Social Work in the Commonwealth of Virginia — Department of Health Professions, Senate Document No. 9
Summary
This is a reprint report of the Virginia Department of Health Professions, Social Work in the Commonwealth of Virginia: An Assessment of Compensation, Licensure, and the Labor Market (SJ49, 2020), Senate Document No. 9, with a cover memorandum dated October 22, 2021. It responds to Senate Joint Resolution 49 on the need for additional social workers and increased compensation, and was prepared with a VCU Wilder School Capstone team. The Executive Summary states that findings suggest compensation in Virginia is competitive compared to neighboring states, and that demand for social workers will grow 23% in the coming years. It states that the average salary collected by the web-crawler was $69,964 compared to the 2019 average of $56,858.
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REPORT OF THE VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
Social Work in the Commonwealth
of Virginia: An Assessment of
Compensation, Licensure, and the
Labor Market (SJ49, 2020)
TO THE GOVERNOR AND
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA
SENATE DOCUMENT NO. 9
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
RICHMOND
2021
COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
David E. Brown, D.C. Department ofHealth Professions www.dhp.virginia.gov
Director Perimeter Center TEL (804) 367- 4400
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300 FAX (804) 527- 4475
Henrico, Virginia 23233-1463
TO: The Honorable Ralph S. Northam
Governor of Virginia
Members of the Senate of Virginia
c/o The Honorable Susan Clarke Schaar
Members of the House of Delegates
c/o The Honorable Suzette Denslow
FROM: David E. Brown, D.C. G)vv£2rn
Director, Department of Health Professions
Barbara Allison-Bryan, M.D.
Chief Deputy Director, Dep, 11ment of Heal
DATE: October 22, 2021
RE: Report on the need for additional social workers pursuant to SJ49 (2020)
Attached is the report of the on the need for additional micro-level, mezzo-level, and macro-level
social workers and increased compensation of such social workers in the Commonwealth, as
requested in SJ49 of the 2020 Session of the General Assembly. The report was prepared by the
Department in partnership with a Capstone team from the VCU Wilder School of Public
Administration.
Should you have questions about this report, please feel free to contact Dr. Allison-Bryan at
barbara.allison-brvan@dhp.virldinia.gov or at (804) 367-4542.
Board of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology- Board of Counseling - Board of Dentistry- Board of Funeral Directors & Embalmers
Board of Long-Term Care Administrators - Board of Medicine - Board of Nursing - Board of Optometry- Board of Pharmacy
Board of Physical Therapy- Board of Psychology- Board of Social Work - Board of Veterinary Medicine
Board of Health Professions
Prepared by the Virginia Department of Health Amanda Silvester, Matthew Whibley. Shaddi Zeid, Barbara
Pmfessions and the Virginia Comrnonweafth University Allison-Bryan, MD
Social Work in the Commonwealth 2
Table of Contents
Senate Joint Resolution 49 ...........................................................................................................................3
Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Summary of Recommendations .............................................................................................. ...................7
lntroduction......................................... ,...........................................................................................................8
Background lnformation...............................................................................................................................9
Compensation....................................................................................................................................9
Compensation Analysis ................................................................................................... 11
State and Mational Compensaton Comparison .......................................................... 12
Licensure ......................................................................................................................................... 15
To License or not to License ............................................................................................ 15
Virginia vs Contiguous States Licensure.........................................................................17
Licensure by Examination ................................................................................................. 17
Licesnure by Endorsement ............................................................................................... 18
Reciprocal Licensure.......................................................................................................... 19
Labor Market. ...................................................................................................................................20
Retention ........................................................................................................................... 20
Caseload ........................................................................................................................... 21
Summation of Literature Review................................................................................................... 23
Methodology ................................................................................................................................................25
Data Collection ................................................................................................................................ 25
Results ..............................................................................................................................................27
Limitations .......................................................................................................................................30
Discussion ........................................................................................................................................30
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................... 32
Compensation .................................................................................................................................32
Licensure ............................................................. ............................................................................. 33
Market Demand .............................................................................................................................. 34
Acknowledegments ...................................................................................................................................... 36
References ..................................................................................................................................................... 37
Appendix 1: SW Licensing Comparison .................................................................................................. .43
Appendix 2: Contiguous State Endorsement Summaries .....................................................................44
Virginia Department of
-., Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 3
Senate Joint Resolution 49
20105090D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 49
Offered January 8, 2020
Prefiled January 7, 2020
Requesting the Department of Health Professions to study the need for additional micro-level, mezzo-level, and
macro-level social workers and increased compensation of such social workers in the Commonwealth. Report.
Patrons- McClellan; Delegate: Guzman
Referred to Committee on Rules
WHEREAS, social workers form society's social safety net and offer important services to individuals, families,
groups, organizations, and the governmental agencies and political subdivisions of the Commonwealth, guided by
special knowledge of social resources and systems, human capabilities, and the part that conscious and unconscious
motivations play in determining human behavior; and
WHEREAS, social workers are trained to provide service and action to effect changes in human behavior, emotional
responses, and social conditions by the application of the values, principles, methods, and procedures of the
profession of social work; and
WHEREAS, social workers have demanding positions that entail increasing levels of required paperwork, large
caseloads, and consistent difficulties with challenging clients, including increased safety risks; and
WHEREAS, salaries of social workers are, on average, among the lowest of all occupations in the United States,
especially among social workers with a master's degree; and
WHEREAS, workforce challenges facing the social work profession include high student loan debt, lack of fair market
compensation, translation of social work research to practice, social worker safety, a lack of state-level ticensure
policies and reciprocity agreements for social workers providing services across state lines and via telehealth, and a
lack of diversity, all of which affect recruitment and retention of social workers and lower the level of services provided
to clients; and
WHEREAS, in order to continue the successful growth and development of citizens of the Commonwealth through
the practice of social work, it is essential that efforts be taken to ensure that an adequate number of social workers
are available to provide services and that social workers are compensated in a manner that both rewards their work
and encourages a long-term workforce: now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Department of Health Professions be
requested to study the need for additional micro-level, mezzo-level, and macro-level social workers and increased
compensation of such social workers in the Commonwealth.
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 4
In conducting its study, the Department of Health Professions shall convene a work group, which shall include
representatives of the Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, institutions of higher education
with social work programs, the Department of Social Services, and local departments of social services. The work
group shall (i) identify the number of social workers needed in the Commonwealth to adequately serve the population;
(ii) identify opportunities for the Commonwealth's social work workforce to successfully serve and respond to
increasing biopsychosocial needs of individuals, groups, and communities in areas related to aging, child welfare,
social services, military and veterans affairs, criminal justice, juvenile justice, corrections, mental health, substance
abuse treatment, and other health and social determinants; (iii) gather information about current social workers in the
Commonwealth related to level of education, school of social work attended, level of licensure, job title and
classification, years of experience, gender, employer, and compensation; (iv) analyze the impact of compensation
levels on social workers' job satisfaction and performance, as well as its impact on the likelihood of other persons
entering the profession and any complications to such compensation levels caused by student debt; and (v) make
recommendations for additional sources of funding to adequately compensate social workers and increase the
number of social workers in the Commonwealth. The Department of Health Professions shall enter into data sharing
agreements with the Department of Social Services and other employers of social workers to enable the exchange of
de-identified data necessary to comply with the directives set forth in this paragraph.
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Health Professions for this study,
upon request.
The Department of Health Professions shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2020, and shall submit to the
Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for
publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the
procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports
no later than the first day of the 2021 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General
Assembly's website.
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 5
Executive Summary
As required by Senate Joint Resolution 49 (2020) and in partnership with a VCU Wilder
School Master of Public Administration Capstone team, the Virginia Department of
Health Professions (DHP) examined social work in the Commonwealth of Virginia by
assessing compensation, licensure, and labor market data. Findings suggest that
compensation in Virginia is competitive compared to neighboring states. The regulatory
processes and subsequent potential barriers that exist are also similar to adjacent state
regulations. Data gathered from the Virginia Employment Commission (2019) indicates
that the demand for social workers within Virginia will grow 23% in the coming years.
The social work field is generally divided into three categories: macro, mezzo, and
micro-level practitioners. Social work is a title-protected profession that requires
obtaining an accredited Bachelor of Social Work or Master of Social Work to claim the
title professionally. Licensure is within the Virginia Board of Social work. Licensure
prerequisites, in addition to the university degree, include official supervision, and
successful completion of the Association of Social Work Board Examination. An out-of
state social worker may also secure Virginia licensure through endorsement.
A significant complicating issue this study faced is that not all social workers are
required to be licensed by the Virginia Board of Social Work. Exemptions from licensure
in Virginia code§ 54.1-3701 include salaried employees or volunteers of the federal
government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or a private, nonprofit organization or
agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a community-based citizen group or
organization, and the clergy. At this time, it is not possible to quantify the number of
unlicensed social workers or the work they do.
Virginia Department of
-y Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 6
Once a social worker enters the field, retention becomes a priority. The literature
suggests that the inherent stress of a social worker's scope of practice contributes to
turnover within the profession. Senate Joint 49 suggested that more competitive salaries
could support retention. The study employed a web-crawler (i.e., automated data
collection) to gather secondary salary data and demand data. The most in-demand
social work areas within Virginia were Mental Health and Healthcare Social Workers. The
average salary for social work jobs collected by the web-crawler was $69,964 compared
to the 2019 average of $56,858 (Virginia Employment Commission, 2019).
The Virginia Board of Social work has already done much to streamline application
requirements and minimize licensure fees. In the past year, a 3000 hour supervisory
requirement for licensure at the bachelor's level has been eliminated. Regulations to
support ease of licensure by endorsement are at the notice of intended regulatory
action (NOIRA) phase.
DHP and the VCU Capstone Team recommend additional study of this issue. Funded
studies, especially targeting data capture of unlicensed social workers, can address the
data gap and provide more complete understanding about what actions could be taken
by public organizations and private firms to support the social work profession in the
Commonwealth. Additional recommendations include pay band increases for public
sector social workers, reviewing current licensure requirements to ensure they are not
overly restrictive, sponsored scholarships, and service loan forgiveness. These actions
work toward ensuring a robust workforce with a steady stream of new entrants and a
low rate of current practitioners leaving the profession.
-:-- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 7
Summary of Recommendations
1. Per§54.1-3701 many public and private sector social workers are not licensed The
number, duties, need for accountability, and potential burdens of licensure on
unlicensed social workers should be included in a funded study of the social work
workforce conducted by a professional firm or educational institution.
2. Social work compensation should be adjusted to be commensurate with average
salaries in Virginia.
3. The Board of Social Work has developed a pathway for the over 900 Licensed Master
of Social Work (LMSW) licensees to work clinically under supervision if desired The
General Assembly will need to pass legislation to license these individuals as
"Licensed Resident in Social Work" practitioners.
4. The Board of Social Work should work with professional organizations and other
stakeholders to assess regulation around licensure.
5. The Board of Social work should pursue both reciprocal licensure with Virginia's
contiguous states and engage in discussions with the Couna'l of State Governments
concerning a Social Work Compact.
6. The General Assembly, healthcare and community organizations, and educational
institutions should consider avenues to attract new practitioners such as loan
forgiveness or scholarships.
Virginia Department of
-. Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 8
Introduction
In January 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 49
requesting the Department of Health Professions review the current need for additional
social workers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Joint Resolution called for input
from stakeholders including social work educators, professional organization leaders,
and social workers themselves to address the pertinent issues. The Resolution called for
an examination of challenges and professional barriers for social workers.
Projections of the demand for social workers outpace the national labor market by
nearly quadruple the growth rate (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). The increased
demand for social work services prompts a review of compensation, licensure
regulations, and the current labor market, which are the primary factors that contribute
to social worker availability in Virginia. Retention and job satisfaction for those in the
profession are also critical factors (National Association of Social Workers, 2020;
Wermeling & Smith, 2009; Barak, 2001).
Through a review of current literature, interviews with stakeholders, and an examination
of available wage data, job satisfaction statistics, and open position data, this study
responds to three research questions:
1. Is compensation for social workers competitive in Virginia?
2. Are there regulatory barriers to the practice of social work?
3. What is the current demand for social workers in the Commonwealth?
Answers to these questions will help inform the number of social workers in the
Commonwealth needed to serve the population adequately and how they can be
retained.
Virginia Department ot
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 9
Background Information
There are three categories of social workers: macro-level, mezzo-level, and micro-level
(University of Southern California, 2018). Macro-level social workers affect societal
change at the national, state, and local levels. Roles include community organizers,
policy advocates, and scholars of social work. Mezzo-level social workers work at the
group level and provide services to small groups, families, or organizations. These social
workers may work for companies, healthcare entities, or within religious organizations.
Micro-level social work is the domain of clinical social workers. This category of social
work is the most regulated as these social workers are involved in individual casework,
most often in a healthcare setting. In the literature, as well as in public policy, the divide
between the macro/mezzo social worker and micro-level social worker is evident. Macro
and mezzo social workers are not captured in the few empirical studies that have been
done on the workforce. This divide is more pronounced in Virginia because social
workers in government agencies, clergy social workers, and certain otf:,ers are not
required to be licensed(§ 54.1 3701). Inherent divisions in social-work practice appear in
characteristics of social workers' compensation, licensure, and workforce roles, which
makes capturing the different divisions of labor within the profession important because
one data set cannot be extrapolated to all.
Compensation
In examining social worker compensation in the Commonwealth, several factors must be
considered due to the scope of social work practice. Most data represented in the
current literature have an overrepresentation of licensed and clinical social workers.
Macro-level and unlicensed social worker compensation data are very difficult to
capture, and based on both scholarly review and current authorities in the field, are
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 10
virtually non-existent. Most sources attempting to capture this subset of the social work
population are incomplete and outdated, and subsequently lack relevance. Additionally,
much workforce data on social work focuses on educational statistics, turnover, and
burnout (Irene, 2010). While this information is vital to understanding the challenges of
social workers in Virginia, it does not supplant the need for adequate wage data from all
fields of social work practice.
An assessment of a competitive wage for the field also presents challenges.
Characteristically, social workers have an extensive scope of practice, encompassing
billable hours in a clinical setting as well as community organizing, administration, and
policy development (Zerden, 2016). Title protection in the Commonwealth does not
allow for individuals to use the title "social worker" without a baccalaureate (BSW) or
graduate-level (MSW) degree in social work from an accredited program. Macro/mezzo
social workers located in religious, nonprofit, and similar settings may practice social
work without being accounted for or operating under title protection. The National
Association of Social Work details its definition of social work as the "professional
application of social work values, principles, and techniques to one or more of the
following ends: helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy
with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or
improve social and health services; and participating in legislative processes." Social
work can be accomplished by policy advocates, community organizers, clinical
practitioners, and even social work researchers and faculty members. Due to this wide
scope of practice, there are inherent challenges in attempting to determine what
compensation is competitive and adequate when speaking of social work as a whole
profession. The divide inherent in social work between the macro, mezzo, and micro
roles and practices leads to difficulty capturing what social workers do and an
assessment of adequate compensation. Salary sources for social workers include public
• ""' Virginia Department of
Health Professions
·-
1f,l;
Social Work in the Commonwealth 11
agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations. Addressing the need for
salary increases across any sector is left to the discretion of managers and human
resource directors. State and local realignments may have minimal effects on the private
sector (Barth, 2003). Due to the resource-limited environment in which many social
workers operate, a substantial salary increase may not be feasible due to the excessive
financial strain on smaller, community-based organizations (Barth, 2003).
Compensation Analysis. The past 20 years of wage data have demonstrated that social
workers, even those who have obtained a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
designation, are largely under-compensated compared to similar professions in the
Healthcare and Human Services field (Barth, 2003; Irene, 2010; NASW, 2019). Several
factors such as licensure stratification, the broad scope of practice, and trifurcation of
the field contribute to compensation's variable nature, though some characteristics
remain stable across these strata. Social work continues to be a female-dominated
profession, with >85% of BSW & MSW students in 2019 identifying as female (CSWE,
2019). Although women make up the vast majority of social workers, males in the
profession, consistent with persistent wage inequalities in other job sectors in the United
States, reported an average income of $2,900 more than their female counterparts
(NASW, 2020).
Nurses, often used as the closest professional comparison to clinical social work, were
paid 116% of the median national income in 2007, versus social workers who were paid
80% of the median salary (Irene, 2010). Commonly held views propose that social work,
though an underpaid profession, offers intrinsic rewards and that the satisfaction from
fulfilling the mission is more important than higher salaries (Schweitzer, 2013). While
individual reasons for entering social work may be idealistically motivated, a 2009 study
by Wermeling & Smith of 785 MSW graduates upended this assumption. Of those
graduates, 92% of respondents indicated that "earning an above-average income was
-,_ Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 12
not only important but also associated with retaining social workers in the profession"
(p.384). While many social workers may not enter the field due to the draw of
substantial financial compensation, it is a significant factor in retention and job
satisfaction (Wermeling, 2013). The NASW 2020 workforce data report also supports
these findings, reporting that 44.5% of survey respondents report having difficulty
finding a job in which they were satisfied. The most common reason for that lack of
satisfaction cited was inadequate compensation (13.6%). In contrast, the Virginia
Healthcare Workforce Data Center's (HWDC) annual survey of licensed clinical social
workers demonstrates 96% of respondents are satisfied with their jobs (Healthcare
Workforce Data Center (HWDC), 2020). Lack of data on unlicensed social workers,
however, make workplace satisfaction, especially in regard to total compensation
difficult to determine for all social work specializations.
Before Barth's 2003 comprehensive study on social work wage data, there is no
aggregated empirical study on wage trends, though the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
Virginia Employment Commission, National Association of Social Workers, and Council
on Social Work Education publish workforce statistics. Concurrent with other data, there
is a lack of representation of unlicensed social workers to provide a complete
comparative analysis. Relying on data from licensed practitioners alone does not
provide for a total picture of adequate compensation.
State and National Compensation Comparison. According to the Virginia Department
of Health Professions (2020), there are over 11,000 licensed Social Workers in the
Commonwealth of Virginia. There are an unknown number of unlicensed social workers
operating in various macro, mezzo, and micro social work roles in the state. Virginia
Employment Commission (VE() data from 2019 lists four categories under "Social Work"
in the official occupational title and related Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
system designation. SOC codes are used to categorize occupational job categories for
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 13
data collection at the federal level. The occupations are grouped according to similar job
function, required skills, education, or training level (Bureau of Labor Statistics), but
might not relate directly to Virginia's licensure categories. A SOC designation is a human
resource data collection tool rather than a licensure regulation tool. Data collected from
the Health Care Workforce Data Center through the Department of Health Professions,
while robust, provide data on approximately 7,600 licensed social workers, while the
Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies over 16,770 total social workers in the state based
on the SOC classification system. The significant difference in these numbers
underscores the importance of capturing data on unlicensed social workers.
Data from VEC details annual average wages for 16,770 social workers jobs in 2019.
Using additional information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1 offers
comparative wage data demonstrating that Virginia's compensation for captured social
work occupations is above the national average, with the exception of Health Care
Social Workers:
Table 1 Comparison ofAverage Annual Pay of Virginia SWs v. Average Annual Pay of
National SWs with Employment Data (Virginia)
Social Work Estimated Average Annual Average Annual
Specialization Employed (VA) Pay (Virginia) Pay (US)
Social Workers, All Other 610 $74,850 $61,230
Child, Family & School 8,730 $48,690 $47,390
Social Workers
Mental Health & Substance 4,340 $48,150 $46,650
Abuse Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers 3,090 $55,740 $56,750
Total -- $56,858 $53,005
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019)
-- Virginia Department of
-., Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 14
Using aggregated pay data, the average 2019 annual pay in Virginia across all job
sectors was $56,740 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Table 2 compares the average
wage for each social work SOC category comparative to the mean annual salary in
Virginia for all jobs.
Table 2 Comparison of Virginia Average Pay (SvY,J v. Virginia Average Pay (All Job
Sectors)
Average Wages Average Wages
Social Work Specialization
(Social Workers) (All Job Sectors)
Social Workers, All Other $74,850 132%
Child, Family & School Social $48,690 86%
Workers
Mental Health & Substance Abuse $48,150 85%
Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers $55,740 98%
Source: Virginia Employment Commission (2019)
Comparing the average wages of social workers in Virginia with the average salaries for
all jobs in Virginia illustrates that Virginia's social workers are compensated at a rate
below the state average. The lack of existing data for macro/mezzo practitioners could
widen pay gaps even further for unlicensed social workers unrepresented in these
datasets. However, without complete wage information, concrete conclusions cannot be
drawn. These two datasets show that although most social workers in Virginia earn a
competitive wage relative to other social workers nationally, they are earning less than
the average Virginian .
..... Virginia Department of
-. Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 15
Licensure
As of March, 2021, the Virginia Board of Social Work had issued 11,628 licenses or
registrations.1
Social Work Category Current Active Current Inactive Total
Licensed Clinical Social Worker 7,709 190 7,899
Licensed Masters Social Worker 913 19 932
Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker 27 0 27
Registration of Supervision 2,761 0 2,761
Registered Social Worker 8 0 8
Associate Social Worker 1 0 1
11,628
By far, the largest group of licensees is the Licensed Clinical Social Workers. A clinical
social worker practices at the micro level and is a social worker who, by education and
experience, is professionally qualified at the autonomous practice level to provide direct
diagnostic, preventive and treatment services when functioning is affected by social and
psychological stress or health impairment. This is the group that is surveyed annually by the
Healthcare Workforce Data Center. Demographic data, current employment situation,
workload descriptions, trending data and the like are available for these Virginia
professionals in the Profession Report (HWDC 2020).
In contrast, a masters social worker engages in the practice of social work and provides
non-clinical, generalist services, including staff supervision and management. A
1 Associate Social Workers and Registered Social Workers are registrations initiated with the former
Virginia Board of Registration of Social Workers under former §54-775.4 of the Code of Virginia.
Registrations are no longer issued in these two categories; there are only nine still "grandfathered" and
current in the Commonwealth.
Virginia Department of
,. Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 16
baccalaureate social worker engages in the practice of social work under the supervision
of a masters social worker and provides basic generalist services, including casework
management and supportive services and consultation and education.
These social workers are generally practicing at the mezzo or macro level.
To License or Not to License. The overall goal of health professional licensure is the
protection of those receiving services from a healthcare provider. Social work licensing
boards create, maintain, and amend licensure requirements in line with the Board's
assessment of how to protect the public and maintain quality of care. In the
Commonwealth of Virginia, students and clergy whose scope of practice includes social
work are exempt from licensure. In addition, §54.1 3701 exempts:
persons employed as salaried employees or volunteers of the federal
government, the Commonwealth, a locality, or of any agency established or
funded, in whole or part, by any such governmental entity or of a private,
nonprofit organization or agency sponsored or funded, in whole or part, by a
community-based citizen group or organization. Any person who renders
psychological services, as defined in Chapter 36 (§ 54.1-3600 et seq.) of this
title, shall be subject to the requirements of that chapter. Any person who, in
addition to the above enumerated employment, engages in an independent
private practice shall not be exempt from the requirements for licensure;
as well as
persons regularly employed by private business firms as personnel managers,
deputies or assistants so long as their counseling activities relate only to
employees of their employer and in respect to their employment. (§54.1 3701)
Given these descriptions, aside from the clergy, many of the exempted practitioners are
likely to be practicing on the mezzo or macro level. For the past two decades, an
-· Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 17
academic and regulatory debate about licensure for macro-level practice weighs the
benefits and disadvantages of policy change (Rothman, 2014). The discussion has not
been resolved, and there are several reasoned arguments for and against universal
licensure for social workers. Supporters of universal licensing assert macro-practitioner
licensure will ease the push for clinical licensure as the profession's pinnacle and
reinstate the unique person-environment systems interplay central to social work. Some
scholars argue that the focus on clinical social work licensure has marginalized macro
social work practice (Ezell, Chernesky, & Healy, 2004). Rothman (2012) noted that,
because licensing focuses on clinical social work, "macro students feel that their
employment options will be constrained because they will not be qualified to work in
the much larger clinical arena if they are not able to get macro jobs or if they want to
switch emphasis" (p. 9). At present, macro and mezzo-level social workers often
compete with other specialties, such as community organizing, public administration,
policy analysts, and educators. (Donaldson, 2014). Supporters argue expanded macro
practitioner license will generate more inclusivity in the underrepresented population of
unlicensed social workers.
In addition, this same focus has marginalized individuals with a masters of social work
degree (MSW) who may have had significant clinical hours in training, but choose not to
seek a full licensure as a clinical social worker (LCSW). The requirements for the LCSW
leave masters social workers with a broad scope of micro/mezzo experience unable to
practice on the micro level. The Virginia Board of Social Work has taken steps to rectify
this. The Board has identified two types of Master's level social workers. Those that
pursue a macro education remain LMSWs who pursue a macro education and do not
provide clinical work, but work within an agency setting or focus on policy are one type.
Masters level social workers who have taken a clinical course of study will be able to
conduct clinical social work services under supervision. The Board has requested
legislation to license these social workers with the title Licensed Resident in Social Work.
---._ Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 18
Those opposed to the expansion of licensure to require all macro and mezzo level SWs
as well as those exempted from licensure by §54.1 3701 find it difficult to satisfy the
cost-benefit ratio. Specialization in macro-level social work comprises only 6.5% of MSW
and BSW graduates (Doaldson, 2014). Some social work scholars do not view licensure
as appropriate to macro-level social work practice because of the additional financial
and administrative burden placed on practitioners, who increasingly struggle with
student debt (NASW, 2020).
Licensure by Examination: Virginia's population of 8.6 million people includes over
11,000 licensed social workers and an unknown number of unlicensed social workers.
The regulating body for social workers is the Virginia Board of Social Work. Virginia
issues three social work license types: the Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW),
the Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW), and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Successful licensees for the LMSW hold a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) from a
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) approved program. The LCSW requires an
MSW from a CSWE accredited university in addition to supervised work experience
before LCSW licensure (Virginia Department of Health Professions Board of Social Work
Licensure Process Handbook, 2020). LBSW, LMSW, and LCSW licenses each require
successful completion of the appropriate Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
licensing examination.
Regionally, contiguous states of Virginia follow a similar process to licensure: accredited
degree, professional supervision, the appropriate level ASWB examination, and the state
board approved licensure. The Commonwealth does not require more clinical or
supervisory hours than other states for the LCSW license. There are numerous fees
throughout the process, from exam request forms to applications to the examinations
themselves. With examination fees, licensure may cost in the $300-$400 range. Virginia
is comparable to neighboring states in their licensure process for all three license types.
Virginia Department of
-., Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 19
Virginia tends to have lower licensing and renewal fees than neighboring states
(examination fees are fairly constant). This information is tabulated in Appendix 1.
Licensure by Endorsement. An expedited process to obtain a license in a state when
one is held in another state is referred to as licensure by endorsement (ASWB, 2021).
Currently in Virginia, a social worker with an active and unrestricted license in good
standing in another state with verification of active practice for 24 out of the past 60
months in another jurisdiction OR practice in an exempt setting (in Va. or out-of-state)
for five years OR evidence of supervised experience (18VAC140-20-45), and who can
document successful completion of the appropriate approved examination may apply
for licensure in Virginia by endorsement at the comparative level of their primary
license. The endorsement applicant for clinical social work must also provide post
licensure experience verification or submit evidence of the required supervision. Similar
paths to licensure through endorsement are operative in all of Virginia's contiguous
jurisdictions except Kentucky (Appendix 2). The Virginia Board of Social Work has
proposed a regulation that eliminates the active practice requirement for licensure by
endorsement. This proposed regulation is now in with the Department of Planning and
Budget. Once that regulation becomes final, Virginia will boast the smoothest pathway
for endorsement licensure in the contiguous states.
In 2020, precipitated by an acute need for behavioral health workers during the COVID
pandemic and authorized through Executive Order 51 and the original Executive Order
57, the Virginia Board of Social Work granted a temporary license by endorsement to
licensed clinical social workers with a license which was in good standing and free of
current reports to the United States Department of Health and Human Services National
Practitioner Data bank issued by any other state. The Boa rd of Socia I Work I icensed 510
temporary LCSWs by endorsement beginning on April 17, 2020. These licenses expired
on September 8, 2020.
- .._ Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 20
Reciprocal Licensure. Reciprocity is a system allowing professionals to seamlessly work
in a different state when holding a license in another; drivers' licenses in the United
States operate on a reciprocal system. No true reciprocity for social work licensure is in
place anywhere in the country (ASWB, 2021). In 2020, however, the Virginia General
Assembly approved Senate Bill 53. Now incorporated into Chapter 617 of the Code of
Virginia, the Board of Social work shall:
pursue the establishment of reciprocal agreements withjurisdictions that are
contiguous with the Commonwealth for the licensure of baccalaureate social
workers, master's social workers, and clinical social workers. Reciprocal
agreements shall require that a person hold a comparable, current, unrestricted
license in the otherjurisdiction and that no grounds exist for denial based on the
Code of Virginia and regulations of the Board
The Board of Social Work is engaged in this pursuit. The ASWB is supportive of this
initiative. In addition, social work was selected this year as one of five professions to
work with the Department of Defense and the Council of State Governments to develop
a licensing compact to support social work practice mobility (ASWB, 2021). The
Executive Director of the Virginia Board of Social Work serves on the Technical Working
Group for that initiative.
Labor Market
The number of licensed LCSWs in Virginia increased by 27% from 2015-2020 (HWDC,
2020). As presented in Table 4, a 23% increase in the social worker labor market is
projected this decade in the Commonwealth. That translates to about 3,920 new social
work positions. Further breakdown of areas of social work specialization is offered in
--
Table 4. This estimate does not include current vacancies. It is important to note once
again that these estimates lack data on unlicensed social workers.
--. Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 21
Table 4 Long-Term (2019-2029) Growth Projections for Social Work in Virginia
Social Work Specialization Estimated Projected Percent
Employment Employment Change
Social Workers, All Other 610 680 12%
Child, Family & School Social Workers 8,730 10,760 23%
Mental Health & Substance Abuse 4,340 5,390 17%
Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers 3,090 3,860 14%
Total 16,770 20,690 23%
Source: Virginia Employment Commission, 2019
Retention. Available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019) and the Virginia
Employment Commission (2019) show that demand for social workers will far outpace
that of the general labor market over the next eight years. Analyzing the demand for
new entrants into the labor market provides only a partial answer to how many social
workers are needed. While continuous recruitment of quality employees is critical to
building a strong workforce, equally important is retaining employees. Low retention of
existing social workers exacerbates current demands and can compound the stress of
those with intentions of remaining in the field (Yoon, 2017). Decades of literature on
social work documents that the field maintains high turnover rates and consistently
struggles with long-term retention (Mor Barak, 2001 ).
Virginia data, available only for LCSWs, do not affirm this high turnover rate. The Health
Care Workforce Data Center annual profession report of LCSWs reports that over 29% of
respondents have been in their current workplace for more than 10 years and 46% have
been at their same workplace for more than 5 years (HWDC, 2020). Retention data
nationally and in the Commonwealth are unavailable for unlicensed social workers,
_.,. Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 22
LMSWs, and LBSWs. To draw more precise conclusions, a more accurate profile of the
workforce's current state is a recommendation for further study.
Factors contributing to the reported high turnover rates may be inherent to a social
worker's scope of practice. Often, social workers are exposed to traumatic cases in
mental health, gerontology, child, family, and other fields. Health and human services
workers have developed secondary traumatic stress (STS) due to their emotional labor in
their profession. The prevalence of STS among those who manage caseloads involving
client trauma is approximately two to five times higher than the general US prevalence
rate of adults with PTSD (Quinn, 2019). High caseloads and intensive emotional
investment can lead to high turnover. It is crucial to consider the impacts of caseloads,
as well as other factors, on retention. More retention data on a local level is needed to
understand its implications on the labor market.
Caseload. Client caseloads influence turnover and retention levels for social workers
(Zhang et al, 2015). Each client represents an administrative workload. Due to the
sweeping breadth of issues social workers address, it is difficult to estimate the specific
amount of involvement a case will require. Attempts to address needs have yielded
sweeping generalizations in demand estimations (Zhang et al, 2015). The supply side is
further complicated due to variation in caseloads for social workers. The NASW
Standards for Social Work Case Management (2013) defined caseloads as the number of
clients served by a social worker at a given point in time. Caseloads and workloads vary
based on the focus and scope of SW responsibilities and from organization to
organization. Caseload size can directly affect a social worker's capacity to engage
clients in case management's ongoing process. The only guidance that NASW provides
is that "caseload size should allow for meaningful opportunities for client contact"
(NASW, 2013). This leaves the final decision on caseload size to the supervisor and
organization's discretion, allowing for dramatic variability from organization to
- -- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 23
organization. Although LCSWs see clients in the clinical setting rather managing a
caseload, according to data from the Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data Center, 63% of
LCSWs in the state worked 40 hours or more per week (HWDC, 2020).
Specific caseload guidance is provided regarding only one group of social workers,
those who work with child welfare. Multiple organizations have guided family and
individual caseloads, including the Child Welfare League of America, which recommends
caseloads between 12 and 15 children per worker. The Council on Accreditation
recommends that caseloads not exceed 18 per worker (NASW, 2004). In the 2004 Child
Welfare Report, the NASW found that the average caseload was between 24 and 31
children for social workers surveyed. This specific social work field can provide a sample
of the disparity between recommended and realized caseloads but cannot be
extrapolated to the broader population.
Summation of Literature Review
Determining the scope of unlicensed social work within the Commonwealth is the first
step to capturing accurate data. Available data is in the form of licensed practitioners, of
which there are over 11,000 currently practicing within Virginia. Differences in macro,
micro, and mezzo social work lead to broad scopes of practice in varied settings that
may be clinical or administrative, or focused in policy or community organizing. The vast
array of skill and specialization variance leads to social work being largely classified as
either a micro-level practitioner who is licensed or a macro/mezzo social worker who
often is not. Unlicensed social workers are not represented in workforce data; definitive
conclusions about their compensation, demand, and regulatory requirements are
difficult.
Contiguous state analysis shows a similar picture of social work in states bordering
Virginia. Though the process is relatively similar across Virginia's neighboring states,
H"1h"P;fessions 4)
Social Work in the Commonwealth 24
regulatory barriers may be a deterrent to practice as there is no true reciprocity of
licensure. A potential barrier to practice is the required supervisory hours for clinical
licensure. While supervised experience is important, because the hours must be
obtained within a specified period of time, securing them could prove difficult for
candidates if unforeseen circumstances unfold during the supervision period. In Virginia,
a minimum of 3000 hours of supervised post-master's degree experience in the delivery
of clinical social work services must be completed within four consecutive years. The
Board is able to grant a twelve month extension.
Growing labor market projections on a local and national level indicate rapid growth.
The average 23% growth of the field by 2029 requires attention before workforce
shortages are exacerbated (Virginia Employment Commission, 2019). While applications
for licensure increase yearly, they are not increasing at this rate. Labor retention
continues to be a pressing issue and research has shown many social workers are
unsatisfied with their level of compensation. As previously stated, most licensed social
worker's in Virginia make less than the average Virginian despite a high educational
level. This conclusion is a byproduct of the demanding caseloads that tend to
accompany mental health stressors faced by the practitioner. Future research can
further examine the interdependence between compensation for social workers, the
regulatory barriers to practice social work, and the labor market demand for social work
in Virginia; a thorough description of unlicensed practice will aid in an accurate
depiction.
- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 25
Methodology
The review of current literature and data collected on licensed social workers allowed us
to address the primary factors related to our three research questions:
1. Is compensation for social workers competitive in Virginia?
2. What are the regulatory barriers to practice social work?
3. What is the current demand for social workers in the Commonwealth?
To further illustrate the current demand for social workers in the Commonwealth and
respond to research question three, the VCU Project Team conducted exploratory data
collection and analysis of social workjob postings on popularjob board websites. The
method gathersjob postings that represent a snapshot in time, a high-level overview of
the characteristics of the social work job market in Virginia. The data collected provides
insight into the current hiring demands of employers around the Commonwealth.
Data Collection
To collect data, the team used a web crawler, an automated program that reads HTML
and records data specified by the user. The program captured and collected
information from job posts on three of the most highly trafficked job sites between
March 5th and March 6th, 2021.
Indeed.com, Monster.com, and Glassdoor.com, allowed a web crawler to access their
domains as defined in their Terms of Service. Starting with each website's internal search
function, the web crawler searched using the job title "social worker" and each Virginia
county or city name. The crawler then went through every listing one at a time and
_.. Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 26
grabbed the data as specified in its code. It moved in order of search result to be
returned, scanning through every page until no new result was found. This process was
repeated for every city and county in Virginia on each of the three job boards.
The information targeted for collection from each job post was the job title, the hiring
organization, the city or county the job is located in, the salary, the summary
information for the job, whether the job is full-time or part-time, the date the job was
posted, the site the job posting was on, and the URL of the post. Summary information
was any information that was provided in the space after salary under a job posting.
Collected data was validated through an organizational process that grouped all the job
postings from the three web crawlers into a single file format. To ensure duplicate job
postings were removed from the dataset, a program was developed that took each job
posting one at a time and examined it against a list of postings the program had already
observed. After two rounds of validation, a file was created with all of the unique values
and converted into a CSV file where it could be analyzed in Microsoft Excel.
For analysis, the jobs were organized into the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC)
framework developed by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. The SOC framework translates
unique job titles into standardized groupings, allowing for comparison between job
types via a coding and reconciliation process. Once the job postings were organized,
descriptive statistics were captured for annual salaries, degree requirements, and
employment type, for each social work specialization.
This analysis is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all available social work
jobs in Virginia but rather a snapshot in time of social work job postings in the
Commonwealth. Using the data captured in this process, analysis illustrates the current
- -- Virginia Department of -
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 27
job market in Virginia. Results provide insight into the characteristics of available social
work jobs such as the average salary across analyzed job postings, the average job type,
the types of qualifications sought, and locations for employment. These insights will
inform stakeholder directions of inquiry and provide a starting point for further research.
Results
The web crawler captured an original 2,532 jobs, each of which represented a unique job
identified through the validation process. In cleaning the data, 1,579 were deleted
because they were not jobs based in Virginia or they were not social workjobs. Another
779 were removed because of incomplete data due to variation in the format of the job
posting. The remaining 174 job postings represented micro, mezzo, and macro social
workjobs in Virginia.
Reflected in Table 5.1 is the number of jobs returned for each of the four BLS social work
specializations. Of the 174 job postings analyzed, 26% were Social Work, All Other, 11 %
were specialized in Child, Family & School Social Workers, 32% were Mental Health &
Substance Abuse specialists, and 31% were Healthcare Social Workers.
Table 5.1 Job Postings by Social Work Specialization
Job Postings by Specialization
Specializations # of jobs Percent
Social Workers, All Other 46 26%
Child, Family & School Social Workers 19 11%
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Social
56 32%
Workers
Healthcare Social Workers 53 31%
Total Job Postings 174 35%
-- Virginia Departme11t of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 28
As shown in Table 5.2, across all but one social work specialization the average salary for
the jobs collected was higher than the average annual pay in Virginia as captured by
Virginia Employment Commission.
Table 5.2 Job Postings by Social Work Specialization
Average Salary by Specialization
Average salary Average annual Percent
Specia izations
From job posts pay in Virginia Difference
Social Workers, All Other $71,460 $74,850 -5%
Child, Family & School Social Workers $68,883 $48,690 +41%
Mental Health & Substance Abuse
$69,154 $48,150 +44%
Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers $70,357 $55,740 +26%
Average Total $69,964 $56,858 +23%
Source: Virginia Employment Commission (2019)
The exception to this was Social Work, All Other which was $3,390 lower than the State
average. The average salary for all collected social work positions was $69,964, which is
23% higher than the state average for all social work specializations at $56,858.
Table 5.3 below shows the percent of jobs that required at least a Master's
degree as the minimum hiring standard. A Master's degree was the minimum degree
requirement for 35% of the social work job postings collected. Social Workers, All Other
came in on the lowest end of that with 18% of jobs posted requiring a Master's degree,
followed by Healthcare Social Workers at 26%, Child, Family & School Social Workers at
47%, and Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at 52%. Tying into table
5.3 licensure requirements often needed to practice in any one of the various
specializations, without a Virginia social work license practice is not possible.
Virginia Department of
..,, Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 29
Table 5.3 Degree Requirements by Social Work Specialization
Degree Requirements by Specialization
Specializations Masters required
Social Workers, All Other 18%
Child, Family & School Social Workers 47%
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Social Workers 52%
Healthcare Social Workers 26%
Total 35%
Table 5.4 reflects recurring job titles in the data. The most frequently occurring title
collected from the data across all specializations was Case manager which appeared in
Social Work, All Other, Child, Family & School Social Worker, and Mental Health &
Substance Abuse Social Worker.
Table 5.4 Job Title by Social Work Specialization
Job Title by Specialization
Social Work, All Child, Family, & Mental Health & Health Care Social
Other School Social Substance Abuse Worker
Worker Social Worker
Case manager Case manager Case manager Registered Nurse
Social Services School Social Worker Mental Health Social Worker
Associate Counselor Licensed Clinical Social
Social Worker Mental Health Worker
Therapist Registered Nurse
Social Worker
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 30
Limitations
The data collection process was limited by the variability among the structures of a job
post. Job posts are not uniform in format and vary from site to site and company to
company. Given this unstructured post format, information may not have been recorded
if it was not in the location that the web crawler was programmed to look for it.
Additional time for development would allow for further sophistication to be
programmed into the web account for variability. Beyond the limitation of the web
crawler itself, job boards do not have consistent requirements for required information
in a job post. Some job postings do not include such information as salary or if a
position is full-time or part-time. This led to capturing null values in some places for
some data.
Discussion
These findings suggest that there is a variety of market demand for social work job
positions. Four specializations of the 174 social work jobs were collected and distributed
by the web crawler, with over 60% of all job postings focusing on two areas Healthcare
and Mental Health. The data collected indicates that degree requirements do not tightly
restrict positions for social workers. The social work jobs that require a master's degree
or higher represented 35% of all postings, Social Workers, All Other required the most at
65%, while Healthcare specialization only had 26% of job postings requiring a Masters.
Many Healthcare postings are related to in-home patient care, which often does not
require a graduate degree. Social work, all other, which encompassed director positions,
academic faculty positions, and other positions outside of direct patient care, had more
advanced degree requirements. The average salary for the job postings collected
equaled $69,964, 23% more than the average annual pay for social workers across all
specializations estimated by the Virgini.a Employment Commission in 2019. A future
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 31
study could determine if the increased annual pay drew social workers from other
jurisdictions.
Current data and other recent trends suggest a growing market, and make it clear that
social work is a vibrant industry with varied opportunities throughout Virginia. As this is
an initial study, the snapshot is limited in its size, and the data collection was only
conducted across three job sites. The findings reinforce the national discussion that
social work is a needed and in-demand profession. We hope the findings displayed here
will be followed by additional studies with more extensive data, including longitudinal
data, currently unavailable for this first empirical study on the state of social work in the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
-- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 32
Conclusions
Our research, stakeholder conversations, and data collection indicate the social work
profession is in high demand and requires action to determine the best path forward for
both unlicensed and licensed social workers. We demonstrate that demand for social
workers in Virginia far outpaces that of the average projection of the U.S. job growth
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). To adequately meet the needs of Virginia's residents,
the field of social work must attract new social workers, as well as retain current
practitioners.
Inadequate compensation is cited as one of the most common reasons social workers
are not satisfied with their jobs. While social workers in Virginia are paid competitive
salaries compared to the national average, they are still paid below the average salary
for a professional in the state of Virginia. Due to chronic low-pay social workers have
indicated in national surveys that compensation remains a chief concern for retention
and job satisfaction (NASW, 2020) (Virginia Employment Commission, 2019). In
consideration of these factors, DHP and the VCU project team put forth the following
recommendations:
Compensation. Since there is a lack of extensive wage data at a state or national level,
further data collection may provide a more representative dataset in order to fully
understand if social work compensation is adequate and competitive. There are wide
compensation variations depending on specialization and employers. Future policy
actions affecting compensation of public-sector employees would not necessarily
universally affect all social workers due to the resource-limited environment of some
non-profit entities. However, state-employed social worker compensation could be
Virginia Department of
,. Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 33
increased to attract new and retain current practitioners. The largest improvements to
compensation would have to be private-sector driven for the biggest impact; if the
state-employee wages rose, private employers would need to also raise wages to
remain competitive. Raising public-sector wages could be accomplished by increasing
the pay band ceiling within the job roles for social worker positions if a blanket equity
adjustment is not feasible.
The question of if social workers as a whole are compensated adequately, given the
current data available, cannot be determined. There is sufficient data on licensed clinical
social workers in the Commonwealth through the Virginia Healthcare Workforce Data
Center and some additional data available through the Virginia Employment
Commission and Bureau of Labor Statistics. These sources suggest that Virginia's social
workers are paid a competitive wage compared to the national average, but social
workers as a healthcare profession are among the lowest-paid health professions
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Our own data collection suggest that social workers in
Virginia may even be paid more than what is recorded in state data. However, there is
lack of sufficient data capture on unlicensed social workers to provide a determination if
all social workers are adequately compensated. The team recommends further
comprehensive research targeting unlicensed social worker wage and workforce data to
provide an accurate assessment.
Licensure. During conversations with both regulators and stakeholders in the social
work profession, opinions surrounding licensure expansion and portability were one of
the topics with the biggest divisions. These two salient issues raised the following
questions:
--::._ Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 34
1. Should licensure requirements be extended to all social workers so that every
social worker could benefit from title protection and be more adequately
captured in state data collection?
2. Would increased licensure portability, perhaps through a national interstate
compact, yield more out-of-state practitioners moving into the Commonwealth?
As Virginia's demand for social workers will only increase in the next decade, regulators
only focusing on social workers under license leave out more than half of macro and
mezzo level practitioners who are practicing social work. Easing licensure portability
between states is an avenue which could attract existing practitioners and new
graduates to the Commonwealth. With enactment of regulations currently at the NOIRA
stage, Virginia will have the smoothest pathway to licensure by endorsement.
Additionally, native licensure requirements, especially around supervision hours in all
jurisdictions, may be burdensome. Virginia's licensure by examination requirements are
similar to all of her bordering states.
Market Demand. Retention and recruitment are of paramount importance if the social
work needs of Virginians are to be met in the next decade. The project team
recommends targeted recruitment tactics which will fill current and future need gaps.
Most retention issues in licensed social work revolve around the mental and emotional
toil that can be inherent in the profession. These hardships, however, could be alleviated
by adequate staffing and compensation. Attracting more social workers to the
profession will reduce caseloads and job-stressors due to overwork and providing an
adequate wage will not only attract new social workers to the workforce, but also
reinforce the vital importance of adequate clinical, behavioral, and social service
administration in the Commonwealth. Possible avenues to ensure continued interest in
--
the profession and provide incentives to practice include targeted recruitment tactics for
- -- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 35
new practitioners through sponsored scholarships and loan forgiveness through service
in the field.
The Virginia Department of Health Professions in partnership with the VCU Capstone
Team has analyzed social work within the Commonwealth of Virginia by assessing
compensation, licensure, and labor market data. Compensation in Virginia is relatively
competitive compared to other states within the region and nationally. The regulatory
barriers that exist are also similar to neighboring state licensing requirements. Finally,
findings indicate that the demand for social workers within Virginia will increase in the
coming years. This research is the first step to a more concrete understanding of the
industry within Virginia, but more study is still needed on licensure, the labor market,
and compensation. A funded study of the social work workforce conducted by a
professional firm or educational institution is needed to shed additional light on the
subject of social work in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- --- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 36
Acknowledgements
The VCU project team would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the following
individuals who assisted in the completion of this work. This project would not have
been possible without the expertise, guidance, advice, and support of:
David Brown, D.C., Director Department of Health Professions
Elizabeth Carter, Ph.D., Director, Healthcare Workforce Data Center
Jamie Hoyle, J.D., Executive Director, Boards of Counseling, Psychology and Social Work
Sarah Kye Price, Ph.D. Associate Dean, VCU School of Social Work
Debra Riggs, CAE, Executive Director, NASW
Yetty Shobo, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Healthcare Workforce Data Center
Alex Silvester, Software Developer, VCU Molecular Diagnostics Lab
Nancy Stutts, Ph.D., Associate Professor VCU Wilder School of Government and Public
Affairs
Elaine Yeatts, Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Health Professions
Thank you.
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 37
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Social Work in the Commonwealth 40
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... Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 43
Social Work License at the Bachelor's Level
Jurisdiction Degree ASWB Supervision Direct Clinical Other license Renewal
bachelor (hrs/yrs) Supervision Supervision Supervision Fee Fee
exam (hours) (hours) (hours)
Virginia BSW/MSW yes none none none none $100 $55
Kentucky BSW yes none none none none $75 $75
Maryland BSW yes none none none $275 $85
North BSW yes none none none none $115 $70
Carolina
Tennessee BSW yes none none none none $340 $45
Wash, BSW yes none none none none $230 $145
DC
West BSW yes none none none none $100 $85
Virqinia
Social Work License at the Master's Level
Jurisdiction Degree ASWB Supervision Direct Clinical Other License Renewal
master (hrs/yrs) Supervision Supervision Supervision Fee Fee
exam (hours) (hours) (hours)
Virginia MSW yes none none none none $115 $65
Kentucky MSW yes none none none none $125 $125
Maryland MSW yes 3,000 100 none none $115 $275
North MSW yes none none none none $385 $90
Carolina
Tennessee MSW yes none none none none $340 $45
Wash, DC MSW yes 3,000/4vrs 100 none none $230 $145
West MSW yes 3,000/2yrs none none none $100 $85
Virqinia
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Jurisdiction Degree ASWB Supervision Direct Clinical Other License Renewal
clinical (hrs/yrs) Supervision Supervision Supervision Fee Fee
exarn (hours) (hours) {hours)
Virqinia MSW yes none 100 3,000 600 $165 $90
Kentucky MSW yes 200/Gyrs 100 none none $200 $200
Maryland MSW yes 3,000 144 1,500 none $450 $275
North MSW yes 3,000/Gyrs 100 none none $115 $150
Carolina
Tennessee MSW yes none 100 3,000 none $495 $95
Wash, DC MSW yes 3,000/4yrs 100 none none $230 $145
West MSW yes 3,000/2yrs 100 none none $100 $85
Virginia
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 44
Appendix 2: Contiguous State Endorsement Summaries
Jurisdiction Summary of Endorsement Requirements
Virginia Board allows licensure by endorsement. A
social worker with an active and
unrestricted license in another state with
verification of active practice for 24 out of
the past 60 months in another
jurisdiction OR practice in an exempt
setting (in Va. or out-of-state) for five
years OR evidence of supervised
experience (18VAC140-20-45) who is in
good standing, and who can document
successful completion of the appropriate
approved examination is eligible. The
Board has regulations at the NOIRA stage
that eliminate the practice requirement.
The application includes a checklist of
supporting documentation including
verification of current license and previous
ASWB exam scores.
Kentucky Kentucky does not have formal
endorsement/reciprocity for social work
licensing with any other state. A licensed
social worker in a state other than Kentucky
must apply to become a licensed social
worker using the same process first-time
licensees use and pay the associated fees.
Maryland To be eligible for a license by endorsement in
Maryland, a licensee must hold a social work
license that is equivalent to one offered by
the Maryland Board and have passed an
exam to receive that license. If a social worker
has been practicing social work under a
license for at least 1,000 hours per year for
five of the past 10 years, less primary source
information regarding past training and
experience is required than if a social worker
has been in practice less than five years.
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 45
North Carolina While the Board does not offer automatic
licensure for social work license holders from
other states, they do review each application
on a case-by-case basis and may offer
licensure and certification by substantial
equivalency for licensees of other states
determined to have licensing standards that
are in line with those in North Carolina.
Verification of current licensure and ASWB
exam scores must be transferred directly to
the Board.
Tennessee Tennessee offers endorsement to social
workers licensed in other states if they meet
the Board's educational and training
requirements for the Tennessee social work
license they are seeking. An endorsement
applicant must complete the appropriate
application, include verification of current
licensure, past licensing exam scores, and
materials verifying training and education. If
the Board determines that criteria for
licensure are met, a Tennessee social work
license is granted without having to repeat
the licensing exam or required supervised
experience.
Washington, DC The Board allows social workers to apply for
licensure by endorsement if they hold an out-
of-state license in good standing that was
earned under requirements at least
equivalent to DC's. An endorsement applicant
must complete the New License Application
form and include all required supplemental
documentation. Verification of the current
license and ASWB exam scores must be sent
directly from the sources.
West Virginia The Board will issue social work licenses to
out-of-state applicants provided they meet
the education and experience requirements
for the level of licensure they are seeking. An
endorsement applicant need not repeat the
exam, but must provide verification of past
ASWB test scores.
Virginia Department of
Health Professions
Social Work in the Commonwealth 46
Sources: Virginia: updated 2021 by the Virginia Board of Social Work from information
extracted from
https:llcsbs.uni.edu/sites/default/files/sw licensing reciprocity by state.pdf.
Compiled in 2019 by Maddie Smith for the University of Northern Iowa Social Work
Field Office.
All other jurisdictions:
https://csbs.uni.edu/sites/default/files/sw licensing reciprocity by state.pdf. Compiled in
2019 by the University of Northern Iowa Social Work Field Office by Maddie Smith.
-- Virginia Department of
Health Professions
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