Physical Therapy Compact
DC Status
The DC Council recommended approval of the PT Compact and it was signed into law on March 16, 2021. It is not yet active for privileges, but the PT licensing board will announce when it is open.
- February 1, 2021 Update: Transmitted to Congress, Projected Law Date is Mar 15, 2021
- Passed: December 22 2020 – 100% progression
- Action: 2020-12-23 – Returned from Mayor
- Action: 2021-1-2 – Act A23-0544 Published in DC Register Vol 68 and Page 00092.
Final Steps to Becoming a Law
Unique to DC, an approved Act of the Council must be sent to the US House of Representatives and Senate for a period of 30 days before becoming effective as law. During this period of congressional review, the Congress may enact into law a joint resolution disapproving the Council’s Act. If, during the review period, the President of the United States approves the joint resolution, the Council’s Act is prevented from becoming law. If, however, upon the expiration of the congressional review period, no joint resolution disapproving the Council’s Act has been approved by the President, the Bill finally becomes a Law and is assigned a law number.
Join APTADC on May 20th during our spring meeting for an update on the PT Compact in DC.
The Physical Therapy Compact is an interstate agreement between member states to provide a state-developed collaborative structure to protect the public by increasing consumer access to physical therapy services by reducing regulatory barriers to interstate mobility and cross-state practice.
PT and PTA licensees who meet all eligibility requirements can purchase a compact privilege in a Compact member state and, in most cases, start practicing physical therapy in the other state almost immediately.
Do I need a separate Compact Privilege for each state in which I want to provide physical therapy
services?
Yes. You will need to have a Compact Privilege in each state in which you want to provide physical therapy services. You may have a Compact Privilege or a license to work legally in a member state. You need to hold a license to practice/work in non member states. It is not a multi-state license.
What states are members of the PT Compact?
The interactive state map lists the current PT Compact member states and other states proposing to join the PT Compact
How much does a compact privilege cost?
The fee to purchase Compact Privilege varies from state to state. There is a $45 Commission fee and an optional state fee charged for each Compact Privilege. A list of state fees is available here.
What are the Frequently Asked Questions?
Get answers to the most frequently asked questions and examples of common scenarios here.