Workplace Integra, Inc. is pleased to announce that George R. Cook, AuD, CCC-A Director of Audiology, has been selected to be a member of the National Center for Interstate Compacts’ (NCIC) Legislative Drafting Team. The National Center for Interstate Compacts is a joint effort of the National Council of State Boards and American Speech and Hearing Association.  He is one of six members charged with the task of creating draft legislation for interstate licensing compacts for Speech Pathology and Audiology (SLH). The purpose of these compacts is to allow speech, language and hearing professionals (SLH) to be licensed in multiple states thru a single entity rather than applying to and maintaining licensure in each individual state. The final legislation will go to individual state legislations creating interstate licensing agreements.

Technology has created the field of Telehealth. Speech Pathologists are increasingly using telepractice to reach remote districts and individuals in remote areas. Occupational Audiologists serve nationwide companies and corporations in professional supervision of hearing conservation programs mandated by various agencies, OSHA, MSHA, FRA, etc. In the past few years, individual states have developed licensing requirements for telepractice in their state creating the need for individuals to obtain and maintain licensure in multiple states. For further information on the need for licensing compacts, please read the letter to the editor, International Journal of Telerehabilitation, by Dr. Cook in the fall of 2017 at the following link.    http://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Telerehab/article/view/6234/6734 (click on  ‘Download PDF’).

The Drafting Team currently is having a number of telephone conferences and will meet for two days, May 21-22, 2018 in Washington, DC. Drafting is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Once legislation has been drafted and approved it would be presented to states in late 2019 and/or in 2020.