WHCA/WiCAL Meets with DSPS Secretary to Discuss HCP Licensure Challenges

On Tuesday, November 15, WHCA/WiCAL staff met with Dan Hereth, Secretary-Designee of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). DSPS is the state agency responsible for processing licensure applications for many health care-related professions, including RN, LPN, OT/PT, and NHA, among others. DSPS’s licensure authority spans many industries outside of health care as well – such as plumbers, electricians, and other trades.

The meeting largely focused on providers’ concerns with slow turnaround times for licensure applications. Hereth was certainly aware of the concerns and offered additional insight on the efforts DSPS is taking to address the issue. First, Hereth noted that DSPS has worked within its current operating budget to increase the number of intake specialized helping to process license applications. Hereth also noted that DSPS will soon publish an emergency rule aimed at helping speed up the process for graduate nurses to become licensed faster – we expect to learn more about this emergency rule in early December. Hereth noted that DSPS’s 2023 state budget request includes an increased budget to hire additional licensing agents.

Jim Stoa of WHCA/WiCAL asked Hereth, given the fact that we remain in a long-term care workforce crisis and are in the midst of an ongoing federal public health emergency, whether DSPS does or would consider prioritizing health care professional licensure applications vs some other sectors. Hereth indicated that HCP do often get prioritized to some degree.

If you have any ongoing HCP licensure concerns, please reach out to Jim Stoa.

WHCA/WiCAL also discussed the need for DSPS and the NHA Examining Board to take timely action to approve additional Specialized Course options for NHA licensure in Wisconsin. As of now, DSPS has only one approved Specialized Course, which is based out of Maine. WHCA/WiCAL has been pushing the NHA Examining Board to seek Wisconsin-based options for more than a year. Currently, there are several Wisconsin educational institutions interested in pursuing a Specialized Course, including one that has already submitted an application to the Board and is awaiting a response. Hereth told WHCA/WiCAL that he will take a closer look and see what could be standing in the way of the approval of one or more Wisconsin-based courses.

WHCA/WiCAL plans to continue dialogue with DSPS leadership to monitor and address providers’ licensure concerns.