The Social Work Licensure Compact website explains: “The Council of State Governments (CSG) is partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to support the mobility of licensed social workers through the development of a new interstate compact. This additional licensing pathway will facilitate multistate practice among member states and reduce the barriers to license portability.” In effect this means licensed professionals will have to apply for a “multistate license”, but no additional testing or CEUs would be required. LCSWs would no longer have to apply for and track licensure in individual states. You can see the status of each state & whether they have passed this legislation. Nurses were the first to pass an interstate compact to increase their mobility in 2000, and many allied health professionals have created or are pursuing similar compacts.  

In April 2025, PSCSW held a forum presented by Jamie M. Ware, JD, LSW. We want to make this information available to all social worker in PA. DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE: PSCSW presentation_4.25.25_final. If you have any questions about this presentation, please reach out to Jamie Ware at jamiemarieware@gmail.com.

Presentation Key Points: 

  • Most Allied Health professions are now seeking interstate compacts to broaden their reach.
  • Psychologists and LPC have made significant progress getting their compacts enacted in multiple states.
  • LCSWs are falling behind other providers of therapy.
  • Once the Compact is enacted, licensed professionals will have to apply for a “multistate license”, but no additional testing would be required. (According to our lobbyist).
  • Lobbyists keep issues Social Workers care about in front of legislators and know who to reach when an urgent matter arises. They are our advocates in Harrisburg.
  • Keeping engaged with your state reps matters!

What can you do?

  1. Donate to the PSCSW Lobbying fund, CLICK HERE! 
  2. Volunteer for the PSCSW Legislative Committee to help PSCSW keep on top of legislative activity, share that with the membership, organize events, fundraise, make sure legislative issues you care about are being addressed by our lobbyists.
  3. Come to PSCSW Board Meetings to share the importance of this legislation to you and your clients.
  4. Share the link to the PSCSW Compact Lobbying webpage with fellow PA Social Workers.
  5. Share information about the compact with your social networks and other LCSWs and LSWs in PA.
  6. Share why this legislation matters to you on the PSCSW listserv and other social media portals.
  7. Thank the State Reps who introduced the bill.
  8. Contact your state reps to urge them to support the bill (info in presentation slides).

WE NEED YOU!

Seeking Volunteers for the PSCSW Legislative Committee: Meetings happen twice a month with lobbyists. You can also help by organizing events & increasing membership and broader awareness. You can volunteer as little or as much time as you have. If you would like to volunteer for the PSCSW Legislative Committee, please reach out to Samantha Ruiz at sruiz5090@gmail.com

If you have ideas for future forums on policy issues, please reach out to Sylvie Beauvais, MSW, LCSW, Sylviebeauvais@gmail.com to see if something can be organized.