§ 5-39.2-4. Social worker participation in the compact.
(a) To be eligible for a multistate license under the terms and provisions of the compact,
an applicant, regardless of category shall:
(1) Hold or be eligible for an active, unencumbered license in the home state;
(2) Pay any applicable fees, including any state fee, for the multistate license;
(3) Submit, in connection with an application for a multistate license, fingerprints or
other biometric data for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information
from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the agency responsible for retaining
that state's criminal records;
(4) Notify the home state of any adverse action, encumbrance, or restriction on any professional
license taken by any member state or non-member state within thirty (30) days from
the date the action is taken;
(5) Meet any continuing competence requirements established by the home state; and
(6) Abide by the laws, regulations, and applicable standards in the member state where
the client is located at the time care is rendered.
(b) An applicant for a clinical-category multistate license shall meet all of the following
requirements:
(1) Fulfill a competency requirement, which shall be satisfied by either:
(i) Passage of a clinical-category qualifying national exam; or
(ii) Licensure of the applicant in their home state at the clinical category, beginning
prior to such time as a qualifying national exam was required by the home state and
accompanied by a period of continuous social work licensure thereafter, all of which
may be further governed by the rules of the commission; or
(iii) The substantial equivalency of the foregoing competency requirements which the commission
may determine by rule;
(2) Attain at least a master's degree in social work from a program that is:
(i) Operated by a college or university recognized by the licensing authority; and
(ii) Accredited, or in candidacy that subsequently becomes accredited, by an accrediting
agency recognized by either:
(A) The Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor; or
(B) The United States Department of Education; and
(3) Fulfill a practice requirement, which shall be satisfied by demonstrating completion
of either:
(i) A period of postgraduate supervised clinical practice equal to a minimum of three
thousand (3,000) hours;
(ii) A minimum of two (2) years of full-time postgraduate supervised clinical practice;
or
(iii) The substantial equivalency of the foregoing practice requirements which the commission
may determine by rule.
(c) An applicant for a master's-category multistate license shall meet all of the following
requirements:
(1) Fulfill a competency requirement, which shall be satisfied by either:
(i) Passage of a masters-category qualifying national exam;
(ii) Licensure of the applicant in their home state at the master's category, beginning
prior to such time as a qualifying national exam was required by the home state at
the master's category and accompanied by a continuous period of social work licensure
thereafter, all of which may be further governed by the rules of the commission; or
(iii) The substantial equivalency of the foregoing competency requirements which the commission
may determine by rule.
(2) Attain at least a master's degree in social work from a program that is:
(i) Operated by a college or university recognized by the licensing authority; and
(ii) Accredited, or in candidacy that subsequently becomes accredited, by an accrediting
agency recognized by either:
(A) The Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor; or
(B) The United States Department of Education.
(d) An applicant for a bachelor's-category multistate license shall meet all of the following
requirements:
(1) Fulfill a competency requirement, which shall be satisfied by either:
(i) Passage of a bachelor's-category qualifying national exam;
(ii) Licensure of the applicant in their home state at the bachelor's category, beginning
prior to such time as a qualifying national exam was required by the home state and
accompanied by a period of continuous social work licensure thereafter, all of which
may be further governed by the rules of the commission; or
(iii) The substantial equivalency of the foregoing competency requirements which the commission
may determine by rule.
(2) Attain at least a bachelor's degree in social work from a program that is:
(i) Operated by a college or university recognized by the licensing authority; and
(ii) Accredited, or in candidacy that subsequently becomes accredited, by an accrediting
agency recognized by either:
(A) The Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor; or
(B) The United States Department of Education.
(e) The multistate license for a regulated social worker is subject to the renewal requirements
of the home state. The regulated social worker shall maintain compliance with the
requirements of subsection (a) of this section to be eligible to renew a multistate
license.
(f) The regulated social worker's services in a remote state are subject to that member
state's regulatory authority. A remote state may, in accordance with due process and
that member state's laws, remove a regulated social worker's multistate authorization
to practice in the remote state for a specific period of time, impose fines, and take
any other necessary actions to protect the health and safety of its citizens.
(g) If a multistate license is encumbered, the regulated social worker's multistate authorization
to practice shall be deactivated in all remote states until the multistate license
is no longer encumbered.
(h) If a multistate authorization to practice is encumbered in a remote state, the regulated
social worker's multistate authorization to practice may be deactivated in that state
until the multistate authorization to practice is no longer encumbered.