Rehab

Washington state passes bill to help therapists

Rehab Regs, May 4, 2007

Washington state's House and Senate just passed a bill that grants occupational therapists service credit for nonschool employment, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) press release. For the past 10 years, the Washington state chapter has worked to pass HB 1432 so occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists can get up to two years of credit for nonschool work experiences. The state's salary scale only allows the years of service that take place in schools to count.

The bill will allow therapists experience to count on the state's salary pay scale. Currently, therapists' salaries are based on educational background and years of service that take place in school settings. The new salary scale will enable schools to hire therapists based on experience no matter what the setting. This bill was first introduced to combat the low retention rate schools face, according to the AOTA press release. 

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