West Virginia SLP Licensing and the Compact

West Virginia licenses speech-language pathologists and audiologists through the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, under Chapter 30, Article 32 of the state code and the board's legislative rule, 29 CSR 1. West Virginia and Louisiana were the first states to issue ASLP Compact privileges, on October 28, 2025.

How does a West Virginia compact privilege work?

If your home state is Louisiana, Ohio or Tennessee, and you meet the compact's eligibility rules, you can buy a privilege to practice in West Virginia. The cost is West Virginia's $25 state fee plus the $50 Commission fee, $75 in total. Fees are nonrefundable.

West Virginia requires a jurisprudence exam for a privilege, and the Commission says it must be done before you apply. That is the step people miss when they assume a privilege is just a payment.

Demand has been real, if small. The Commission's FY26 annual report shows 15 privileges purchased for West Virginia in the year ending June 2026, 11 for SLPs and 4 for audiologists. That is the most of any state, out of 35 nationwide.

The usual rules apply:

• The privilege lasts only as long as your home license, and goes "Inactive" at the home license's printed expiration date, even during a grace period.
• You follow West Virginia's practice act while practicing there.
• You create the CompactConnect account, answer the attestations and pay yourself.
• SLPAs and clinical fellows are not eligible.

See which states are issuing ASLP Compact privileges.

Can a West Virginia SLP use the compact elsewhere?

Yes. A clinician who lives in West Virginia and holds an active, unencumbered West Virginia license can buy privileges in Louisiana, Ohio and Tennessee, with the FBI background check run through West Virginia. Tennessee also requires a jurisprudence exam first; Louisiana and Ohio do not.

What does a West Virginia license require?

The board's licensure rule, as filed with the Secretary of State in 2026, lists these for an SLP:

• the board's application and fee, or a military family or low-income waiver of initial licensing fees;
• at least a master's degree or equivalent with coursework approved by the Council on Academic Accreditation, with a credentials evaluation for international degrees;
• the supervised clinical practicum in section 12 of the rule;
• a postgraduate professional experience, authenticated with ASHA verification of the CCC or, if you are not seeking the CCC, the board's clinical fellowship year report;
• a passing score on the ETS specialty area exam, the only national exam the board recognizes; and
• a passing score on the board's own jurisprudence examination, submitted with the application.

The rule also requires every initial applicant to submit the results of a state and a national criminal history record check, with fingerprints, requested no earlier than twelve months before the board receives the application. An application is not complete until those results arrive. The rule titles that background check requirement as part of the compact.

What about clinical fellows in West Virginia?

West Virginia issues a provisional license for the postgraduate professional experience. Under section 5 of the rule, it lasts one year. You submit a postgraduate professional experience agreement, signed by you and your supervisor, within 30 days after employment begins. The provisional license can be renewed for one additional year with proof of 10 hours of approved continuing education and the renewal fee. Clinical fellows cannot use the compact. See doing your clinical fellowship in a different state.

Can you provide teletherapy into West Virginia without a license?

Through a registration, possibly. Section 16 of the rule creates registration as an interstate telepractice practitioner for clinicians located in another state who treat patients in West Virginia remotely. You submit the board's form and fee, pass the board's jurisprudence exam, and hold a license in good standing in every state where you practice, with no pending investigation or complaint. The registration expires December 31 of even years, and renewing it requires 20 hours of continuing education specific to telepractice clinical skills. It does not cover in-person care.

For clinicians from Louisiana, Ohio or Tennessee, a compact privilege may be simpler. Our post on teletherapy for SLPs across state lines compares the options.

When do West Virginia licenses renew?

All licenses except provisional licenses and assistant registrations expire on December 31 of even-numbered years. To renew you need:

• 20 clock hours of continuing education in each two-year period, or 30 hours (15 in each area) for dual licensees;
• one hour of approved ethics per year, two per cycle; and
• the renewal form and fee.

Up to six extra hours can carry forward one period. Someone first licensed in the last six months of a cycle does not need CE for the first renewal. Within a year after expiration you can still renew with a late fee, but the license is considered inactive until you do, and practicing on it risks discipline for unlicensed practice. Between one and five years, reinstatement requires 10 hours of continuing education per year expired, up to 25.

If you hold privileges through a West Virginia home license, December 31 of even years is the date that controls all of them. Renew early: the Commission recommends at least 10 business days before expiration.

Who licenses SLP assistants in West Virginia?

The same board registers SLP and audiology assistants under a separate rule, 29 CSR 2. Assistants are not eligible for compact privileges. See which states license or register SLPAs.

How can we help in West Virginia?

For a West Virginia license, our License by Endorsement service is $599 and a full application is $749; a provisional license for a clinical fellow is $349. Jurisprudence and State Law Exam Support is $249; you take the exam yourself. For a West Virginia privilege, our ASLP Compact Readiness Review is $149, and our Compact Privilege Concierge is $299 for the first state: a guided session in which you complete CompactConnect and pay the fees yourself while we walk you through it. State, Commission and fingerprint fees are separate. See West Virginia details on the West Virginia state page.