4 Important Points From the LPC Board 3rd Quarter 2021 Meeting

The LPC Board 3rd quarter 2021 meeting was held last week. A number of topics were covered in the 3 hour session but the following items garnered most of of the discussion time, and my attention.

LPC Board 3rd Quarter 2021 Meeting | Case Backlog Update

Christina Luna, Board Administrator (BHEC staff Queen Bee!) indicated that 391 cases had been dealt with and resolved since the last Board report in the 2nd quarter, which is a much faster pace than the staff anticipated at BHEC's inception. Keep in mind that there are two sources of case files to be dealt with. One, the backlog of cases BHEC inherited from the prior Board and DSHS, and two, any new cases that are generated going forward.

This is GOOD news for all of us. It means the new system is working better than the prior administration's procedures and the wait time for processing is growing shorter on a daily basis.

The bad news is that the wait time for case processing is still too long but as mentioned, that wait time is growing shorter every day and will eventually reach the targeted turn-around time for new cases. Patience, folks, we're on target.

SOAH You Wanna Appeal Your Decision?

SOAH is the court of last resort for any defendant that wants to pursue litigation beyond the Council's final decision regarding a complaint. I'm including this item today not because it offers any great insight into the complaint process but because of the insight into our own human nature.

The Board's, "SOAH Report", indicated that quite a number of scheduled SOAH cases are being cancelled by the defendants. Why? Apparently once reality sets in and the defendant realizes the high cost of attorney's fees to litigate a SOAH case they have a personal epiphany. Combine that with the fact that a single judge determines the outcome, and the lengthy timeframe that this type of litigation will take and these folk realize it's just not worth it.

More on the Discrimination Rule

Darrel Spinks further clarified the Social Workers Discrimination Rule and how it comports with current State statutes, your 1st Amendment rights, and your religious beliefs. It really was a beautiful two-minute explanation and it was so well done I'm not even going to try and recount his concise overview here. You can find that in the public recording on BHEC's YouTube channel.

Academic Course Content

Seems that the BHEC staff is encountering a lot of stumbling blocks from out-of-state applicants. The problem stems from courses submitted to fulfill Course Content Requirements and whether or not they count.

The Board spent a considerable amount of time discussing the current list of required and elective items and whether or not to move some required courses to the optional list. The discussion is worth a listen and again, you'll find it on BHEC's YouTube channel, linked to above.

Summary

Most of the public comments had to do with the Academic Course Content discussion and there were one or two callers (who shoulda known better!) that voiced their complaint about the ongoing difficulty getting through to live staffers at BHEC on the phone. Had they read our several blog posts on why this is a problem and is likely to continue for awhile, they would have known!

Plan Smart. Be Safe. Serve Others.

Kathleen Mills, LPC-S, CEAP