90 DAY LIVESCAN RULE FOR PRE-LICENSEES

The new 90-day rule requirements, regarding hours gained within the 90-day grace period between degree award date and the date the Board issues an associate registration number, go into effect on January 1, 2020. CAMFT is encouraging all those who will be graduating after the new year to be aware of the rule and to be prepared to show proof that the setting where hours are gained required Live Scan fingerprinting in order to count hours between degree conferral and registration issuance.

Here are some additional facts from the BBS regarding the recent changes to the 90-day rule:

• The 90-day rule is a clause in the law that allows applicants (previously only marriage and family therapy or professional clinical counselor applicants) to count supervised experience hours gained in between the time of their degree award date, and the date the Board issues their associate registration number, if the applicant applies for the registration within 90 days of the date that their degree was granted.
• To utilize the 90-day rule, an applicant must apply for registration and the Board must receive the application within 90 days of the qualifying degree being granted. The applicant is not allowed to work or volunteer in a private practice until the actual registration is issued.
• For all (ASW, AMFT, and APCC) applicants who complete graduate study on or after January 1, 2020, there is a change to the 90-day rule. For these applicants, hours may only be counted under the 90-day rule if the applicant can prove that prior to gaining those hours, the workplace required completed Live Scan fingerprinting. To prove this, the applicant must obtain a copy of his or her completed “State of California Request for Live Scan Service” form and provide it to the Board when applying for licensure.

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