Table of Contents Sec. 20-408. Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
requires: Sec. 20-409. Advisory Council on Speech Pathologists and Audiologists. Section 20-409 is repealed. Sec. 20-410. License required. No person shall engage in or offer to engage in the
practice of speech pathology or audiology or represent himself as a speech pathologist or
audiologist in this state unless he is licensed or exempted under the provisions of this
chapter. Sec. 20-411. Qualification for licensure. Waiver of written examination. Temporary permit exemption. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section no
person shall be licensed under this chapter until he has successfully passed a written
examination, the subject and scope of which shall be determined by the commissioner.
Application for such examination shall be on forms prescribed and furnished by the
department and accompanied by satisfactory proof that he: (1) Is of good professional
character; (2) possesses a master's or doctorate degree in speech pathology or audiology
from a program accredited, at the time of the applicant's graduation, by the educational
standards board of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association or such successor organization as may be approved by the department, or has completed an integrated
educational program which, at the time of the applicant's completion, satisfied the educational requirements of said organization for the award of a certificate of clinical competence; (3) has had a minimum of thirty-six weeks and one thousand eighty hours of
full-time or a minimum of forty-eight weeks and one thousand four hundred forty hours
of part-time professional employment in speech pathology or audiology under the supervision of a licensed or certified speech pathologist or audiologist. Such employment
shall follow the completion of the educational requirements of subdivision (2) of this
subsection. Persons engaged in such employment under the direct supervision of a person holding a valid hearing instrument specialist's license or as an audiologist under
this chapter who is authorized to fit and sell hearing aids pursuant to section 20-398
shall not be required to obtain a temporary permit pursuant to section 20-400. Full-time
employment means a minimum of thirty hours a week and part-time employment means
a minimum of fifteen hours a week. Sec. 20-412. Fees. License renewal. The fee for an initial license as provided for
in section 20-411 as a speech pathologist or audiologist shall be one hundred dollars
and for a combined license as speech pathologist and audiologist shall be one hundred
eighty dollars. Licenses shall expire in accordance with section 19a-88 and shall become
invalid unless renewed. Renewal may be effected upon payment of a fee of one hundred
dollars and in accordance with section 19a-88. Secs. 20-412a to 20-412c. Exemption for certain school speech and hearing
specialists. Qualifications for school speech and hearing specialists seeking exemption. Functions which may be performed by persons working under school exemption program; supervision. Sections 20-412a to 20-412c, inclusive, are repealed, effective June 9, 1994. Sec. 20-413. Exemptions. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting: Sec. 20-414. Disciplinary action; grounds. (a) The commissioner may refuse to
issue a license or may suspend or revoke the license of any licensee or take any of the
actions set forth in section 19a-17 in circumstances which have endangered or are likely
to endanger the health, welfare, or safety of the public. Such circumstances include but
are not limited to the following: Sec. 20-415. Reissue of license. Discretion of Department of Health Services.
Section 20-415 is repealed. Sec. 20-416. Administrative proceedings. Appeals. Regulations. (a) Proceedings under this chapter and any appeals from the decisions or orders of the commissioner
shall be in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 and the regulations adopted by
the Commissioner of Public Health.
Sec. 20-408. Definitions.
Sec. 20-409. Advisory Council on Speech Pathologists and Audiologists.
Sec. 20-410. License required.
Sec. 20-411. Qualification for licensure. Waiver of written examination. Temporary permit
exemption.
Sec. 20-412. Fees. License renewal.
Secs. 20-412a to 20-412c. Exemption for certain school speech and hearing specialists.
Qualifications for school speech and hearing specialists seeking exemption. Functions
which may be performed by persons working under school exemption program; supervision.
Sec. 20-413. Exemptions.
Sec. 20-414. Disciplinary action; grounds.
Sec. 20-415. Reissue of license. Discretion of Department of Health Services.
Sec. 20-416. Administrative proceedings. Appeals. Regulations.
Sec. 20-417. Penalty.
(1) "The practice of speech pathology" means the application of principles, methods
and procedures for the measurement, testing, diagnosis, prediction, counseling or instruction relating to the development and disorders of speech, voice or language for the
purpose of diagnosing, preventing, treating, ameliorating or modifying such disorders
and conditions in individuals or groups of individuals.
(2) "Licensed speech pathologist" means a person licensed under this chapter to
practice speech pathology.
(3) "The practice of audiology" means the application of principles, methods and
procedures of measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction, consultation, counseling and
the determination and use of appropriate amplification related to hearing and disorders
of hearing, including the fitting or selling of hearing aids, for the purpose of modifying
communicative disorders involving speech, language, auditory function or other aberrant behavior related to hearing loss.
(4) "Licensed audiologist" means a person licensed under this chapter to practice
audiology.
(5) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health.
(6) "Department" means the Department of Public Health.
(P.A. 73-570, S. 1, 12; P.A. 77-614, S. 336, 610; P.A. 82-472, S. 96, 183; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12,
21, 58; 95-360, S. 5, 32.)
History: P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner and department of health with commissioner and department of health
services and deleted former Subdiv. (a) defining "council" as advisory council on speech pathologists and audiologists,
relettering remaining subdivisions accordingly, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 82-472 replaced alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numeric Subdiv. indicators; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department
and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and
Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July
1, 1995; P.A. 95-360 amended the definition of "the practice of audiology" in Subdiv. (3) by adding "including the fitting
or selling of hearing aids".
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(P.A. 73-570, S. 2, 12; P.A. 75-74; P.A. 77-614, S. 609, 610.)
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(P.A. 73-570, S. 3, 12; P.A. 74-222, S. 2, 4; P.A. 94-210, S. 8, 30.)
History: P.A. 74-222 made no change; P.A. 94-210 removed reference to July 1, 1974, as beginning date of prohibition,
effective June 9, 1994.
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(b) The commissioner may waive the written examination for any person who (1)
is licensed as a speech pathologist or audiologist in another state and such state has
licensing requirements at least equivalent to the requirements in this state; or (2) holds
a certificate from a national professional organization, approved by the commissioner,
in speech pathology or audiology.
(P.A. 73-570, S. 4, 12; P.A. 74-222, S. 1, 4; P.A. 77-614, S. 337, 610; P.A. 78-55, S. 1−3; P.A. 80-484, S. 133, 176;
P.A. 88-357, S. 14; P.A. 94-210, S. 9, 30; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2, S. 19.)
History: P.A. 74-222 added Subsec. (d) re temporary licenses; P.A. 77-614 deleted references to council in advisory
role to commissioner re examinations, effective January 1, 1974; P.A. 78-55 changed cutoff date for renewal of temporary
licenses in Subsec. (d) from July 1, 1978, to July 1, 1983; P.A. 80-484 made minor language changes and required that
applicant be of good "professional" character rather than of good "moral" character in Subsec. (a); P.A. 88-357 deleted
obsolete Subsecs. (c) and (d) re licensure without examination and temporary licenses; P.A. 94-210 amended Subsec. (2)
to add accreditation organizations and a doctorate option; deleted Subdiv. (3) re clinical experience requirement and
changed minimum supervised employment requirements from nine months to thirty-six weeks and one thousand eighty
hours of full-time and eighteen months to a minimum of forty-eight weeks and one thousand four hundred forty hours of
part-time and made technical changes, effective June 9, 1994; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2 amended Subsec. (a) to add
exemption from temporary permit for persons engaged in employment under direct supervision of certain licensed specialists or audiologists and make technical changes.
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(P.A. 73-570, S. 5, 12; P.A. 74-222, S. 3, 4; P.A. 80-484, S. 134, 176; P.A. 81-471, S. 64, 71; P.A. 88-357, S. 15; P.A.
89-251, S. 146, 203; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 41, 117; P.A. 95-360, S. 7.)
History: P.A. 74-222 included temporary licenses in fee provision; P.A. 80-484 changed renewal provisions to conform
to Sec. 19-45 as of January 1, 1981, and deleted provision imposing twenty dollar renewal fee for licenses not renewed in
timely fashion and requiring reapplication as for initial license if license not renewed within five years of expiration;
P.A. 81-471 deleted references to July expiration and renewal date; P.A. 88-357 removed provision imposing fees for
examinations and reexaminations; P.A. 89-251 increased the license fee from twenty-five dollars to seventy-five dollars,
increased the fee for a combined license from fifty dollars to one hundred fifty dollars and increased the renewal fee from
fifteen dollars to forty-five dollars; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 increased license fee for speech pathologist or audiologist
from seventy-five to ninety dollars, fee for a combined license from one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty dollars and
renewal fees from forty-five to ninety dollars; P.A. 95-360 increased the license fee for a speech pathologist or audiologist
and the renewal fee from ninety to one hundred dollars.
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(P.A. 86-117, S. 1−3, 5; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 94-210, S. 29, 30.)
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(1) Consulting with or disseminating research findings and scientific information
to accredited academic institutions or governmental agencies or offering lectures to the
public for a fee, monetary or otherwise;
(2) The activities and services of a graduate student or speech pathology intern in
speech pathology pursuing a course of study leading to a graduate degree in speech
pathology at an accredited or approved college or university or a clinical training facility
approved by the department, provided these activities and services constitute a part of
his supervised course of study and that such person is designated as "Speech Pathology
Intern", "Speech Pathology Trainee", or other such title clearly indicating the training
status appropriate to his level of training;
(3) The activities and services of a graduate student or audiology intern in audiology
at an accredited or approved college or university or a clinical training facility approved
by the department, provided these activities and services constitute a part of his supervised course of study and that such person is designated as "Audiology Intern",
"Audiology Trainee", or other such title clearly indicating the training status appropriate
to his level of training;
(4) (A) A person from another state offering speech pathology or audiology services in this state, provided such services are performed for no more than five days in
any calendar year and provided such person meets the qualifications and requirements
for licensing in this state; or (B) a person from another state who is licensed or certified
as a speech pathologist or audiologist by a similar authority of another state, or territory
of the United States, or of a foreign country or province whose standards are equivalent
to or higher than, at the date of his certification or licensure, the requirements of this
chapter and regulations adopted hereunder, or a person who meets such qualifications
and requirements and resides in a state or territory of the United States, or a foreign
country or province which does not grant certification or license to speech pathologists
or audiologists, from offering speech pathology or audiology services in this state for
a total of not more than thirty days in any calendar year;
(5) The activities and services of a person who meets the requirements of subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 20-411, while such person is engaged in
full or part-time employment in fulfillment of the professional employment requirement
of subdivision (3) of said subsection (a);
(6) Nurses and other personnel from engaging in screening and audiometric testing,
under the supervision of a licensed physician, surgeon or audiologist, for the purpose
of identifying those persons whose sensitivity of hearing is below the standard acceptable level;
(7) The activity and services of hearing aid dealers;
(8) The use of supervised support personnel to assist licensed speech pathologists
with tasks that are (A) designed by the licensed speech pathologists being assisted, (B)
routine, and (C) related to maintenance of assistive and prosthetic devices, recording
and charting or implementation of evaluation or intervention plans. For purposes of this
subdivision, "supervised" means (i) not more than three support personnel are assisting
one licensed speech pathologist, (ii) in-person communication between the licensed
speech pathologist and support personnel is available at all times, and (iii) the licensed
speech pathologist provides the support personnel with regularly scheduled direct observation, guidance, direction and conferencing for not less than thirty per cent of client
contact time for the support personnel's first ninety workdays and for not less than
twenty per cent of client contact time thereafter.
(P.A. 73-570, S. 6, 12; P.A. 80-484, S. 161, 176; P.A. 86-117, S. 4, 5; P.A. 94-210, S. 10, 30; P.A. 97-213, S. 6.)
History: P.A. 80-484 referred to "authority" rather than "board" of another state in Subsec. (d)(2); P.A. 86-117 added
Subdiv. (h) pertaining to an exemption under Sec. 20-412a; P.A. 94-210 amend Subsec. (e) to make technical changes and
deleted Subsec. (h) re exemptions that are repealed, effective June 9, 1994; P.A. 97-213 revised Subsec. and Subdiv.
designations, added Subdiv. (8) re use of supervised support personnel and made technical changes.
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(1) Obtaining a license by means of fraud or material misrepresentation or engaging
in fraud or material deception in the course of professional services or activities;
(2) Violation of professional conduct guidelines or code of ethics as established by
regulations adopted by the department;
(3) Violation of any provision of this chapter or regulations hereunder or section
20-404;
(4) Physical or mental illness or emotional disorder or loss of motor skill, including
but not limited to, deterioration through the aging process;
(5) Abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals;
(6) Illegal, incompetent or negligent conduct in his practice.
(b) The commissioner may order a license holder to submit to a reasonable physical
or mental examination if his physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject
of an investigation. Said commissioner may petition the superior court for the judicial
district of Hartford to enforce such order or any action taken pursuant to section 19a-17.
(P.A. 73-570, S. 7, 12; P.A. 80-484, S. 135, 176; P.A. 81-472, S. 54, 159; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2;
P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4−6; 95-360, S. 6, 32.)
History: P.A. 80-484 extended disciplinary actions to include those in Sec. 19-4s, revised Subdiv. (1) to include fraud
or deception in course of professional services as well as fraud in obtaining license, replaced former Subdiv. (4) which
had allowed disciplinary action for conviction of felony or offense involving moral turpitude with new ground re physical
or mental incapacity, added Subdivs. (5) and (6) re drug or alcohol abuse and illegal, incompetent or negligent conduct
and added Subsec. (b) re physical or mental examinations and petitions to court for enforcement of orders or actions; P.A.
81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 88-230 replaced "judicial district of Hartford-New Britain" with "judicial district of
Hartford", effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991,
to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1,
1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September
1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-360 added violation of Sec. 20-404 to Subdiv. (3).
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(P.A. 73-570, S. 8, 12; P.A. 77-614, S. 338, 610; P.A. 80-484, S. 175, 176.)
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(b) The department shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 for the
administration of this chapter and for the conduct of the practice of speech pathology
and audiology.
(P.A. 73-570, S. 9, 10, 12; P.A. 77-614, S. 471, 610; P.A. 81-471, S. 66, 71; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12,
21, 58.)
History: P.A. 77-614 required that proceedings conform to regulations of health services commissioner as well as to
chapter 54 provisions in Subsec. (a), effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 81-471 deleted reference to council's advisory role
in adoption of regulations re practice of speech pathology and audiology in Subsec. (b); P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner
of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced
Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public
Health, effective July 1, 1995.
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