Eligible therapists could practice across member states through a compact

Eligible occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants would be able to seek permission to practice in other compact member states. The compact covers licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who hold an active, unencumbered home-state license and seek to practice in a remote member state. Applicants must meet compact requirements, including a criminal background check, required fees, and any legal-knowledge requirements set by the remote state. The compact does not replace each state's rules for a regular, single-state license. A therapist assistant practicing in another state must be supervised by an occupational therapist licensed or authorized in that state. The compact would take effect when its law has been enacted in the tenth member state. Alaska's compact duties would then apply when the compact becomes law in Alaska.

Occupational therapists would be allowed to start and provide occupational therapy without a referral from another health care provider. The provision covers occupational therapists treating people whose ability to take part in daily living, work, play, leisure, or other goal-focused activities is limited or may become limited. The listed services include evaluation, diagnosis of the cause of a limitation, treatment of pain, rehabilitation, swallowing and feeding support, assistive devices, mobility support, and physical and mental wellness services. An occupational therapist must supervise an occupational therapy assistant who helps provide services or performs a delegated assessment.

The State Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board would employ an executive administrator as its principal executive officer. The administrator would serve the board that regulates physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapists, and occupational therapy assistants. The administrator's duties would be set by the board. The position would be in the partially exempt state service.

Applicants for an occupational therapy compact privilege would have to submit fingerprints and pay required public-safety fees for a national criminal-history check. The requirement applies to an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant applying for an occupational therapy compact privilege. The board would send the fingerprints and fees to the Department of Public Safety. The board could use the criminal-history information only to decide the applicant's qualifications and fitness for the compact privilege. The requirement applies when a person applies for an occupational therapy compact privilege.