Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB931 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0931
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 931
8	8	K1 4lr2480
9	9	CF 4lr1979
10	10	By: Senator Klausmeier
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2024
12	12	Assigned to: Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Workers’ Compensation – Rehabilitation Practitioners – Licensed Social 2
19	19	Workers 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing certain licensed social workers to register as a 4
22	22	rehabilitation practitioner; authorizing a licensed certified social worker–clinical to 5
23	23	provide evaluation services for workers’ compensation claims related to permanent 6
24	24	impairments involving a behavioral or mental disorder; and generally relating to 7
25	25	rehabilitation practitioners. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Labor and Employment 10
29	29	Section 9–6A–01(a) 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
34	34	Article – Labor and Employment 15
35	35	Section 9–6A–01(d), 9–6A–04(c), 9–6A–09, and 9–721(c) 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
41	41
42	42	Article – Labor and Employment 21
43	43
44	44	9–6A–01. 22
45	45
46	46	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 23
47	47
48	48	(d) (1) “Rehabilitation practitioner” means an individual who provides 24 2 SENATE BILL 931
49	49
50	50
51	51	vocational rehabilitation services. 1
52	52
53	53	(2) “Rehabilitation practitioner” includes: 2
54	54
55	55	(I) AN INDIVIDUAL LICENS ED AS A SOCIAL WORKE R WHO HAS 3
56	56	BEEN DETERMINED BY T HE STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK EXAMINERS AS HAVING 4
57	57	SUFFICIENT TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE TO PR OVIDE VOCATIONAL 5
58	58	REHABILITATION SERVI CES, AS CERTIFIED BY THE STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK 6
59	59	EXAMINERS; 7
60	60
61	61	[(i)] (II) a nurse certified by the State Board of Nursing as a nurse 8
62	62	case manager; 9
63	63
64	64	[(ii)] (III) a rehabilitation counselor; and 10
65	65
66	66	[(iii)] (IV) a vocational evaluator. 11
67	67
68	68	9–6A–04. 12
69	69
70	70	(c) Violation of the rules and regulations adopted or enforced by the Commission, 13
71	71	THE STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK EXAMINERS, or the State Board of Nursing in 14
72	72	accordance with this title by a rehabilitation practitioner shall be grounds for denial of a 15
73	73	registration to any applicant, or suspension or revocation of a registrant’s registration 16
74	74	[pursuant to] IN ACCORDANCE WITH §§ 9–6A–15 and 9–6A–16 of this subtitle. 17
75	75
76	76	9–6A–09. 18
77	77
78	78	(A) TO QUALIFY FOR REGIST RATION, A LICENSED SOCIAL WO RKER SHALL 19
79	79	BE: 20
80	80
81	81	(1) CERTIFIED AS SUCH BY THE STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK 21
82	82	EXAMINERS; AND 22
83	83
84	84	(2) CERTIFIED BY THE STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK EXAMINERS 23
85	85	AS HAVING SUFFICIENT TRAINING AND EXPERIE NCE TO PROVIDE VOCAT IONAL 24
86	86	REHABILITATION SERVI CES. 25
87	87
88	88	[(a)] (B) To qualify for registration, a nurse case manager shall be certified as 26
89	89	such by the State Board of Nursing. 27
90	90
91	91	[(b)] (C) To qualify for registration, a rehabilitation counselor shall: 28
92	92
93	93	(1) have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in rehabilitation 29
94	94	counseling, human services, psychology, or a related field with at least 1 year of work 30
95	95	experience in a human services occupation; 31 SENATE BILL 931 3
96	96
97	97
98	98
99	99	(2) have a master’s or doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling, human 1
100	100	services, psychology, education, or a related field; or 2
101	101
102	102	(3) be a certified rehabilitation counselor, certified vocational evaluator, 3
103	103	certified disability management specialist, hold an equivalent national certification that is 4
104	104	acceptable to the Commission, or have met all of the education and experience 5
105	105	requirements to be eligible to be certified. 6
106	106
107	107	[(c)] (D) To qualify for registration, a vocational evaluator shall: 7
108	108
109	109	(1) have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in vocational 8
110	110	evaluation, rehabilitation psychology, human services, education, or a related field with 1 9
111	111	year of work experience in that field; 10
112	112
113	113	(2) have a master’s or doctoral degree in rehabilitation, vocational 11
114	114	evaluation, psychology, human services, education, or a related field; or 12
115	115
116	116	(3) be certified or have met all of the educational and experience 13
117	117	requirements to be eligible to be certified in vocational evaluation by the Commission on 14
118	118	certification of work adjustment and vocational evaluation specialists, or have met all of 15
119	119	the education and experience requirements to be eligible for certification. 16
120	120
121	121	[(d)] (E) (1) THIS SUBSECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO A LICENSED SOCIAL 17
122	122	WORKER OR LICENSED CERTIFIED SOCIAL WOR KER–CLINICAL. 18
123	123
124	124	(2) In addition to the requirements of subsections [(b)] (C) and [(c)] (D) of 19
125	125	this section: 20
126	126
127	127	[(1)] (I) a rehabilitation counselor who has met the education 21
128	128	requirements under subsection [(b)(1)] (C)(1) or (2) of this section to qualify for registration 22
129	129	shall work under the administrative supervision of a certified rehabilitation counselor, 23
130	130	certified vocational evaluator, certified disability management specialist, certified case 24
131	131	manager, or certified rehabilitation registered nurse; and 25
132	132
133	133	[(2)] (II) a vocational evaluator who has met the education requirements 26
134	134	under subsection [(c)(1)] (D)(1) or (2) of this section shall work under the administrative 27
135	135	supervision of a certified vocational evaluator, certified rehabilitation counselor, certified 28
136	136	disability management specialist, certified case manager, or certified rehabilitation 29
137	137	registered nurse. 30
138	138
139	139	9–721. 31
140	140
141	141	(c) If a permanent impairment involves a behavioral or mental disorder, a 32
142	142	licensed psychologist, A LICENSED CERTIFIE D SOCIAL WORKER –CLINICAL, or qualified 33
143	143	physician shall: 34 4 SENATE BILL 931
144	144
145	145
146	146
147	147	(1) perform an evaluation of only the mental or behavioral portion of the 1
148	148	permanent impairment; and 2
149	149
150	150	(2) report the evaluation to the Commission in accordance with the 3
151	151	regulations of the Commission. 4
152	152
153	153	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the State Workers’ 5
154	154	Compensation Commission shall grant a waiver of education and training requirements to 6
155	155	any applicant who was licensed as a rehabilitation practitioner before the effective date of 7
156	156	this Act. 8
157	157
158	158	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 9
159	159	October 1, 2024. 10
160	160