Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credentials (CL-610)

The Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential authorizes the holder to perform the service designated on the credential (see list below). The service may be performed at any grade level: preschool, K-12, or in classes organized primarily for adults.

• Audiology
• Orientation and Mobility

Authorizations:

• Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential - Audiology: Authorizes the holder to conduct audiologic assessments, provide instruction and management of individual and classroom amplification and assistive listening devices, central auditory processing testing, and related special education services to individuals with a primary or secondary disability of deaf or hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and a hearing loss that manifests itself in conjunction with additional disabilities including unilateral or bilateral, whether fluctuating, conductive, sensorineural, and/or auditory neuropathy, to students from birth through age 22 in services across the continuum of program options available.
  
  
• Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential - Orientation and Mobility: Authorizes the holder to provide services to students who are blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind individuals with age-appropriate, hands-on experiences and to allow them to learn how to navigate their natural travel settings including home, school and community, become independent travelers and assist in the development of a conceptual understanding of the
  environment to students from birth through age 22.

Requirements for the Clear Credential – For Individuals Prepared in California

Individuals must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. For the audiology authorization only, a master’s or higher degree in audiology or a closely related subject from a regionally-accredited college or university is required. The Orientation and Mobility authorization requires at least one year of applicable graduate-level course work which may or may not have resulted in an advanced degree.
   
   
2. Basic Skills Requirement. See Commission leaflet CL-667, entitled Basic Skills Requirement for additional information.
   
   
3. A Commission-approved professional preparation program resulting in formal recommendation for the credential by the college or university through which the program was completed.
   
   
4. An application must be submitted online by the recommending institution.
   
   
5. If not previously submitted to the Commission, a completed Live Scan receipt is also required (form 41-LS). This form should be given to the credential analyst at the recommending institution prior to online application submission.

Requirements for the Clear Credential - For Individuals Prepared Out-of-State

Individuals must satisfy one of the following options:

Option 1

Individuals who have been prepared out-of-state and completed a preparation program on or after January 1, 1997 from a state found to have equivalency standards must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. For the audiology authorization only, a master’s or higher degree in audiology or a closely related subject from a regionally-accredited college or university is required. The Orientation and Mobility authorization requires at least one year of applicable graduate-level course work which may or may not have resulted in an advanced degree.
   
   
2. On or after January 1, 1997, complete a professional preparation program from a state determined to have equivalent standards to the California Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential—verified by either a copy of the certificate from the approved state or an eligibility letter from the institution where the program was completed or the state agency responsible for issuing the certificate. The out-of-state program must be in the approved Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential requested. See Table 1 (below) to determine which state and specific areas have been approved for this option.
   
   
3. Basic Skills Requirement. See Commission leaflet CL-667, entitled Basic Skills Requirement for additional information. A One-Year Nonrenewable credential may be issued at the request of a California employing agency pending the basic skills requirement. 
   

Option 2

Applicants who have been prepared out-of-state and do not meet equivalency standards must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. For the audiology authorization only, a master’s or higher degree in audiology or a closely related subject from a regionally-accredited college or university is required. The Orientation and Mobility authorization requires at least one year of applicable graduate-level course work which may or may not have resulted in an advanced degree.
   
   
2. Verify that the program met the certification requirements for authorization requested in the public schools of the state in which the program was completed – verified by either a copy of the certificate from the state or an eligibility letter from the institution where the program was completed or the state agency responsible for issuing the certificate.
   
   
3. Official transcripts verifying that the program included a practicum with school-age children, completed with a grade of “C” or better. Applicants who received a “pass,” “credit,” or “satisfactory” grade are assumed to have completed the practicum at a level at least equivalent to grade “C”.
   
   
4. Basic Skills Requirement. See Commission leaflet CL-667, entitled Basic Skills Requirement for additional information. A One-Year Nonrenewable credential may be issued at the request of a California employing agency pending the basic skills requirement.

In addition to the requirements listed above, individuals qualifying via Option 1 or Option 2 for out-of-state applicants must submit the application materials listed below:

1. Application ( form 41-4) and, if not previously submitted to the Commission, a completed Live Scan receipt (41-LS). Out-of-state residents must submit two fingerprint cards (FD-258) in lieu of a Live Scan receipt. If submitting fingerprint cards, current fingerprint processing fees must accompany the application packet.
   
   
2. Application processing fee.

If the out-of-state preparation does not meet the criteria listed above, the applicant should contact a Commission-approved program sponsor for a recommendation or advice about completing the requirements for the credential.

For more information on College and Universities in California, visit the Commission-Approved Program.

For the Audiology Credential:

In lieu of the professional preparation program in audiology, an individual may complete the following to meet the clear credential requirements:

1. Hold a master’s or higher degree in audiology or a closely related subject from a regionally-accredited college or university.
   
   
2. Hold an Audiology License issued by the California Speech–Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board. A photocopy of a valid Audiology License must be submitted with all other materials.
   
   
3. Basic Skills Requirement. See Commission leaflet CL-667, entitled Basic Skills Requirement for additional information. A One-Year Nonrenewable credential may be issued at the request of a California employing agency pending the basic skills requirement.

For more information on licensing requirements, please see the Board's website.

Upgrading a Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential to a Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential

To clearly delineate the document that qualifies services for Medi-Cal funding reimbursement, the Commission established the two-tier (preliminary and clear) Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential in 2007.

Valid clear Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credentials issued in Language, Speech and Hearing continue to be appropriate certification to provide speech and language services. Holders may continue to renew their clear credentials by submitting their renewal through the Commission’s online renewal process.

In addition, individuals holding a Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credential in Language, Speech and Hearing may upgrade to the Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential by submitting all of the following to the Commission office:

1. Passing score of 162 on the Educational Testing Services (ETS) Praxis II Speech-Language Pathology Test (Test code 5331).[1] For more information, visit the ETS website. Passing examination scores are valid for five years from the passed exam date.
   
   Note [1]: Previously, the Praxis II SLP test code was 0330 and the passing score was 600. The previous examination is still acceptable for certification within five years of the passing score date.
   
   
2. A 36-week, full-time, mentored clinical experience or equivalent supervised practicum (commonly known as the Clinical Fellowship Year [CFY]). Verification of completion may be provided on one of the following forms:
   
   
   1. Required Professional Experience Form (Form RPE 130/REV Feb 2016) from the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board.
      
      
   2. Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship and Rating Report Form from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
      
      
3. Official transcripts showing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology from a regionally-accredited college or university (required of holders of life Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credentials only).
   
   
4. Application (form 41-4) and processing fee.
   

For information on the Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential authorizing 1) Language, Speech and Hearing, 2) Language, Speech and Hearing and Audiology, 3) Language, Speech and Hearing including Special Class Authorization, or 4) Language, Speech and Hearing and Audiology including Special Class Authorization, please see Commission leaflet CL-879, entitled Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential.

For more information on Colleges and Universities in California, visit the Commission-Approved Programs.

Table 1

Equivalency for Out-of-State Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Programs Completed on or after January 1, 1997.

The following list identifies the only states with professional preparation programs that have been determined by the Commission to be equivalent for the purposes of applying for the Clear Clinical or Rehabilitative Services Credentials in the categorical areas indicated.