Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 46 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS › Part XXV - Credentialed Social Workers › Chapter 3 - General Provisions › Section XXV-309 - Application Procedure

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. Application
				forms and instructions can be downloaded from the board's website or obtained
				by making a written, telephone or electronic request to the board
				office.
B. A new application must
				be submitted for any change in social work credentials.
C. Applications for license, certification or
				registration are reviewed and approved by the board at regularly scheduled
				board meetings.
D. Applications
				must be submitted to the board office at least seven days prior to the board's
				meeting to be eligible for consideration.
E. The board shall refuse to consider any
				application not complete in every detail, including submission of every
				document required by the application form. At the board's discretion a more
				detailed or complete response to any request for information set forth on the
				application form may be required.
F. The application fee for licensure,
				certification, or registration is non-refundable and must be submitted in the
				form of a money order, certified check, or by credit card.
G. As one element of good moral character,
				the board shall require each applicant to submit a full set of fingerprints for
				the purpose of obtaining State and Federal criminal records check, pursuant to
				authorizing state statute and applicable federal law. The state agency
				responsible for managing fingerprint data may submit fingerprints to and
				exchange data with the FBI. All good moral character information, including the
				information obtained through criminal records checks, shall be considered in
				licensure decisions to the extent permissible by all applicable laws.
H. Applicants for the LCSW license must
				submit an employment verification form for each place of employment in
				Louisiana after receipt of the MSW degree.
I. Applicants for the LCSW license must
				submit proof of 5760 hours of postgraduate social work practice. 3,840 of the
				5760 hours of accumulated social work experience shall be in a setting
				practicing social work under the supervision of a board-approved clinical
				supervisor and submitted on the forms provided by the board.
J. Non-resident applicants may submit proof
				of 3840 hours or equivalent months of accumulated supervised experience
				completed out-of-state on the forms provided by the board and given by a social
				worker licensed at a level equivalent to the LCSW license.
K. Non-resident applicants may submit
				verification of 5760 hours or equivalent months of out-of-state accumulated
				social work employment to qualify for the LCSW license.
L. The application for licensure,
				certification, and registration shall include the applicant's Social Security
				number in accordance with
				R.S.
				37:23. Submission is not optional.
M. The official transcript from a university
				accredited by the Council on Social Work Education verifying receipt of a
				master's degree must be received directly from the university.
N. An applicant shall be deemed to have
				abandoned the application if the requirements for the credential are not
				completed within one year of the date on which the application was received. An
				application submitted subsequent to the abandoned application shall be treated
				as a new application.
O. Initial
				social work credentials issued during the last quarter of the fiscal year,
				(i.e., April, May or June) will not be required to renew for the next fiscal
				year.
P. Procedure for Social
				Workers with Felony Convictions
1. The burden
				of proof for submitting the requested documentation is the responsibility of
				the BSW or MSW applicants in order to convince the Louisiana State Board of
				Social Work Examiners that he/she has good moral character and fitness to
				practice social work.
2. The BSW or
				MSW applicant should collect and deliver the following documents to the board
				office promptly:
a. copies of all court
				records containing information of the conviction and the imposition of
				sentence;
b. the current name,
				address, and telephone number of the judge who imposed sentence and who
				presided at the trial and/or accepted any plea upon which the felony conviction
				was based;
c. any documentation or
				records which reflect the term of any probationary period, the conditions of
				probation and the fulfillment and completion of all terms and conditions of
				probation;
d. the current name(s),
				addresses and telephone numbers of any probation officers or persons of similar
				title or job function to whom the applicant has reported or who has any
				information concerning the applicant's conduct during any probationary
				period;
e. if any form of
				restitution to a victim or victims was part of a sentence imposed or a
				condition of probation the applicant must provide the names, current addresses
				and telephone numbers of any such victim or victims and an affidavit of the
				applicant that affirms that all required restitution has been
				completed;
f. if the sentence
				included any form of imprisonment, residence at a half-way house, other forms
				of correctional and/or treatment facilities, the applicant must provide the
				complete address, names and current addresses of any persons having information
				relating to the satisfactory completion of any such prison term, residence or
				treatment, and any related documents. In the event that medical, psychiatric,
				psychological, substance or alcohol abuse evaluation, treatment and
				rehabilitation was in any way part of the sentence or a term or condition of
				probation, the applicant will execute any releases which may be required for
				the board to obtain information. Such information obtained will be maintained
				by the board on a confidential basic;
g. all records or documents relating to any
				arrest or conviction of any felony or misdemeanor which has occurred at any
				time since the applicant's original felony conviction or which occurs at any
				time during which the application is pending or being investigated (this
				requirement is an ongoing responsibility of the applicant);
h. any documents, records, or information
				which the applicant wishes to present in support of his or her application
				which shows or evidences rehabilitation, positive social contributions, awards,
				commendations, social or lifestyle adjustments, positive treatment outcomes,
				employment or academic evaluations, volunteer work or any other area in which
				the applicant participated which would reflect on the applicant's good moral
				character and fitness to practice social work. (The applicant should provide
				the names, current addresses and telephone numbers of any references or persons
				having information in support of the application. While information in support
				of an application which occurred prior to the conviction may be submitted, the
				board will place greater emphasis on supporting documentation and information
				concerning events which have occurred since the felony conviction.);
i. true copies of any licenses, certificates
				to practice or similar documents issued by any board or licensing authority of
				any other state or the state of Louisiana obtained by the applicant since the
				date of the felony conviction. The applicant should provide a complete listing
				of any college, graduate school, trade or business school and employers to whom
				he or she has made application since the date of the felony conviction. This
				request includes any applications which were denied for any reason, including
				the felony conviction.
3. BSWs and MSWs should be aware of the
				following:
a. any delay in providing the
				requested information will delay the board's action on the
				application;
b. providing any false
				or misleading information, being evasive, concealing or making material
				omissions, or failing to cooperate shall form a basis for the denial of the
				application;
c. in the event that
				the application is denied by the board, the applicant may request a compliance
				hearing provided the application for such a hearing is made in writing within
				30 days after the applicant receives the notice of the denial of the
				application. The request shall contain the applicant's receipt of the notice of
				the denial of the application, and the applicant's grounds for opposition to
				the denial of the application. The applicant is further aware that at such a
				hearing the applicant may be represented by legal counsel and the applicant
				bears the burden to establish that he or she meets the criteria for
				licensure;
d. the intent of the
				above enumerated items is to obtain the information upon which the board will
				evaluate the application.