Post was written by James Stolz, LICSW
MSCSW is very active on your behalf in advocating for policy change that affects clinical social workers. To that end, we are active with two different groups: the Mental Health Legislative Network and the Minnesota Coalition of Licensed Social Workers. We are your voice of change in these groups, and we try to provide you with updates on our legislative work. It’s been a busy season at the capital. Here are some things we have been tracking…
Telehealth: While the legislative changes for telehealth appear to be here to stay, there are still some things to be aware of. The bill that was enacted during the pandemic, called the Minnesota Telehealth Act, was a large expansion in access to telehealth in the state and of requirements for state and private health insurers. Additionally, the bill established a study of telehealth services to ensure it is achieving its stated healthcare goals. The study is incomplete, and there is a general unwillingness to fully enshrine these changes without this information, even though there is strong bipartisan support.
The proposed House Health Omnibus bill, HF2930, addresses telehealth in various ways. The Omnibus bill combines elements of telehealth from several bills and statutes. The Senate Health and Human Service Omnibus bill, SF2995, also includes a telehealth extension of the audio-only option until July 2025, when the study was also extended until.
Licensing and the Interstate Compact: We have been engaged in lots of discussions on licensing issues this year. We have been active in supporting the Interstate Compact with our NASW chapter, who have had a seat and the negotiating table in the creation of the compact along with our parent group, CSWA. The Compact will not be operational until at least seven states’ legislative bodies have passed the Compact into law in their states. Once this happens, the Social Work Commission will be created to oversee the Compact, and individual social workers can join. We hope to have language introduced in the next legislative session to allow for the compact in our state. You can get more information about the compact at www.swcompact.org
Interwoven with the compact is the issue that arose with the licensing exams. A debate is taking place about the validity of the Association of Social Work Boards’ (ASWB) Clinical Examination as a gateway to giving clinical social workers the ability to practice independently. Data on the pass rates for this examination were released in August 2022 and showed incredible disparities for BIPOC communities. Locally, we have been having discussions about the validity of the exam and whether an exam other than the clinical exam is even necessary. Recently, the Board of Social Work (BOSW) sent out a survey to gauge people’s thoughts on exam validity and alternative pathways to licensure. If you have not done so, please complete the survey. We will continue to participate in discussions and keep you informed and up to date.
School Social Workers and Medical Assistance: In March, we signed on to a letter of support along with NASW to show our support and advocate for Senate File 1028. This bill would allow reimbursement through Federal Medicaid for the services school social workers provide to eligible students as part of a comprehensive evaluation process and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP).
If you have questions or are interested in joining the Legislation Committee, you can email me, James Stolz, at: legislation@clinicalsocialworkmn.org
