Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact Update, May 2023

Thank you for your interest in the Occupational Therapy (OT) Compact. Since its initial convening in August of 2022, the OT Compact Commission has made clear progress toward issuing privileges. The Commission and several of its committees convene monthly, and you can view the meeting dates and materials on the OT Compact website. Recent highlights from each committee include:

• The Executive Committee has hired Association & Society Management International, Inc. (ASMI) to serve as secretariat. In their capacity as secretariat, ASMI will provide operational support to the commission, including facilitating meetings, applying for grants, and acquiring a data system. ASMI has previous experience serving in a similar capacity for the Emergency Medical Services Compact, so the Executive Committee is confident they will be able to support the OT Compact successfully.

  Amanda Perry will serve as the Executive Director for the Compact. Amanda has more than 20 years of experience working across private, non-profit, and local and international government entities.

• The Finance Committee has drafted a budget, which the Executive Committee has approved for full commission vote. Adopting a budget will facilitate the Commission’s long-term financial planning.
• The Rules Committee has drafted a rule on definitions, which the Executive Committee has approved for a full commission vote. The rule on definitions will provide compact member states with guidance in implementing the compact. Before the next full Commission meeting, these rules will be made available for public comment on the website. The Commission will consider all the comments received before the vote to adopt the rule occurs.
• The Communications Committee has begun planning how to best disseminate information about the compact, including presentations, more website content, and regular communications to interested occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.

As of May 18th, 16 states have introduced the OT Compact in legislative sessions this year. Currently, there are 27 member states in the compact, five of which joined during the 2023 legislative session.

Over the next several months, the secretariat will work with the Compact Commission to secure a database and onboard new member states to the compact. Afterwards, the compact will be able to start granting privileges. We hope that applications for privileges will be open in some states in mid-2024.

For further updates and any questions please visit the OT Compact. Website resources include a Compact Map and FAQ page. If your questions are not answered there, please reach out via the compact form on this page.

Thank you to all those who have been working hard to make the OT Compact possible.