Valued Voice

To streamline Wisconsin’s health care professional licensure process, WHA developed and championed 2021 Act 10 which enables most health care providers licensed in another state to immediately begin practice in Wisconsin while they seek approval of their regular Wisconsin license. This Wisconsin “super-compact” license applies to a broad range of health care professions, but unlike traditional compact licenses, applies to licenses in good standing in all states.
 
Importantly, with only a narrow exception, this new licensure process and the license granted under 2021 Act 10 does NOT end with the end of the federal emergency related to COVID-19, and this week the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) issued a press release describing how DSPS will continue to issue Act 10 licenses to health care professionals licensed in good standing in another state, as long as that individual has also applied for a permanent Wisconsin license. DSPS is also going to issue the Act 10 credentials with a longer duration. DSPS currently sets the expiration date a few months ahead, and then moves the expiration date ahead if the licensure board has not yet decided on the Wisconsin license, because the statute designates that the Act 10 credential does not expire until a decision has been made on the Wisconsin license. DSPS is moving the expiration dates for Act 10 licenses currently in place to Dec. 31, 2023, and will set a 12-month timeframe for all future Act 10 credentials issued.
 
For more information regarding using 2021 Act 10 to expedite Wisconsin licensure, contact WHA Senior Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk or WHA General Counsel Matthew Stanford.