Title 201 | Chapter 023 | Regulation 025REG
PROPOSED
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PREVIOUS VERSION
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BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Board of Social Work
(Amended at ARRS Committee)
201 KAR 23:025.Application for licensure.
Section 1.
Definitions.(1)
"Additional supervisor" is defined by 201 KAR 23:070, Section 1(1).(2)
"Board" is defined by KRS 335.020(1).(3)
"Social worker" is defined by KRS 335.158(4)(b).(4)
"Supervisor of record" is defined by 201 KAR 23:070, Section 1(6).Section 2.
Application for licensure.(1)
An applicant for licensure as a social worker shall submit the(a)
The full legal name of the applicant along with any other name used by the applicant;(b)
The social security number of the applicant;(c)
The mailing address of the applicant;(d)
A telephone number for the applicant;(e)
The email address of the applicant;(f)
A statement of whether the applicant is currently employed;(g)
If employed, the name of the applicant's current employer along with the street address, telephone number, and email address of the agency where the applicant is employed;(h)
If employed, the applicant's official job description signed by the head of the employing agency;(i)
If employed, a statement of whether the employer is a 26 U.S.C. Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt agency under the Internal Revenue Code and, if so, a copy of the Internal Revenue Service determination letter approving the tax-exempt status of the agency;(j)
A statement of whether the applicant is or has ever been licensed to practice social work in Kentucky;(k)
A statement of whether the applicant is or has ever been licensed to practice social work in any other jurisdiction and, if so, a listing of the jurisdiction license category and license number associated with the license;(l)
An official verification of each license the applicant holds or has ever held in a jurisdiction other than Kentucky. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) applicant licensed as a certified social worker (CSW) in Kentucky need not provide official license verification;(m)
A statement of whether the applicant has taken and passed a social work licensure exam through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) and, if so, a statement of which exam was taken. An applicant for CSW licensure who is licensed in a jurisdiction other than Kentucky shall provide an ASWB Exam Official Score Transfer Report. An applicant for an LCSW license who is not licensed as a CSW in Kentucky shall provide an ASWB Exam Official Score Transfer Report;(n)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever applied for and failed to receive a license in social work or any other profession in Kentucky or another jurisdiction and, if so, an explanation of why the application for licensure was denied;(o)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever had a social work or other professional license suspended, revoked, or otherwise disciplined in Kentucky or another jurisdiction and, if so, an explanation and certified copies of the final order of the licensure entity from a jurisdiction other than Kentucky;(p)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever been convicted of, or entered a plea of no contest to, a felony and, if so, a statement of the offense along with certified copies of the police report or grand jury indictment, judgment of conviction, and the judgment or sentencing order. If the sentence was probated, diverted, or paroled the applicant shall include a signed release authorizing the probation or parole officer to provide a written statement or report to the Board that confirms the probation, diversion, or parole was successfully completed. An applicant convicted of a felony shall provide proof that any fines, fees, or court costs were paid in full;(q)
A statement of the undergraduate and graduate education the applicant has completed, including the name and location of the school, dates attended, month and year of graduation, number of credits or hours completed, and degrees obtained;(r)
Copies of official transcripts with the degree conferred or awarded. A CSW applicant shall not be required to submit undergraduate transcripts. An LCSW applicant who holds a CSW license in Kentucky shall not be required to submit a master's degree transcript;(s)
A list of three (3) individuals qualified to document the applicant's professional competency including the name, address, email address, and telephone number of each(t)
A statement that the applicant has read KRS 335.010 to 335.160 and 201 KAR Chapter 23(u)
A statement that the applicant affirms the application is true and correct to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief;(v)
A statement that the applicant voluntarily consents to a thorough investigation of the applicant's present and past employment and other activities for the purpose of verifying the applicant's qualifications for licensing;(w)
A statement that the applicant agrees to furnish to the Board any information that may subsequently be requested for the purpose of verifying the applicant's qualifications;(x)
Payment of the required twenty-five (25) dollar nonrefundable application fee that is in addition to any fees as established in 201 KAR 23:020;(y)
A statement of the license for which the applicant is applying; and(z)
The signature of the applicant.(2)
Denial. The Board may disapprove an application for licensure for the following reasons:(a)
The applicant's failure to comply with KRS 335.010-335.160(b)
Any information required by KRS 335.010-335.160(c)
A fraudulent, dishonest, or deceitful misstatement or omission of fact in the submitted application;(d)
A finding against, or admission of liability by, the applicant in any legal proceeding or disciplinary action involving a violation of KRS 335.010-335.160(e)
The denial, discipline of, refusal to renew, revocation, or suspension of the applicant's professional licensure in any jurisdiction.(3)
Approval. If the applicant has complied with the provisions of KRS 335.010-335.160Section 3.
Additional requirements for LCSW licensure.(1)
An in-state applicant for licensure as an LCSW shall provide documentation of two (2) years of post-master's(2)
An LCSW applicant licensed in another jurisdiction shall, if licensed for less than two (2)(a)
Was licensed as an LCSW, or the equivalent, for a minimum of two (2)(b)
Documents the supervision on the Kentucky(c)
Documents the supervision on an out-of-state form which provides necessary details about qualifications of hours of supervision, names and credentials of supervisors, clinical practice, and time period of supervision.(3)
An LCSW applicant licensed in another jurisdiction shall, if licensed for two (2)(a)
An official job description on agency letterhead signed and dated by the head of the employing agency; or(b)
Standard employment forms including documentation of Federal civilian employment on the Standard Form 50 for Federal civilian employees as available at https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/sf50.pdf or documentation of active duty as a member of the U.S. Armed Services.Section 4.
Incorporation by Reference.(1)
The following material is incorporated by reference:(a)
"Licensure Application Form", 7/2025(b)
"Supervised Experience Documentation Form", 7/2025(2)
This material may be inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Kentucky Board of Social Work, 125 Holmes Street, Suite 310, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or online at bsw.ky.gov.FILED WITH LRC: July 14, 2025 at 3 p.m.
CONTACT PERSON: Marc Kelly, Executive Director, Kentucky Board of Social Work, 125 Holmes St., Suite 310, Frankfort Kentucky 40601, phone (502) 564-2350, email marc.kelly@ky.gov.
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Board of Social Work
(Amended at ARRS Committee)
201 KAR 23:025.Application for licensure.
Section 1.
Definitions.(1)
"Additional supervisor" is defined by 201 KAR 23:070, Section 1(1).(2)
"Board" is defined by KRS 335.020(1).(3)
"Social worker" is defined by KRS 335.158(4)(b).(4)
"Supervisor of record" is defined by 201 KAR 23:070, Section 1(6).Section 2.
Application for licensure.(1)
An applicant for licensure as a social worker shall submit the Licensure Application Form or use the electronic portal established by the Board for application purposes. The application for licensure and electronic portal shall include:(a)
The full legal name of the applicant along with any other name used by the applicant;(b)
The social security number of the applicant;(c)
The mailing address of the applicant;(d)
A telephone number for the applicant;(e)
The email address of the applicant;(f)
A statement of whether the applicant is currently employed;(g)
If employed, the name of the applicant's current employer along with the street address, telephone number, and email address of the agency where the applicant is employed;(h)
If employed, the applicant's official job description signed by the head of the employing agency;(i)
If employed, a statement of whether the employer is a 26 U.S.C. Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt agency under the Internal Revenue Code and, if so, a copy of the Internal Revenue Service determination letter approving the tax-exempt status of the agency;(j)
A statement of whether the applicant is or has ever been licensed to practice social work in Kentucky;(k)
A statement of whether the applicant is or has ever been licensed to practice social work in any other jurisdiction and, if so, a listing of the jurisdiction license category and license number associated with the license;(l)
An official verification of each license the applicant holds or has ever held in a jurisdiction other than Kentucky. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) applicant licensed as a certified social worker (CSW) in Kentucky need not provide official license verification;(m)
A statement of whether the applicant has taken and passed a social work licensure exam through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) and, if so, a statement of which exam was taken. An applicant for CSW licensure who is licensed in a jurisdiction other than Kentucky shall provide an ASWB Exam Official Score Transfer Report. An applicant for an LCSW license who is not licensed as a CSW in Kentucky shall provide an ASWB Exam Official Score Transfer Report;(n)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever applied for and failed to receive a license in social work or any other profession in Kentucky or another jurisdiction and, if so, an explanation of why the application for licensure was denied;(o)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever had a social work or other professional license suspended, revoked, or otherwise disciplined in Kentucky or another jurisdiction and, if so, an explanation and certified copies of the final order of the licensure entity from a jurisdiction other than Kentucky;(p)
A statement of whether the applicant has ever been convicted of, or entered a plea of no contest to, a felony and, if so, a statement of the offense along with certified copies of the police report or grand jury indictment, judgment of conviction, and the judgment or sentencing order. If the sentence was probated, diverted, or paroled the applicant shall include a signed release authorizing the probation or parole officer to provide a written statement or report to the Board that confirms the probation, diversion, or parole was successfully completed. An applicant convicted of a felony shall provide proof that any fines, fees, or court costs were paid in full;(q)
A statement of the undergraduate and graduate education the applicant has completed, including the name and location of the school, dates attended, month and year of graduation, number of credits or hours completed, and degrees obtained;(r)
Copies of official transcripts with the degree conferred or awarded. A CSW applicant shall not be required to submit undergraduate transcripts. An LCSW applicant who holds a CSW license in Kentucky shall not be required to submit a master's degree transcript;(s)
A list of three (3) individuals qualified to document the applicant's professional competency including the name, address, email address, and telephone number of each individual;(t)
A statement that the applicant has read KRS 335.010 to 335.160 and 201 KAR Chapter 23, including 201 KAR 23:080, the Kentucky Code of Ethical Conduct;(u)
A statement that the applicant affirms the application is true and correct to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief;(v)
A statement that the applicant voluntarily consents to a thorough investigation of the applicant's present and past employment and other activities for the purpose of verifying the applicant's qualifications for licensing;(w)
A statement that the applicant agrees to furnish to the Board any information that may subsequently be requested for the purpose of verifying the applicant's qualifications;(x)
Payment of the required twenty-five (25) dollar nonrefundable application fee that is in addition to any fees as established in 201 KAR 23:020;(y)
A statement of the license for which the applicant is applying; and(z)
The signature of the applicant.(2)
Denial. The Board may disapprove an application for licensure for the following reasons:(a)
The applicant's failure to comply with KRS 335.010-335.160 or 201 KAR Chapter 23;(b)
Any information required by KRS 335.010-335.160 or this administrative regulation is missing, inaccurate, incomplete, or cannot be independently verified;(c)
A fraudulent, dishonest, or deceitful misstatement or omission of fact in the submitted application;(d)
A finding against, or admission of liability by, the applicant in any legal proceeding or disciplinary action involving a violation of KRS 335.010-335.160 or 201 KAR Chapter 23; or(e)
The denial, discipline of, refusal to renew, revocation, or suspension of the applicant's professional licensure in any jurisdiction.(3)
Approval. If the applicant has complied with the provisions of KRS 335.010-335.160 and this administrative regulation the application may be approved.Section 3.
Additional requirements for LCSW licensure.(1)
An in-state applicant for licensure as an LCSW shall provide documentation of two (2) years of post-master's degree supervised clinical social work experience, including 150 hours documented on the Supervised Experience Documentation Form as confirmed by the applicant's supervisor of record and each LCSW additional supervisor.(2)
An LCSW applicant licensed in another jurisdiction shall, if licensed for less than two (2) years, document two (2) years of post-master's supervised clinical practice experience and 150 hours of clinical supervision provided by a licensed social worker who:(a)
Was licensed as an LCSW, or the equivalent, for a minimum of two (2) years at the time supervision was provided as documented by official verification of the supervisor's license and a copy of a resume for each LCSW supervisor;(b)
Documents the supervision on the Kentucky Supervised Experience Documentation Form; or(c)
Documents the supervision on an out-of-state form which provides necessary details about qualifications of hours of supervision, names and credentials of supervisors, clinical practice, and time period of supervision.(3)
An LCSW applicant licensed in another jurisdiction shall, if licensed for two (2) years or more, document the two (2) year period by providing:(a)
An official job description on agency letterhead signed and dated by the head of the employing agency; or(b)
Standard employment forms including documentation of Federal civilian employment on the Standard Form 50 for Federal civilian employees as available at https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/sf50.pdf or documentation of active duty as a member of the U.S. Armed Services.Section 4.
Incorporation by Reference.(1)
The following material is incorporated by reference:(a)
"Licensure Application Form", 7/2025; and(b)
"Supervised Experience Documentation Form", 7/2025.(2)
This material may be inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Kentucky Board of Social Work, 125 Holmes Street, Suite 310, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or online at bsw.ky.gov.FILED WITH LRC: July 14, 2025 at 3 p.m.
CONTACT PERSON: Marc Kelly, Executive Director, Kentucky Board of Social Work, 125 Holmes St., Suite 310, Frankfort Kentucky 40601, phone (502) 564-2350, email marc.kelly@ky.gov.