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Rehabilitation Counselors have been licensed in MA since 1990 and must meet the requirements and standards under the MA division of professional licensure; Board of Allied Mental Health.  (Board oversees LMHC-Mental Health Counseling, LABA-Behavioral Analysts, LEP-Educational Psychology, LMFT-Marriage and Family Therapy, and LRC-Rehabilitation Counseling).

All others licenses covered by the MA Allied Mental Health board can bill insurers and state Medicaid for their services. MA House Bill 1187 will allow LRC Rehabilitation Counselors to bill for their services on parity with other counseling disciplines.

This is important for many reasons;

·         Rehabilitation counselors are uniquely qualified and trained to provide services to clients with disabilities.

·         Community mental health agencies, day habilitation programs, veterans' programs, residential rehabilitation programs, rehabilitation hospitals, substance abuse programs etc. are more likely to hire a LiCSW or LMHC counselor because their services can be billed for than a rehab counselor whose salary represents an expense to the agency, this reduces the demand and opportunities for master's level rehabilitation counselors.

·         The research is significant in supporting the positive impact rehabilitation counseling services have on the outcome of rehabilitation plans for adults with disabilities, special needs students, veterans, homeless individuals, ex-offenders, and individuals with addiction issues.

·         Improving the access to Rehabilitation Counseling services for individuals with disabilities has the potential to not only improve the quality of life of disabled residents but also to reduce health care costs, mental health costs and increase the employment levels of individuals with disabilities.

There is a hearing before the MA Joint Financial Services Committee on Oct 8 regarding MA House Bill 1187 (see below) for anyone in MA please contact your state rep, provide written or sign up to provide oral testimony in support of the bill. If you have friends/colleagues in MA encourage them to submit testimony, written statements and contact their representative.

Although this bill is specific to MA it could become a model for other states and has the potential to dramatically impact the future of Rehabilitation Counseling.

I may be biased but MA has been the leader in many areas-- the first American university (Harvard), the first American subway system, the first American railroad, the first Thanksgiving, the first public park, first state to abolish slavery, first universal health care coverage state, first state to recognize same-sex marriage and many more. It would be great to add the first state to recognize Rehabilitation Counselors unique contribution to the counseling professions and to give them parity with other counseling disciplines.

Amy Vercillo

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts JOINT COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133

 

Joint Committee on Financial Services

Rep. James M. Murphy                                  Sen. Paul R. Feeney

   House Chair                                                 Senate Chair

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Date of Hearing: October 8, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM
Location: Gardner Auditorium & Virtual

The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following health insurance matters:

*Please be advised that the agenda and docket of bills to be heard may be amended upon agreement of the Chairs no less than 72 hours from the time of such hearing pursuant to Joint Rule 1D.

 

**All matters above are required to be reported on by December 3, 2025, pursuant to Joint Rule 10.

 

The public is invited to participate in this hybrid hearing, which will be livestreamed on the General Court website, https://malegislature.gov/.

 

The hearing will be recorded and archived on the Joint Committee on Financial Services webpage for the duration of the 194th legislative session at, https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Detail/J11/Hearings.

 

***INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION / TESTIMONY***

Persons who wish to testify in person or virtually or submit written testimony may do so by completing this form linked here. Registration Form

 

DEADLINE TO PRE-REGISTER: Persons planning to testify virtually must sign up no later than 5:00 p.m. on October 3, 2025. Individuals and groups testifying in person are strongly encouraged to register using the form above prior to the deadline. Registration by the deadline is required for those who wish to testify virtually during the live hearing and encouraged for those who wish to testify in person. Please indicate whether you plan to testify in person or virtually. A Microsoft Teams invitation to the hearing will be emailed after the registration deadline closes, shortly before the hearing. Please be aware that even those who register to testify in person will be emailed a Teams link to participate virtually as a backup option.

SAME DAY SIGN-UP FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY ONLY – IF TIME ALLOWS: Individuals who miss the deadline to pre-register for testimony may appear on the day of the hearing and sign-up to speak in person on forms provided by committee staff outside of the hearing room. Time permitting, when all pre-registered individuals have been called to testify, the Chairs will then call any individuals who signed up on the day of the hearing.

WRITTEN TESTIMONY: If you would like to provide written testimony, please include the bill number in the subject line of the email, as well as your name, address, phone number, and organization, if any, on the submitted testimony. Written testimony is encouraged and will continue to be accepted after the hearing until the relevant bill is acted upon. The Committee requests that written testimony may be submitted to the Joint Committee on Financial Services by emailing   jointcmte-financialservices@malegislature.gov  Please include "Financial Services Committee Testimony, [Relevant Bill Number]" in the subject line of the email. Those who plan to submit only written testimony may do so before or after the signup deadline. 

 

The most secure method to submit testimony is through The Committee's email address above. In the alternative, written testimony may be submitted to the Committee at: State House, Joint Committee on Financial Services, Room 254, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA. 02133. Please use only one method to submit your testimony and please submit no more than once.

Please be advised that all written testimony submitted will be read by Committee Members and staff and may be made publicly available at the discretion of the Chairs. Do not submit any personal information you do not wish to disclose publicly.

 

ORDER OF TESTIMONY: The Chairs, at their discretion, will determine the order of testimony during the hearing. It is the responsibility of the individuals registered to testify to be prepared to speak when called upon by the Chairs. In the event that an individual is called by the Chairs and that person is unavailable to testify, the Chairs will move on and call the next individual or panel. The Chairs will limit testimony to 3 minutes per speaker.

 

If you have any questions, you may email lisa.pellegrino@mahouse.gov, from Chair Murphy's office or Shane Correale shane.correale@masenate.gov from Chair Feeney's office.

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Amy Vercillo
Rehabilitation and Re-Employment
Boston, MA
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