Posted 4/30/2012
If you're a Professional or Life member, make sure to vote for Executive Board officers by Friday, May 25th. Remember, your vote counts!
Login Here

Posted 4/7/2012
I wanted to provide you with a brief update on our licensure efforts. Before I do so, I would like to personally thank all of you who have become involved in the process by writing letters, making phone calls, or sending emails to your legislators.  As you will see below, it has made a tremendous difference and our voice is being heard!  Our entire executive board is grateful and we all thank you!

Yesterday, SB 1352, an audiology-only bill was referred out of the committee for professional licensure and consumer protection.  This was expected, but there has also been a positive twist.  Initially, SB 1352 updated only the audiology language, but also included the old language for speech-language pathology.  Because of your efforts in contacting legislators, it was decided that SB 1352 would contain only audiology language with no reference to speech-language pathology.  Instead, we now have the opportunity to draft a bill that will contain only speech-language pathology language so that the bill can be introduced by someone other than Senator Gordner.

We are currently in the process of drafting a speech-language pathology senate bill and have several potential sponsors on both sides of the political aisle who are very interested in sponsoring our bill because of your communication with them.  We hope to move forward with this process over the next few weeks. The senate resumes their session on April 30th.

In the House, PSHA and PAA continue to move forward with a joint audiology and speech-language pathology bill.

We are so appreciate of your efforts. Know that we will need you again very soon and we know you will be there to support this important legislation.

Thank you again! Great to see so many of you at the convention and great to hear the applause every time our licensure efforts were mentioned.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at craig.coleman@chp.edu

Get Involved

Grassroots Advocacy Program (GAP) PSHA needs your help! Get Involved Click here for information on Advocacy Webinars.

Click here for current Licensure Alerts

Highlighted Updates -- The Importance of Universal Licensure.

PA Licensure Update - Provisional Licensure

Breaking News

SLP Services in Schools
PSHA is receiving many questions about the provision of school-based speech-language services by other school personnel due to school districts’ decisions based on fiscal/budgetary constraints.  In an effort to answer these questions, PSHA provides the following:

Although PDE requirements allow a person holding a Bachelor’s degree in speech/language and a PA teaching certificate to work as a school-based speech therapist, such an individual is not qualified nor licensed as a speech-language pathologist, cannot bill for Medical Assistance services, and does not constitute best practices for students.

ASHA-certified or licensed SLPs can bill for Medical Assistance (ACCESS) for speech-language services.  There are specific guidelines set forth by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regarding Medical Assistance billing, including qualifications for billable professionals and for those “under the direction” of a billable professional. (See School-based ACCESS Program at  http://www.leaderservices.com/services/pa/)

Situations such as these (i.e. under-qualified personnel providing speech/language services in the schools of the Commonwealth) underscore the importance of every speech-language pathologist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania operating under the same credentials. Currently, no license is required for employment in a school setting. Our new licensure act includes a provision for “universal licensure”.  This is a term we have coined to refer to the mandatory licensing of all speech language pathologists in Pennsylvania, regardless of practice setting. You can find up-to-date information about our efforts to obtain universal licensure on the PSHA website homepage, and under the licensure/advocacy tab.