Important Information About The Counseling Compact
Table of Contents
The following letter regards the Counseling Compact.
The Professional Licensing Board Division Director, Todd Zandrowicz, has forwarded perhaps the most comprehensive information about the status of the Counseling Compact. It is precise and obviously accurate since it is primary source.
I provide additional clarity not found in this letter. You can scroll to the bottom to skip this information and read the letter.
Additional Important Information Not Addressed In The Letter
Which states have started issuing Privileges To Practice.
No states have implemented the Counseling Compact. In fact, some states under their law could be delayed for years.
Cost Obstacles
Not only have no Georgia monies been allocated to administer the Counseling Compact, the board does not receive any money generated from licensee renewals, fines and so on. It is all absorbed into the state’s general operating budget.
Direct and Indirect Costs
There are both direct and indirect costs related to the Composite Board administering the compact. A testing company to develop jurisprudence exam, burden on the board attorney and AG’s office of managing not only board complaints, but potential complaints from the Compact Commission, staff shortages. All of these cost money that the Composite Board has not been given.
Use Of Your Personal Identifying Information (PII)
There are concerns about the Compact Commission’ use of Personal Identifying Information (PII) particularly the request for Social Security numbers.
The Commission also intends for state’s to release PII of all licensees regardless of whether they intend to participate (many Georgia LPCs are not interested in practicing in other states and have the legal right to not opt-in). The Composite Board will make decisions that serve the best interest of Georgia LPCs.
Data System Obstacles and Delays
A fundamental process is the Composite Board transferring license information from the state to the Compact Commission.
Importing data from one system to another is not a simple process. It’s like moving into a new house where none of your old furniture fits — the rooms are different sizes, the plugs are in new places, and you have to rebuild or replace things to make it work. Even worse, some of the furniture falls off of the truck and breaks. The social security numbers fall of the truck and a passerby retrieves them. This is why data importing is a critical process that requires planning.
Most states operate on older applications.
The Letter
“Dear Licensee,
In response to the letter sent out by LPCA to their members, the following letter was sent to all Senators and Representatives of Georgia.
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We are aware that the LPCA (Licensed Professional Counselors Association) has sent a letter to all their members requesting them to reach out to their Senator and Representative to express frustration with the implementation timeline of the Counseling Compact. As background, Georgia passed legislation in 2021 to enter an interstate compact known as the “Professional Counselors Licensure Compact” that reports to the national administrative body “Counseling Compact Commission”. There was no additional funding provided for this venture. Before we could move forward, the “Counseling Compact Commission” had to appoint members, make rules and prepare a system to work with all states.
There are many issues with their statement, and this is where we are in the process.
- The Counseling Compact group is currently beta testing in two states, projected to be ready to go live at the end of September. Only one of those states has an application developed but has not been approved by their boards for use at this time.
- The Counseling Compact group has not finalized their policies and rules regarding data sharing and the procedure in case of accidental Personal Identifying Information (PII) being released. It is our understanding they will be adopting these rules and procedures at their September meeting and anticipate it will be ready by the end of September. At that point our CIO and IT security team will evaluate them to make sure they will protect the PII of those who have entrusted our office with its care. https://counselingcompact.gov/compact-commission/rulemaking/
- When implementing a new compact, license, or initiative that involves other partners, our policy is to let others go first and work out all the issues that may arise so that we can move forward with a smooth transition. This protects our licensees and applicants from unnecessary frustrations. This has always proved a prudent action.
- The Counseling Compact group states that all states should be onboarded no later than January 2026. We anticipate moving forward this fall once we are confident that these policies and processes work securely and efficiently.
Additionally, the $4 Million in funding was redirected by the legislature, from the savings from coming in under budget in earlier projects, to upgrade the entire licensing software system that supports 43 Boards and 220 individual license types.
The Secretary, the Board and the Agency are firmly committed to implementing this. We are scheduled to be onboarding sometime in the Fall. We are actively working to get it established safely and securely for the citizens of Georgia.
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Thank you,
Todd Zandrowicz
Division Director of Professional Licensing Boards and Call Center
Georgia Secretary of State”
