ABC Board of Directors Policy on State Licensure

The American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, Inc. (ABC) believes that the provision of prescription orthotic and prosthetic care should be vested in practitioners who have fulfilled requirements for ABC certification. Furthermore, the ABC believes that state licensure laws should embody similar requirements. The ABC also believes that it is the responsibility of local O&P practitioners and consumers to determine the merits of such initiatives.

Therefore, depending on the unique needs of individual states, consumers and practitioners, the ABC endorses state licensure for the orthotics and prosthetics profession for the provision of quality O&P care to patients. The ABC also understands that state licensure may require initial "grandfathering" of other providers of O&P services for a time-limited period.

The ABC will serve as a resource for and provide public and aggressive assistance to local ABC-certified practitioner groups who have undertaken organized efforts to seek state licensure requirements that include ABC credentialing standards as the basis for licensure. Assistance may include non-financial support such as written and or verbal testimony given before state legislative bodies. Such support will be provided only by request and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the ABC Board of Directors.