Social Work

Frequently Asked Questions

Q&A regarding Social Work licensure
Information on LMSW and LCSW titles

Effective September 1, 2004 Education Law will be changed to create two professional titles for social work. The Board of Regents has approved regulations to establish the professions and clarify provisions of the law, such as those related to education, experience and the examination required for licensure. Regulations also help the public to better understand the requirements of the law. The State Education Department (SED) and the State Board for Social Work invited the participation of New York State social work organizations and schools, and the general public to ensure that the regulations reflect contemporary standards. Although the regulations have been completed, the Legislature may amend the law to change requirements for licensure and practice in the social work professions.

The following information is intended to provide answers to the most frequent questions received from current and prospective licensees and other interested parties regarding the changes to the law. The questions and answers also clarify individuals who are exempt from the social work licensing law. We have also posted a summary of how individuals will be affected by the new law. Applications for licensure for the two new social work professions will be available in early August 2004. These materials are subject to change without notice, based on changes in the law or regulations.

1. What does this law fundamentally change in licensing social workers?

   The law features four fundamental changes:

   1. It replaces the title "Certified Social Worker (CSW)" with a new title "Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)" and retains the same requirements;
   2. It adds a new license, "Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)," which requires three years of post-MSW supervised experience in clinical social work, and a specific educational requirement for the license, namely, "a core curriculum which includes clinical content." Clinical content has been defined in the Commissioner's Regulations as 12 semester hours or the equivalent of coursework that prepares the individual to practice as an LCSW. Applicants for licensure as an LCSW are also required to pass the ASWB Clinical exam;
   3. It retains the "R" psychotherapy privilege, which requires six years of supervised experience (three additional years following the LCSW); and
   4. It defines and restricts the practices of "Licensed Master Social Work" and "Licensed Clinical Social Work" to social work licensees or other authorized or exempt persons, identified in the law.
   
   
2. Is all social work practice restricted to licensees?

   No. Some social work functions are defined and listed as "functions that do not require a license." While the Regents do not have regulatory authority over unlicensed persons providing those functions, they will have authority over LMSWs or LCSWs providing them.

3. If I already am a CSW, what will I need to do regarding my license?

   Nothing. On September 1, 2004, you will become a LMSW. SED will automatically send you a new license parchment and registration certificate with "LMSW" rather than CSW. Your license number will not change nor will your registration period so that your LMSW registration will expire on the same date your CSW registration would have expired.

4. If I am a CSW with the "P" or the "R" or both, what will I need to do regarding my license?

   Nothing. On September 1, 2004, you will become a LCSW. SED will automatically send you a new license parchment and registration certificate with "LCSW" rather than CSW. Your license number will not change nor will your registration period so that your LCSW registration will expire on the same date your CSW registration would have expired.

5. If I am a CSW and will have three or more years of supervised clinical social work experience by September 1, 2005, the end of the one-year "grandparent" period, but I do not have the "P" or the "R", what will I have to do to become a LCSW?

   You may qualify for the LCSW in two ways:

   1. You may apply for the "P" anytime before the law takes effect on September 1, 2004 by filing an application and fee of $85, documenting three years of supervised experience in psychotherapy and submitting two case summaries for review by the Board. If you are approved for the P prior to September 1, 2004, you will automatically become a LCSW. If the review of your application for the "P" is not completed by September 1, 2004, you will become an LMSW on that date and the Department will issue you a new license as an LCSW when your application for the "P" is approved; or
   2. You may apply for the LCSW during the one-year "grandparent" period (September 1, 2004 to September 1, 2005) by filing the application and fee of $270, including proof three years of post-MSW experience in psychotherapy under supervision acceptable to the Department. You may also be required to apply for a limited permit to practice as a licensed clinical social worker under supervision. You will not be required to submit case summaries, nor will you have to pass a clinical licensing exam, unless you apply after the one-year "grandparent" period has elapsed on September 1, 2005.
   
   
6. If I am a CSW but do not have either the "P" or the "R" and I will not have completed three years of clinical social work experience by the end of the "grandparent" period, what will I have to do to become a LCSW?

   First of all, to continue practicing after September 1, 2004 as an LMSW providing clinical social work services, you will have to secure appropriate supervision as required in the law. Supervision is defined in the regulations as at least one hour per week of supervision by a licensed clinical social worker, licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. When you have completed three years of supervised clinical social work experience, you will have to file an application and fee of $270 just like any new applicant. You will be required to pass a clinical licensing exam and provide evidence that you have met the requirement for at least 12 semester hours in clinical coursework in the MSW degree.

7. If I apply for a CSW prior to September 1, 2004 what will happen to my application on that date?

   If you are licensed as a CSW prior to September 1, 2004, you will automatically become an LMSW and receive a new parchment and registration certificate. If you have not met all requirements for the CSW by September 1, 2004, on that date the Department will consider your application for the CSW to be an application for the LMSW. Once you have met all requirements for the LMSW, which are identical to those for the CSW, you will be issued a license parchment and registration certificate.

8. If I become a LMSW and at some later date meet the requirements for the LCSW, will I have to maintain both licenses?

   No. While you are licensed for life as an LMSW and as an LCSW, you may let your LMSW become "inactive" so that you will not have to pay two $155 triennial registration fees. Essentially, once you have the LCSW, you will no longer need the LMSW.

9. If I am licensed as a social worker in another state, can I be licensed in New York State by endorsement?

   No, there is no endorsement for social work licensing in New York State. You must apply for licensure and meet the requirements for the LMSW or the LCSW. If you passed a licensing examination offered by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) in another jurisdiction, you may be able to transfer your examination score.

10. If I have my MSW degree, and have practiced for a number of years without being licensed as a CSW, what will I have to do to become a LMSW?

    The law includes a specific "grandparent" clause that allows persons with an MSW degree and five years of post-MSW degree social work experience by September 1, 2005 to file an LMSW application and fee of $270 and to document five years of post-MSW social work experience. If your education and experience are acceptable, you could be licensed without having to take the ASWB examination.

11. If I previously received a license as a CSW but I am not currently registered to practice, what will I have to do to become an LMSW or LCSW?

    If you are not registered, you must contact the Registration Unit of the Office of the Professions at (518) 474-3817 ext. 410 or opregfee@mail.nysed.gov. If you have not been practicing the profession you may only have to reactivate your license. If you have been practicing the profession without a license, that is, holding yourself out as a Certified Social Worker, you may be responsible for delinquent registration fees and a penalty of $10 per month.

12. Is there any provision for licensing Baccalaureate Social Workers?

    No, the law does not include licensure at the BSW level. However, BSWs and BSW students are included in the categories of exempt persons, that is, those who may practice those activities defined as licensed master social work without a license.

13. Who else may practice social work without a license?

    The law exempts BSW and MSW students in supervised field work and:

    1. Licensees in other professions whose practice includes similar services, e.g., medicine, psychology, nursing, occupational therapy
    2. Student interns supervised in educational programs for other professions whose practice includes similar services
    3. Persons providing "instruction, advice, support, encouragement or information" to individuals, families and relational groups
    4. Attorneys, rape crisis counselors, alcohol and substance abuse counselors, and pastoral counselors
    5. Public and private employees providing clinical social work services on the effective date of the law for as long as they continue to provide those same services in that job
    6. Employees of agencies operated, regulated or financed by the New York State Office of Mental Health, Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Children and Family Services or local social service districts until January 1, 2010, so long as the person does not use the restricted title.
    
    
14. Does the law require LMSWs or LCSWs to complete a specified number of continuing education hours to maintain the license?

    No. The law contains no continuing education requirements associated with maintaining an active license.

15. Does the law include LMSWs and LCSWs as mandated reporters of suspected child neglect or abuse?

    Yes. The law adds the category "social worker" to the list of professionals identified as mandated reporters of suspected child neglect or abuse. It is likely that legislation will be approved to clarify that, after September 1, 2004, applicants seeking an initial license as an LMSW or LCSW must complete a two-hour Department-approved course on the identification and reporting of child abuse in order to be licensed; current CSWs may be required to complete the Department-approved course prior to the end of the next registration period. Information about the training, including the process of applying for a waiver and the listing of approved providers, is available from the Office of the Professions web site www.op.nysed.gov/camemo.htm.

16. Important notice about registration of LMSW and LCSW licenses

    If you were licensed as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) on or after September 1, 2004 and were later licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), you hold separate licenses with different registration dates. Since the practice of Licensed Clinical Social Work encompasses the practice of Licensed Master Social Work, you do not need to maintain your registration as an LMSW. When you receive the LMSW registration form, you can respond "NO" on Question 1, which asks if you would like to register the LMSW license to practice for the upcoming period. You should then answer all other questions, sign and date the form, and return it with no fee to the Department in the envelope provided. The registration of your LMSW license will then be put in "Inactive" status and the Office of the Professions online license verification will reflect that status. For more information about registration and practice, including how to change your address, see OP's Frequently Asked Questions.

If you have questions not addressed above, you may contact the office of the State Board for Social Work, at (518)474-3817, ext. 450; or e-mail swbd@mail.nysed.gov.