IDAPA 24.23.01
SPEECH, HEARING AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES LICENSURE BOARD
This rule applies to applicants, registrants, provisional permit holders, and license holders for:
This rule governs the practice of audiology, speech language pathology, sign language interpreting, and hearing aid dealing and fitting services in Idaho to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. This rule establishes:
This rule implements the following statute passed by the Idaho Legislature:
Professions, Vocations, and Businesses -
Speech, Hearing and Communications Services Licensure Board
Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain Time, Monday through Friday, except state holidays
11341 W Chinden Blvd, Bldg 4, Boise, ID 83714
Phone: (208) 334-3233
E-mail: DOPLboardsupport@dopl.idaho.gov
Website: https://dopl.idaho.gov/shs/
This rule chapter will be reviewed in compliance with Section 67-5292, Idaho Code, and in accordance with the 8-year rule review schedule linked here.
24.23.01 – Rules of the Speech, Hearing, and Communication Services Licensure Board
| 000. Legal Authority. | 3 |
|---|---|
| 001. Scope. | 3 |
| 002. Incorporation by Reference. | 3 |
| 003. Definitions. | 3 |
| 004. -- 099.(Reserved) | 3 |
| 100. Licensure. | 3 |
| 101. -- 199.(Reserved) | 5 |
| 200. Practice Standards. | 5 |
| 201. -- 399.(Reserved) | 7 |
| 400. Fees. | 7 |
| 401. -- 999.(Reserved) | 8 |
These rules are promulgated pursuant to Section 54-2910, Idaho Code. (3-28-23)
These rules govern speech, hearing, and communication services in Idaho. (3-28-23)
The current and updated document titled “National Association of the Deaf (NAD)-Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID) Code of Professional Conduct,” copyright 2005 by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, is herein adopted and incorporated by reference and is available on the RID website: https://rid.org/ethics/code-of-professional-conduct. (3-28-23)
01. Audiology Support Personnel. Unlicensed natural persons who work under the direction and supervision of an audiologist who is licensed in accordance with Title 54, Chapter 29, Idaho Code, and is engaged in the practice of audiology. (3-28-23)
02. Contact Hours. A contact hour is a measurement of the licensee’s participation in an area of study germane to the practice for which the license is issued as approved by the Board. One (1) contact hour requires one (1) hour of participation in a Board approved continuing education program, excluding meals and breaks. One (1) hour equals one clock hour for purposes of obtaining continuing education credit. (3-28-23)
03. Direct Client Contact. Assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, screening, treatment, report writing, family or client consultation, counseling, or any combination of these activities. (3-28-23)
04. Dual Licensure. The status of a person who holds more than one (1) license under Title 54, Chapter 29, Idaho Code. (3-28-23)
01. Audiologist Licensure. (3-28-23)
a. Approved Examination. Pass the audiology examination given by PRAXIS. (3-28-23)
b. Approved Experience. Successfully complete a supervised academic clinical practicum as part of a doctoral program that satisfies Section 54-2912(b), Idaho Code, or supervised postgraduate experience that is substantially equivalent to such a practicum. An applicant who has insufficient supervised experience as part of the doctoral program may obtain the necessary experience under a provisional permit as provided in these rules. (3-28-23)
02. Speech Language Pathologist Licensure. (3-28-23)
a. Approved Examination. Pass an examination in speech-language pathology given by PRAXIS. (3-28-23)
b. Approved Supervised Experience. Satisfactorily complete the supervised postgraduate experience approved by the Board as follows: (3-28-23)
i. Complete a minimum of three hundred fifty (350) hours of clinical practicum under the supervision of a licensed speech language pathologist. (3-28-23)
ii. Complete thirty-six (36) weeks of supervised clinical fellowship. (3-28-23)
03. Speech Language Pathologist Assistant Licensure. All applicants for licensure as a speech-language pathologist assistant must comply with the following education and examination requirements: (3-28-23)
a. Approved Education. An associate degree from a nationally accredited school of speech-language
pathology with a curriculum approved by the Board. (3-28-23)
b. Approved Examination. Pass an examination in speech-language pathology assistant offered by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. (3-28-23)
c. Supervision. A speech-language pathologist assistant must work under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist. (3-28-23)
a. Approved Education. A high school diploma or GED. (3-28-23)
b. Approved Examination. Pass the International Hearing Instrument Studies examination and the practical examination, or equivalent approved by the Board. (7-1-26)
a. Education. Possess a high school diploma or the equivalent. (3-28-23)
b. Examination or certification. Pass written and practical or performance competency examination approved by the Board or hold a current certification approved by the Board. (3-28-23)
i. Written examinations approved by the Board include but are not limited to: The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA), any interpreting generalist written examination developed by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), the Center for Assessment of Sign Language Interpreters (CASLI), or any state government. (3-28-23)
ii. Practical or performance examinations approved by the Board include but are not limited to: any practical or performance general interpreting examination recognized by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) at score 4.0 or above. The practical or performance examination must have been passed within ten (10) years before the date of original application for licensure. (3-28-23)
iii. Certifications approved by the Board include, but are not limited to, those administered by: Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID); National Association of the Deaf (NAD); Center for Assessment of Sign Language Interpreters (CASLI); Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) at basic level or above, or if certified before 2014, at intermediate level or above; Utah Interpreter Program (UIP) at professional or master level, or a Utah Certified: Deaf Interpreter (UC:DI). (3-28-23)
a. Letter of Endorsement. Persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and are not sign language interpreters may perform sign language interpreting services in the role of a deaf interpreter if they file the approved application with the Board and include one (1) written endorsement letters from sign language interpreters licensed by the Board. Deaf Interpreters must complete this process on a yearly basis. (3-28-23)
b. Withdrawal of Endorsement. A sign language interpreter who has endorsed a deaf interpreter may withdraw their endorsement at any time upon delivery of written notice to the deaf interpreter and the Board. (3-28-23)
a. Registration. A person licensed or certified in good standing as a sign language interpreter in another state, territory, or the District of Columbia may practice sign language interpreting in this state without a license issued by the Board for a period of thirty (30) days within a twelve (12) month period, provided they pay the required fee and meet the requirements of this section. The Board may grant an extension or additional registrations for good cause. (3-28-23)
b. Statement of Registration. Before commencing such work, the person will file with the Board on a form approved by the board a statement of registration providing the person’s name, residence, sign language interpreter license or certificate of registration number, and the name, address, and phone number of the issuing authority. (3-28-23)
a. Requirement. Each licensee will successfully complete, in the twelve (12) months preceding each renewal of their license, a minimum of ten (10) contact hours of continuing education directly related to the scope of their practice and sponsored by a national, state, or regional professional association or an institution of higher education. (3-28-23)
i. For college or university courses that are approved by the Board for continuing education credit, one (1) semester credit hour equals fifteen (15) contact hours; one (1) quarter credit hour equals ten (10) contact hours. (3-28-23)
ii. For proctoring the hearing aid dealing and fitting examination administered by the Board, a licensee may claim three (3) contact hours per exam up to a total of six (6) contact hours during each year, provided that a licensee may not claim more than nine (9) contact hours during any three (3) year period. (3-28-23)
b. Documentation. Each licensee must maintain documentation verifying hours of attendance. This documentation is subject to audit and must be provided upon request. (3-28-23)
a. Scope. The Board may issue a provisional permit to allow an applicant to engage in the supervised practice of a profession regulated by Title 54, Chapter 29, Idaho Code, to allow a person to engage in the supervised practice of audiology or speech language pathology while completing either the required postgraduate experience or a comparable doctoral program in audiology. The Board may issue a permit to allow a person to engage in fitting and dealing hearing aids or sign language interpretation while pursuing passage of an examination or certification for licensure. (3-28-23)
b. Supervisor. A provisional permit holder must be supervised by a licensee in good standing for the profession corresponding to the permit, except that a hearing aid dealer and fitter may be supervised by an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer and fitter. (3-28-23)
c. Supervision. The supervisor is responsible for all practice of the permit holder. (3-28-23)
i. Personal contact each workday to review any assignments, client contacts, and hearing aid fittings for the first sixty (60) days of practice. The nature of the supervision and contact must allow for immediate feedback and includes audio/visual, in person, or telephone contacts. (3-28-23)
ii. After the first sixty (60) days of practice, personal contact as described in Subsection 200.01.c. must be made no less than once in each calendar week throughout the remaining period of the permit. (3-28-23)
iii. In the event a permit holder fails the licensing examination two (2) consecutive times and is eligible to maintain a permit, the supervisor and the permit holder must reinstate contact in person each workday as set forth in Subsection 200.01.c. (3-28-23)
d. Training Agreement and Reports. Training may be performed in accordance with an agreement that identifies the parties to the agreement, the applicant’s scope of practice authorized, and, if necessary, any monitoring parameters. The applicant will submit the agreement to the Board. (3-28-23)
i. A plan of training for hearing aid dealing and fitting or a sign language interpreter must cover all sections of the license examination(s). (3-28-23)
ii. Quarterly reports must be on forms approved by the Board, attested to and signed by the permit holder and approved supervisor(s), and include, a log of clients and supervisor contact, supervisor's statement of completed training assignments by the permit holder. For a sign language interpreter, certification of attendance of any workshop or training session that the permit holder attended. For a hearing aid dealing and fitting permit holder, a copy of test results for all persons tested by the permit holder whether a sale occurred and a copy of each hearing aid order for all fittings including specifications of instruments ordered. (3-28-23)
iii. Quarterly reports are due on or before April 10th, July 10th, October 10th, and January 10th for the three (3) calendar month period preceding the month due. If the permit has not been in effect for the entire quarter, the report is due for that portion of the quarter in which the permit was in effect. If quarterly reports are not received by the specified due date, are inadequate, or document inadequate progress or incompetent practice the permit may be suspended or revoked upon notice and an opportunity to be heard. (3-28-23)
e. Change in Supervision. A supervisor must report termination of supervision in writing to the Board within ten (10) days. The permit holder must have a new supervisor in place before resuming practice. (3-28-23)
f. Cancellation. A permit is cancelled if the holder obtains a license or fails to submit a new application within thirty (30) days of a change in supervision. (3-28-23)
g. Expiration. Following the approval of a permit holder's original application, a provisional permit expires after twenty-four (24) months. Following expiration of the permit, the permit holder may apply to the Division for an extension. The Division may extend the time period for good cause that prevented the permit holder from completing the supervision within the twenty-four (24) month time period. (3-28-23)
a. Testing. Pre-Fitting and Sound Field Testing must be conducted in accordance with the standards set forth by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI). Verification of benefits must be conducted within 6 weeks. (3-28-23)
b. Records. The licensee will maintain a record of test data for one (1) year after sale. (3-28-23)
c. Exemptions. The testing requirements of this rule do not apply to consumers who cannot respond to acceptable audiological tests. (3-28-23)
a. Contract form. Any person who practices the fitting and sale of hearing aids must enter into a written contract with the person to be supplied with the hearing aid, which is signed by the licensee and the consumer. The contract must be given to the consumer at the time of sale and must contain the following: (3-28-23)
i. License number, business address, and specifications as to the make, model, and manufacture date of the hearing aid; (3-28-23)
ii. Full terms of sale, including a minimum of a thirty (30) day trial period for a refund of at least seventy-five (75) percent of the monies paid. (3-28-23)
iii. Serial number upon delivery; (3-28-23)
iv. Be clearly marked as 'used' or 'reconditioned' if applicable; (3-28-23)
v. Address and telephone number of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses; (3-28-23)
vi. A disclosure that the contract is void if the hearing aid is not delivered to the consumer within thirty (30) days of signature, and, if that occurs, the licensee will promptly refund the full purchase price. (3-28-23)
b. Cancellation and Refund. The contract must grant the consumer a nonwaivable thirty (30) day right to cancel the purchase and obtain a refund. The thirty (30) day period commences from either the date the contract is signed, or the hearing aid is delivered to the consumer, whichever is later. (3-28-23)
c. Dealer cancellation. If the licensee cancels the contract, the licensee must promptly refund the full purchase price. (3-28-23)
a. The supervising audiologist is responsible for training and evaluating the performance of audiology support personnel, and for approving all orders and directives. The supervising audiologist must assign tasks which are consistent with the training, education, and experience of audiology support. (3-28-23)
b. The number of audiology support personnel that an audiologist may supervise at any one time must be consistent with the delivery of appropriate, quality service, and Title 54, Chapter 29, Idaho Code. (3-28-23)
c. Direct supervision requires in-view real-time observation and guidance while an assigned activity is performed. This requirement can be met when the supervisor is providing supervision from a distant site using two-way video and audio transmission. The supervising audiologist will document and retain a record of all direct supervision period. (3-28-23)
i. When not providing supervision, the supervising audiologist must provide direction and supervision to audiology support personnel while support personnel are providing audiology services to a patient by making themselves accessible to the support personnel by telephone, video conferencing or in person. (3-28-23)
d. The supervising audiologist is responsible for maintaining a written record of completed training activity. (3-28-23)
i. Training will be conducted pre-service (before tasks are assigned) and in-service (after tasks are assigned). (3-28-23)
ii. Supervising audiologists should provide audiology support personnel with a written description of their roles and functions. Audiologists should provide personnel with ongoing training opportunities to ensure that audiology practices are current, and skills are maintained. (3-28-23)
a. A person who is not an audiologist or audiology support personnel may conduct a newborn screening test if the test is conducted using equipment that produces a pass/fail response. A Licensed Audiologists will review the results. (3-28-23)
1. Non-refundable. Fees for License, Permit, and Registration are as follows. Annual fees may be aggregated for biennial licensure.
| LICENSE/PERMIT/REGISTRATION | INITIAL FEE (Not to Exceed) | ANNUAL RENEWAL FEE (Not to Exceed) |
|---|---|---|
| Application | $30 |
| LICENSE/PERMIT/REGISTRATION | INITIAL FEE (Not to Exceed) | ANNUAL RENEWAL FEE (Not to Exceed) |
|---|---|---|
| Original or Endorsement | $70 | $100 |
| Provisional Permit or Extension | $100 | |
| Registration Out-of-State Licensee | $10 | |
| Reinstatement fee | As provided in Section 67-2614, Idaho Code. | |
| Video Remote Interpreting Provider | $150 (for up to five employed sign language interpreters, and for every five thereafter | $150 (for up to five employed sign language interpreters, and for every five thereafter |
(7-1-26)
02. Examination Fees. The examination fee is that charged by the examination provider plus an administration fee of one hundred dollars ($100) when the examination is administered by the Board. (3-28-23)
401. -- 999. (RESERVED)