Inside this issue • Virginia Considering the NCLEP for Portability • NBCC Priorities See Increases in Spending Bill • Action Needed for Counselor Recognition in the DOD • SUD Workforce Bill Up for Consideration • OPM, VA Language Adopted in Conference Report   Virginia Considering the NCLEP for Portability     NBCC is hoping that Virginia will become the first state to include the National Counselor Licensure Endorsement Process (NCLEP) in counselor licensure rules. Dr. Rip McAdams, a counselor educator at  William and Mary and former state board  member, submitted a Petition for Rulemaking  to adopt the NCLEP, which would pave the way for a simple, clear, and reasonable portability path for counselors in Virginia.    The NCLEP (www.nbcc.org/Assets/Portability/Portability-Statement-   Endorsement-Process.pdf), proposed jointly by NBCC, the American    Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB), the Association for  Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), and the American Mental  Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), is a portability process to  promote uniform licensure endorsement standards across the states. The NCLEP balances the need for public protection and uniform training and education standards. The Virginia petition was submitted to the counseling board on Sept. 7, 2018. The rulemaking process was initiated and a public comment period will run through Oct. 17. NBCC is supporting the petition and will submit a letter of endorsement; it urges other organizations to do the same. Counselors in Virginia can submit their comments in support here: http://www.townhall.virginia.gov/L/comments.cfm?petitionid=281. NBCC encourages all board certified counselors and grassroots activists to explore Petition for Rulemaking as a vehicle to portability in their respective states. "Licensure portability is a critical issue for the counseling profession and needs to be addressed in every state," Dr. McAdams said. "The petition process is much simpler than most counselors know, and NBCC was very helpful in providing information and guidance when needed."  State adoption of the NCLEP allows counselors who meet required standards to easily begin practice in different states and will help alleviate mental health needs nationwide.   Top   NBCC Priorities See Increases in Spending Bill     The FY19 Labor-HHS appropriations bill has gone through conference proceedings and was signed by President Trump on Sept. 28. The legislation includes increased and sustained funding for many of NBCC's budget priorities. SAMHSA's Minority Fellowship Program, which provides scholarships to minority counselors and other mental health and addiction professionals, saw a $500,000 increase. The Mental and Behavioral Health Education Training Program was increased by $9.916 million.   As mental health and addiction issues gain traction on Capitol Hill, NBCC will continue to promote funding for all programs that benefit the counseling profession.   Top   Action Needed for Counselor Recognition in the DOD     Counselors in the military face many obstacles and limitations on employment and service delivery. They often are not eligible for independent practice and don't qualify for many clinical positions. NBCC is again pursuing legislation to address this issue.  The primary challenge is that counselors lack a uniform credentialing standard that applies across the Department of Defense (DOD) and provides independent practice authority. Without a department-wide standard, individual service branches have created their own criteria that were based on the old TRICARE rules, which routinely require supervision of counselors. NBCC has been working with members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to pass legislation granting parity for counselors in the military. TRICARE granted counselors independent practice authority in 2011, with final rules in 2014. The Department of the Army granted counselors independent privileging rights in 2016. In 2017, NBCC worked with lawmakers to include language in the National Defense Authorization Act encouraging the creation of a uniform credentialing standard across the DOD. Unfortunately, these efforts have not yet resulted in recognition of counselors. Consequently, 11 counselors in the Air National Guard are losing their jobs. NBCC is currently pursuing legislation that will permanently resolve this issue. We will be reaching out to Counselor Advocacy Network Members soon to ask for action on this issue!   Top   SUD Workforce Bill Up for Consideration     Both the House and Senate have now passed large opioid packages to address the growing crisis. Differences between the packages were reconciled in the conference process and a compromise bill has been released. The legislation has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. Following passage there, it will be sent to President Trump for signature.   H.R. 5102/S. 2524, the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018, has been included in the final legislation. This section of the bill would provide student loan repayment assistance to counselors and other behavioral health professionals. NBCC is currently working to identify other counseling provisions contained in the compromise legislation.   Top   OPM, VA Language Adopted in Conference Report     The explanatory statement for the FY19 MilCon-VA appropriations bill included language directing the VA to work with the Office of Personnel   Management (OPM) to create an Occupational Series for mental health counselors and a staffing plan for counselors to fill vacant positions in the agency. The provision was essentially the House endorsement of the Senate language originally included in the report for the same bill.   The House and Senate versions of the bill were reconciled and President Trump signed the legislation on Sept. 21. NBCC has already reached out to the VA to discuss implementation of the congressional directive.   Top Key Legislation Medicare H.R. 3032: Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 S. 1879: Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017 HR 5531: Opioid Emergency Response Act Veterans' Affairs H.R. 3158: Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 S. 1557: Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 S. 1325: Better Workforce for Veterans Act of 2017 Federal Occupational Classification HR 5895: Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 Federal Grants and Scholarship Funding HR 6597: Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of 2018 H.R. 5102: Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2018 HR 6470: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 S 3158: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 Military S. 1519: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 H.R. 2810: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018