The Board has been made aware of a scam that involves individuals altering their caller ID information to make it look like the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy is calling.  The individual states that the Board, the FBI, and the DEA are investigating the licensee for drug trafficking. The caller provides the licensees license number and full name. If you receive this scam call, please know that it is not the Board calling you. 

LICENSING WAIVERS

In response to the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, DHS Administratrative Order 2020-01, and Executive Order 2020-17, the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners may grant waivers for certain licensing requirements.  

• Fee waivers for those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.  You must attest that you have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and cannot afford to pay licensing fees.  Request Fee Waiver

• Temporary waiver of fingerprint requirement is no longer available. If you are not able to find a fingerprinting service in your area, please contact the Board office at (602) 589-8352.
• Temporary waiver of exam requirement is no longer available. Prometrics testing centers are now open in most areas. If you are not able to schedule an exam, please contact the Board office at (602) 589-8352.
• Temporary waiver of continuing education requirement is no longer available. Continuing education hours can be completed online.  

For detailed information on the waivers, click here.

BOARD OPERATIONS

In order to protect their health and well-being and that of their families, Occupational Therapy Board staff are telecommuting until further notice.  We continue to work regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) from home and are able to receive phone calls (which are forwarded to our cell phones) and emails.  We ask that you have patience during this critical time.  Many executive orders have been issued and we are doing our best to adapt our processes as quickly as possible.  We have also received more than the normal number of emails and voicemails and are doing our best to respond in a timely manner.

The customer service window at 1740 West Adams Street is closed until further notice.  Please do not bring applications, documents, or payments to the building, as there is nobody available to accept them.  You are encouraged to submit all documents online.  If you are unable to do so, please mail them via US Mail.  DO NOT MAIL CASH.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 2020-15 EXPANSION OF TELEMEDICINE

News Release   |   Executive Order 2020-15

Board staff received clarification on this order from the Governor's office on 3/26/2020.  This order includes occupational therapy assistants, as item 6 states telehealth services may be provided by "any Arizona licensed healthcare provider type including but not limited to...". 

Item 9 means that the practice of occupational therapy is the same as it was before telemedicine was allowed. It does not change scope of practice other than allowing telemedicine.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 2020-17 CONTINUITY OF WORK

News Release   |   Executive Order 2020-17

Executive Order 2020-17 helps licensed professionals in the state stay licensed and defers certain requirements for six months.

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists defines occupational therapy as a profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enhancing the individual's ability to participate, by modifying the environment, or by adapting the activity to better support participation. 

Another way of thinking about the ideas contained in these definitions could be: occupational therapy is about understanding the importance of an activity to an individual, being able to analyze the physical, mental and social components of the activity and then adapting the activity, the environment and/or the person to enable them to resume the activity. Occupational therapists would ask, "Why does this person have difficulties managing his or her daily activities (or occupations), and what can we adapt to make it possible for him or her to manage better and how will this then impact his or her health and well-being?”  

Application for Licensure by Examination

This is the traditional license application type.  This type of application requires a passing score on the NBCOT examination. You do not have to reside in Arizona for this type of application. (More Info)

Application for Licensure by Universal License Recognition

If you have recently established residency in Arizona AND hold a license in another state (for at least one year), you may qualify for licensure by universal license recognition.  With this option, you are required to submit proof of Arizona residency.  However, you are not required to submit proof of NBCOT certification and professional recommendations.  (See A.R.S. 32-4302) (Application Information)

Limited License

If you have you recently graduated and have not taken the NBCOT exam, you may qualify for a limited license.  (More Info)

Fee Waiver

If your 2019 income was below 200% of the Federal poverty level, you may qualify for a fee waiver.  (Application)

Military Spouse Applications

A.R.S. 32-4302 also states that a license shall be issued without an examination to a person who is married to an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States and who is accompanying the member to an official permanent change of station to a military installation located in this state.  The Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners doesn't require a jurisprudence exam, so you would apply for licensure by universal recognition, as the requirements are the same.