Notification of Changes to Issuance of Licenses, Certifications and Registrations

The Board of Social Work will cease mailing hard-copy licenses, certifications, and registrations. During the next renewal, a final hard copy will be issued that contains no expiration date. The renewal period for Board of Social Work will begin in early May and the board will send out email notices at that time. This final copy should be maintained, carried, or posted in accordance with relevant applicable laws and regulations. State health regulatory boards, employers, insurance providers and citizens seeking verification of current licensure status in the Commonwealth of Virginia may obtain this information via License Lookup.

Replacement or duplicate of a final hard-copy license, certification, or registration may be requested through an individual online account.

The Board of Social Work has adopted a guidance document for its lic

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Public Comment on Conversion Therapy guidance document:

The Board of Social Work has adopted a guidance document for its licensees on conversion therapy. Comment on the document may be posted until May 14, 2019 on the Virginia Regulatory Townhall under Comment Forums. A copy of the document can be found here.

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Email Communication from the Board

The Virginia Board of Social Work primarily communicates with licensees and applicants by email regarding applications and renewals. Please ensure that you add the board’s email address (socialwork@dhp.virginia.gov) to your safe recipient list to ensure that you receive all email communication from board staff.

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Mid-Level Licensure

The 2017 Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 614, which authorizes the Board of Social Work to license baccalaureate social workers and master’s social workers. This legislation makes no changes to the current scopes of practice, but divides the current category of “Licensed Social Worker (LSW)” into two license types reflective of the education background: “Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW)” and “Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW)”. This legislation became effective on July 1, 2018, and the changes to the Regulations, which will implement the requirements are currently under executive branch review. We hope the regulations will become effective this year. We will communicate updates as we receive them.

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ASWB EXAM UPDATE – EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2, 2018

The Association of Social Work Boards (“ASWB”) licensing exams are changing effective January 2, 2018. Please visit ASWB's website to learn more about the changes, read the 2017 Analysis of the Practice of Social Work and review the timeline for implementation.

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Opioid Addiction Crisis Declared a Public Health Emergency in Virginia

On November 21, 2016 Governor McAuliffe issued a News Release stating that State Health Commissioner Marissa Levine has declared Virginia’s opioid abuse crisis a Public Health Emergency in the Commonwealth.

Visit the Virginia Department of Health for more information.
Download Commissioner Levine’s message to healthcare practitioners on dispensing Naloxone.

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Application Information

Notice: Applications are typically processed within 6 weeks of the receipt of a complete file. Please refer to your online application checklist to ensure that all items have been received. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions and Licensure Process Handbook prior to contacting the Board office. You are also encouraged to email any questions to socialwork@dhp.virginia.gov. Board staff will respond to all messages as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding and cooperation as we focus on ensuring complete applications continue to be processed within 30 business days.

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Renewal Explanation for 2015 Regulation Changes

In 2010, the Board introduced changes to the Regulations Governing the Practice of Social Work to require licensees to renew their license on an annual basis, rather than a biannual basis. The amended Regulations became effective on December 30, 2015. The Regulations now require that CE hours are completed prior to licensure renewal in even years beginning with the 2017 renewals. The chart below provides clarification as to the number of CE hours required for each renewal period.

	2017 Renewal Renewal: June 30, 2017		2018 Renewal Renewal: June 30, 2018		2019 Renewal Renewal: June 30, 2019		2020 Renewal Renewal: June 30, 2020
	FEE	CE	FEE	CE	FEE	CE	FEE	CE
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)	$90.00	30 hours of CE from 07/01/2015 to 06/30/2017	$90.00	15 hours of CE from 07/01/2017 to 06/30/2018 with a minimum of 1 hours of ethics, standards of practice or laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia.	$90.00	No CE required to renew license	$90.00	30 hours of CE from 07/01/2018 to 06/30/2020 with a minimum of 2 hours of ethics, standards of practice or laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia.
Licensed Social Worker (LSW)	$65.00	15 hours of CE from 07/01/2015 to 06/30/2017	$65.00	7.5 hours of CE from 07/01/2017 to 06/30/2018 with a minimum of 1 hours of ethics, standards of practice or laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia.	$65.00	No CE required to renew license	$65.00	15 hours of CE from 07/01/2018 to 06/30/2020 with a minimum of 2 hours of ethics, standards of practice or laws governing the practice of social work in Virginia.
Registered Social Worker	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A
Associate Social Worker	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A	$25.00	N/A

 

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IMPORTANT PRACTICE INFORMATION!

If you work in a non-exempt setting, you are required to be licensed at the appropriate level or under board approved supervision in order to provide social work services to clients in Virginia in accordance with § 54.1-3701 of the Code of Virginia. For a list of exemptions from licensure, please review the Laws Governing Social Work by clicking here.