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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>69194</law_id><section_number>54.1-2956.5</section_number><catch_line>Unlawful to practice occupational therapy without license</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="4">Licensure and Certification of Other Practitioners of the Healing Arts</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person not holding a current and valid license from the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to practice occupational therapy or to claim to be an occupational therapist or to assume the title &#x201C;Occupational Therapist,&#x201D; &#x201C;Occupational Therapist, Licensed,&#x201D; &#x201C;Licensed Occupational Therapist,&#x201D; or any similar term, or to use the designations &#x201C;O.T.&#x201D; or &#x201C;O.T.L.&#x201D; or any variation thereof. However, a person who has graduated from a duly accredited educational program in occupational therapy may practice with the title &#x201C;Occupational Therapist, License Applicant&#x201D; or &#x201C;O.T.L.-Applicant&#x201D; until he has received a failing score on any examination required by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> or until six months from the date of graduation, whichever occurs sooner. <a id="paragraph-250340" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2956.5/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person to practice as an <span class="dictionary">occupational therapy assistant</span> as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/54.1-2900/">54.1-2900</a> or to hold himself out to be or advertise that he is an <span class="dictionary">occupational therapy assistant</span> or use the designation &#x201C;O.T.A.&#x201D; or any variation thereof unless such person holds a current and valid license from the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to practice as an <span class="dictionary">occupational therapy assistant</span>. However, a person who has graduated from a duly accredited <span class="dictionary">occupational therapy assistant</span> education program may practice with the title &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Occupational Therapy Assistant</span>, License Applicant&#x201D; or &#x201C;O.T.A.-Applicant&#x201D; until he has received a failing score on any examination required by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> or until six months from the date of graduation, whichever occurs sooner. <a id="paragraph-250341" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/54.1-2956.5/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1989, c. 306; 1998, c. 593; 2000, c. 782; 2004, c. 61; 2008, cc. 64, 89; 2014, c. 252.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
