Effective July 1, 2020, the Board of Occupational Therapy was authorized to waive initial licensing fees for low-income individuals and military families. The waiver only applies to the initial licensing fee. Other fees incurred in association with the licensing process are the applicant's responsibility. The waiver does not apply to individuals seeking to renew existing licenses.
Low-Income Waiver
A "low-income individual" is defined as an individual who resides in the local labor market whose household adjusted gross income is below 130% of the poverty line pursuant to the most recent annual poverty guidelines released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. To access the federal poverty guidelines, visit
https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines. Under "Files", click on "Chart showing different multiples of the poverty guidelines" and review the column marked "130%".
The term "low-income individual" also applies to any person enrolled in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF), Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or any other state or federal public assistance program with substantially equivalent low-income eligibility requirements.
Military Family Waiver
A "military family" is defined in the law as any person who serves as an active member of the armed forces of the United States, the National Guard, or a reserve component, honorably discharged veterans of those forces, and their spouses. This term also includes surviving spouses of deceased service members who have not remarried.
Application Process
Individuals seeking a waiver of the initial licensing fee as either a low-income individual or military family should submit the applicable initial licensing fee waiver application found below and all required documentation to the Board with your application for licensure. Original signatures are required; therefore, applications are not accepted via fax or email. Applicants are only eligible to receive one initial licensing fee waiver from the Board. The waiver request is subject to approval by the WV Board of Occupational Therapy.