VSHA Accomplishments
July 2025: Advocacy win! Following extensive advocacy by ASHA, its members, and key stakeholder groups including VSHA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reversed its previous interpretation of the term “licensed” –a change that excluded provisional licensees, including clinical fellows (CFs), from being recognized as qualified Medicare providers.
December 2024: Earlier this year, we celebrated Vermont passing legislation to remove prior authorization requirements from certain commercial insurance plans. Now, Vermont Medicaid is following suit… and then some! Following advocacy from ASHA and the Vermont Speech-Language-Hearing Association (VSHA), Vermont Medicaid has announced they are:
- removing prior authorization requirements from all medically necessary speech-language pathology services for children under age 21
- removing the requirement for physician referral for speech therapy services, and
- increasing the number of permissible visits for adults who need speech therapy services.
Vermont Medicaid is setting a great example for states to remove burdensome obstacles to care. We look forward to our continued collaboration with and support for VSHA in 2025 as we tackle increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates. You can read ASHA's recent comment letter to Vermont Medicaid: https://at.asha.org/vz
May 2024: VSHA has been working tirelessly to advocate for H.766 this year, collaborating closely with our Physical and Occupational Therapy colleagues through VT APTA and VOTA and joining forces with the Vermont Medical Society, the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter. VSHA even submitted written testimony back in April with the help of ASHA's State Team. Gov. Phil Scott has signed H.766 into law!
Why is this important? This law is aimed at holding insurance payers accountable to keep prior authorization in check and establishing timeline guardrails to reduce delays in access to care across many healthcare specialties - H.766 will also help to decrease providers' administrative burden related to prior authorization.
May 2024: Vermont has adopted the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact (ASLP-IC). This compact allows licensed audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in participating states to practice in other member states without needing to obtain separate licenses. Vermont's adoption of the compact aims to improve access to care, support military families, and streamline the licensing process for professionals.