SB109 Summary

• Amends Section 34-30-3 to establish six requirements for independent clinical social work practice: licensure as an independent clinical social worker, doctorate or master's degree from an approved social work school, two to five years of supervised postgraduate experience, passing a board-prepared examination, receipt of a certified letter of certification, and payment of an initial certification fee.

• Adds Section 34-30-34 defining the scope of practice for licensed independent clinical social workers to include authority to diagnose and develop treatment plans, while explicitly prohibiting diagnosis or treatment for conditions outside social work practice boundaries.

• Prohibits licensed clinical social workers from administering psychological tests, admitting individuals to hospitals for non-social work conditions, treating individuals in hospital settings without medical supervision, prescribing drugs, authorizing laboratory or radiological procedures, and using electroconvulsive therapy.

• Clarifies that nothing in the law creates requirements for health benefit plans, insurance plans, or healthcare entities to cover or reimburse services provided by licensed clinical social workers.

• Prohibits any individual licensed under this chapter from practicing medicine or describing any test, report, or procedure as psychological or a psychological evaluation.