Judy Ratliff

The Virginia Board of Social Work (VBSW) started the "Fast Track" on 8/15/2018 for proposed regulations to implement the 2018 General Assembly law adding definitions of Bachelors Social Worker and Master's Social Worker. The regulations have advanced through all stages and are now on the Governor's desk, where they have been for over 130 days. Please note that there is no timeline for how long regulations can be at the governor's office stage.

Joe Lynch, legislative vice president for Virginia Society for Clinical Social Work (VSCSW) has written to Dr. David E. Brown, Director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions on behalf of both of our Societies. The letter requests that Dr. Brown consider "updating the language in Code Sections of Virginia law that contain the phrase"...the individual's treating physician or the individual's treating clinical psychologist..." to include other licensed mental health professionals, such as social workers and professional counselors.

Joe Lynch has submitted public comments reflecting concerns of both of our Societies on aspects of definitions and requirements for Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs) that affect social workers who are also QMHPs. More will be presented on this as these issues evolve.

Several Laws were passed this year that will help low-income and other Virginia residents:

1. People can no longer have their licenses suspended if they owed court fines and fees.
2. Laws that disproportionally favored landlords over tenants contributed to Virginia having one of the highest rates of rental evictions in the country. According to Delegate Ken Plum, "a series of revisions to create a better balance in the law and that provides more options for tenants should make the laws operate more fairly."
3. Delegate Plum also noted that "Virginia has had a very bad record in its management of its foster care program. Major changes in the laws related to foster children should greatly improve the situation."
4. On April 29, 2019, Governor Northam vetoed Senate Bill 1579, which falls short of establishing criteria in the Code of Virginia by which congressional and state legislative districts must be drawn.
5. On 5/1/19, Governor Northam announced his commitment to oppose additional mandatory minimum sentences for the remainder serif his term. He wrote in a Washington Post editorial that "Mandatory minimums are focused on punishment, not rehabilitation...we need to focus on evidence-based approaches that ensure equitable treatment under the law." He stated further that: "My commitment today will not resolve all of the issues with our criminal justice system" but he views it as a step "to make our Commonwealth fairer and more equitable for communities of color."
6. On 3/14/2019, the Governor and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and developmental Services (BHDS) announced that "all 40 Community Service Boards (CSBs) in the Commonwealth have Same Day Access available to Virginians seeking mental health services in their communities. A person in need of a mental health evaluation can now access walk in hours at any CSB in Virginia without an appointment, instead of waiting days, or even weeks, to receive an assessment."
7. On February 28, 2019, the Governor signed a series of measures aimed at reducing eviction rates in the Commonwealth.

Judy Ratliff, LCSW, is chair of the Society’s Legislative Committee for Virginia. In addition to her years of GWSCSW service, Judy has served on the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council and in Leadership Fairfax. She began her professional life as a medical social worker, has taught medical and social work students for the University of Maryland, and is currently in private practice in Fairfax.

Judy Ratliff

IMPORTANT:  VIRGINIA BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK'S CURRENT LICENSURE CHANGES AND REQUIREMENTS 

Here is the most recent update on requirements for Continuing Education for social workers in Virginia.  We still need 15 hours of continuing education per year, but even though you will have to renew your license  on June 30, 2019, CEs will not be due until 2020.  That means that you do not submit your CEs for 2019 and 2020 until 2020.  No CEs are due when you renew your license in June, 2019.  That includes 2 hours of Ethics due every two years, also in 2020.

Please note that in the future the number of Ethics CEs will increase to 6 hours, but it is not yet in the regulations.  However, the Board of Social Work anticipates that it will be there by the next renewal date.

.Judy Ratliff, LCSW, is Chair of the Society’s Legislative Committee for Virginia. In addition to her years of GWSCSW service, Judy has served on the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council and in Leadership Fairfax. She began her professional life as a medical social worker, has taught medical and social work students for the University of Maryland, and is currently in private practice in Fairfax.

Judy Ratliff

Joe Lynch, Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Virginia Society of Clinical Social Work (VSCSW), several other members of the VSCSW, our lobbyist Sue Rowland and I met with Senator Creigh Deeds, Chair of the Mental Health Services in the Twenty-First Century (MHS Committee), on September 27, 2017.  At that meeting, Joe Lynch spoke on behalf of both clinical societies stating that several Code sections contained the language "treating physician or clinical psychologist" and needed to be updated to include other licensed clinical mental health professionals.  He recently wrote a follow-up letter to Senator Deeds requesting that this be considered for 2019 and asking whether the "updated language" legislation might be a type of legislation that could be put forward from the MHS Committee as a whole. Joe did his own research on the affected Codes and found that other licensed mental health providers in Virginia far exceeded the number of psychiatrists and psychologists in the state.

Joe further defined this legislation as:

• updating language in the Code;
  
• seeking to enhance the client's experience through the mental health system by ensuring that the licensed mental health provider that is most involved in the client's therapy is part of the process; and
  
• is client advocacy legislation that does not require additional funding.
  

Both societies owe a very large "Thank You" to Joe, whose tireless efforts and rigorous research have underpinned the success of many of our joint efforts.

VALEAP (VIRGINIA LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM)

VALEAP is an all-volunteer program that was modeled after a highly effective FBI program.  Janet Howell, a senior Senator from Virginia, helped Virginia law enforcement officers secure $100,000.00 a year in the budget for this peer-run program.  A representative group of Virginia law enforcement officers met with her in Richmond to thank her. The program is designed to help people in law enforcement process the trauma they suffer in the course of doing their jobs.

MEDICAID

Legislation was recently passed in Virginia that includes expansion of Medicaid coverage to approximately 400,000 adults, most of whom are employed.  Virginia is also creating a new unit at Joint Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to constantly evaluate the program and recommend improvements. According to Janet Howell, it is estimated that Virginia will receive about two billion dollars a year from Washington for this expansion.  This money will be used to provide professional help to people with substance abuse and mental health problems, as well as being an economic stimulus and job creator for our state.  Funding will also be focused on preventing those with mental illness being sent to jails, which is often where they end up. As a compromise with Republican legislators (some of whom joined with Democrats to pass this legislation), a work requirement for those Medicaid recipients who can work was included in the legislation.  (Thanks to Janet Howell for the medicaid and VALEAP updates.)

.Judy Ratliff, LCSW, is Chair of the Society’s Legislative Committee for Virginia. In addition to her years of GWSCSW service, Judy has served on the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council and in Leadership Fairfax. She began her professional life as a medical social worker, has taught medical and social work students for the University of Maryland, and is currently in private practice in Fairfax.