CFAMFT has been active in years past by visiting our State Capital in Tallahassee to speak with State Senators and State Representatives about upcoming legislation changes in our field. (See photo on page one of our website) A major piece of federal legislation was approved in December 2022, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. This bill was signed by President Biden and allows LMFTs and LMHCs to bill Medicare. This is one of the final areas of federal law in which LMFTs and LMHCs were not provided the same opportunities as social workers and psychologists who have been able to treat and bill Medicare clients for years. Our many years of advocacy and lobbying for this legislation has been a major success for expanded mental health access which has now taken effect as of January of 2024.
Another recent piece of legislation that expands opportunities for licensed counselors is the Counseling Compact which would allow licensed therapists to practice in other states. This is a contract among states that will allow professional counselors who are licensed and residing in a Compact member state the opportunity to practice in other Compact member states, whether in person or virtually. Currently, licensed counselors are required to have a separate license in the other state where the client resides or is physically located. Currently, over 30 states have joined this compact, including the state of Florida which was the 8th state to join. This law could go into effect by the end of 2024. The compact will significantly change the way counselors can practice and provide continuity of care and the ability to reach underserved populations.
It is important to understand that the above Counseling Compact would apply to LMHC’s only as LCSW’s have begun to start their own compact, with 7 states joining this compact (as of mid- April 2024) which does not yet include Florida.
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) looked at where MFTs are licensed around the country, and how they could best maximize members’ ability to practice across state lines. They realized that California and New York are two states with large MFT populations, where MFTs in other states might ultimately want to practice. Since neither of those states has yet to participate in any interstate compact in healthcare, it seems unlikely that they would participate in an interstate compact for MFTs. That would greatly limit how many MFTs would actually benefit from such a compact. AAMFT ultimately determined that an interstate compact for MFTs wasn’t the right fit for the MFT profession.