of Professional Regulation, and must be renewed by the expiration date printed on the license
(a) The Office sends renewal notices in advance of the expiration date. A licensee is
responsible for renewal whether a notice is received or not, and a license is not valid after
its expiration.
(b) Initial licenses issued within 90 days of the renewal date will not require renewal and
payment of the renewal fee. The license will be issued through the next full license period. Applicants issued an initial license more than 90 days prior to the renewal expiration date
will be required to renew and pay the renewal fee.
8.2 Lapsed (expired) Licenses A lapsed license may be reinstated as permitted by statute
upon payment of the required fees.
8.3 Inactive License status A license may be placed on inactive status as permitted by
Part 9 Discipline 9.1 Unprofessional Conduct
(a) Unprofessional conduct for social workers is defined by 26 V.S.A. § 3210 and 3 V.S.A. § 129a. Unprofessional conduct includes failing to comply with provisions of federal or state statutes or rules
governing the practice of the profession. Violation of the provisions of the N.A.S.W. Code of Ethics
may constitute unprofessional conduct.
(b) The N.A.S.W. Code of Ethics may be found at the NASW website,
http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp. 9.2 Sanctions for Unprofessional Conduct and Unauthorized Practice (a) The licensee may be disciplined following a hearing upon a finding of unprofessional conduct. Possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed on the license of a licensee may include, but are
(1)warnings or reprimands;
(2)suspension for a period of time to be determined by the Board;
(3)revocation;
(4)limitations or conditions on practice;
(5)setting conditions for practice or resumption of practice;
(6)denial of renewal or reinstatement; or
(b) All disciplinary actions are public records available online or from the Office.
9.3 Disciplinary Procedure The Office has a procedure for processing, investigating, and
prosecuting unprofessional conduct and unauthorized practice complaints. A copy of the complaint
procedure may be obtained from the Office or online under “Disciplinary Procedures” at
http://vtprofessionals.org/.
9.4 Confidentiality The Office follows the confidentiality provisions of 3 V.S.A. § 131. All
identifying information related to complaints remains confidential until disciplinary charges are filed.
9.5 Appeal A party aggrieved by a final decision in a disciplinary matter may appeal that
decision by filing a notice of appeal with the Director. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of
the date of the decision. Information about the appeal process may be obtained from the Office. * * *
Deleted or Replaced Portions of Rules