The petitioner requests that the Board amend 18VAC125-20-80 to eliminate the requirement to pass the national examination within two years immediately preceding application for licensure and place the score of 400 in regulation as a passing score. 

The petition for rulemaking will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations on August 12, 2024. The petition will also be published on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall at www.townhall.virginia.gov to receive public comment, which will open on August 12, 2024 and will close on September 11, 2024. The Board will consider the petition and all comments in support or opposition at the next meeting after the close of public comment, currently scheduled for December 3, 2024. The petitioner will be notified of the Board's decision after that meeting. 

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At its meeting on December 3, 2024, the Board voted to deny the petition. The Board does not currently list a specific passing score in regulation and declined to add such a score to regulatory language given the difficulty of changing regulations. The Board also expressed concerns related to the mobility of psychologists licensed in Virginia should a passing score of 400 be used or placed in regulation. The Board additionally was not aware of any evidence on which to base a passing score of 400. The Board did not know whether removing the requirement to take the exam within two years of application would affect other portions of regulations or the application process in a negative way. Although the Board denied the petition, the Board recognized the concerns which lead to the petition and will review the requests made at a future Regulatory Committee meeting to determine the bases for the existing passing score and the requirement to take the exam within two years. Should the Regulatory Committee determine regulatory change may be needed, it will recommend that action to the Board.