D.C. adopts PSYPACT law, allowing interstate practice for psychologists

The District of Columbia became the 16th jurisdiction to enact legislation allowing psychologists to practice across state lines within the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT)opens in new window. 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) signed the PSYPACT bill into law on December 22, 2020, and it will take effect after a 30-day mandatory congressional waiting period. 

Psychologists in D.C. may now be eligible to submit an application to the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) for an E.Passportopens in new window to practice telepsychology and an Interjurisdictional Practice Certificateopens in new window to practice temporarily in person in other PSYPACT states. Authorized psychologists in PSYPACT states may now also provide services in D.C.

Joining PSYPACT was “vital to the mental health of the community,” says Jeremy Kozne, PhD, chair of the D.C. Psychological Association (DCPA) Government Relations Committee. The compact allows providers to broaden their reach and gives patients the opportunity to find a provider that best meets their needs.

DCPA led the effort to get PSYPACT on the D.C. City Council’s legislative agenda, and the issue immediately received a lot of support, Kozne says. Five council members sponsored and introduced the bill on February 19, 2019, and it was unanimously passed by the council. 

Kozne says joining PSYPACT will help the District address access to care issues by allowing psychologists to provide services in neighboring states like Virginia, which joined PSYPACT in 2020, and Maryland, where PSYPACT legislation is pending.

“With D.C. being such a small jurisdiction filled with a large number of commuters, jurisdictional boundaries often caused a lot of difficulties,” Kozne says. “It was brought to our attention that health care institutions had difficulty finding providers within the District that spoke a particular language or had competency working with certain underserved communities. We saw that people seeking services were turned away because even though a provider with availability lived a short distance away, they were across a border.”

With PSYPACT in place, Kozne says “patients can move, travel, or even just get caught at work and not lose access to the care that they need.”

Developed by ASPPB, PSYPACT is a cooperative agreement designed to facilitate ethical and legal psychology practice across state lines. The compact became operational in 2019, when the seventh state enacted PSYPACT legislation. Currently, the following states have already joined the compact: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. North Carolina’s participation will take effect March 1, 2021.

In addition to Maryland, nine other states have PSYPACT legislation awaiting action by their legislatures, as of January 27, 2021.

For more information about PSYPACT, including updates on legislative developments, visit the PSYPACTopens in new window website.