RCW 18.205.140 Applicant credentialed in another state—Certification without examination—Reciprocity program.

(1) An applicant holding a credential in another state may be certified to practice in this state without examination if the secretary determines that the other state's credentialing standards are substantially equivalent to the standards in this state.

(2)(a)(i) The department shall establish a reciprocity program for applicants for certification as a chemical dependency professional in Washington.

(ii) The reciprocity program applies to applicants for certification as a chemical dependency professional who:

(A) Hold or have held within the past twelve months a credential in good standing from another state or territory of the United States which has a scope of practice that is substantially equivalent to or greater than the scope of practice for certified chemical dependency professionals as established under this chapter; and

(B) Have no disciplinary record or disqualifying criminal history.

(b) The department shall issue a probationary certificate to an applicant who meets the requirements of (a)(ii) of this subsection. The department must determine what deficiencies, if any, exist between the education and experience requirements of the other state's credential and, after consideration of the experience and capabilities of the applicant, determine whether it is appropriate to require the applicant to complete additional education or experience requirements to maintain the probationary certificate and, within a reasonable time period, transition to a full certificate. A person who holds a probationary certificate may only practice as a chemical dependency professional in a licensed or certified service provider, as defined in *RCW 71.24.025. The department may place a reasonable time limit on a probationary certificate and may, if appropriate, require the applicant to pass a jurisprudential examination.

(c) The department must maintain and publish a list of credentials in other states and territories that the department has determined to have a scope of practice that is substantially equivalent to or greater than the scope of practice for certified chemical dependency professionals as established under this chapter. The department shall prioritize identifying and publishing the department's determination for the five states or territories that have historically had the most applicants for reciprocity under subsection (1) of this section with a scope of practice that is substantially equivalent to or greater than the scope of practice for certified chemical dependency professionals as established under this chapter.

[ 2019 c 351 § 2; 1998 c 243 § 14.]

NOTES:

*Reviser's note: RCW 71.24.025 was amended by 2019 c 325 § 1004, changing "licensed or certified service provider" to "licensed or certified behavioral health agency," effective January 1, 2020.