I do not support this petition.

Data from the 2022 ASWB Exam Pass Rate Analysis confirms that the ASWB exams are deeply flawed, biased exams that serve as massive roadblocks to clinical licensure that disproportionally impact Black, Latine/Hispanic, and Indigenous test-takers. Our code of ethics calls us to challenge social injustice, to promote the well being of our clients, to stand for integrity, and to bolster the well being of our communities in general. This petition – and putting more barriers in place toward clinical licensure, particularly for clinicians who are Black, Latine/Hispanic, or Indigenous, - flies in the face of our ethical obligations as social workers and does harm by preventing our communities and clients from having access to a diverse field of qualified clinical social workers.

Again, I do not support this petition and urge the VA Board of Social work to examine the inequities inherent in the social work licensure requirements.