Statute and rules for PT/PTA and AT are located within the Rules & Laws section. Answers to most frequently asked questions may be located by downloading the applicable form to view all requirements related to that request. For any additional questions you may have after reviewing this information, please see below. All other inquiries may be emailed to our office at wvbopt@wv.gov. If an answer is not readily available, it will be discussed at our next board meeting. This board does not address any billing or insurance issues.
1. What is the processing time frame for applications/forms?
For initial licensure and reactivation applications, time frames for completion cannot be determined, as processing timelines vary for the entities submitting your additional requirements (verifications, transcripts, etc.). Applications with yes answers may be placed on hold for Board review and consideration at the next scheduled Board meeting. Once all requirements are received, a license is issued/reinstated within 2 business days and a copy of your license will be mailed to you. You may also print your license from your account (please see question number 5) or verify your licensure status immediately via our online verification system located within the Quick Links section. Complimentary wall certificates require the Board Chair’s signature and are mailed after the next quarterly meeting.
Request forms are processed within two business days.
Forms must be completed in its entirety to be accepted. If any application requirements are not fulfilled, it will be returned to you for completion/correction, and this will delay your request. Our office will only contact you for issues regarding your application. All other requirements are solely the responsibility of the applicant. Please read and follow all instructions carefully.
2. How can I check the status of my application?
You may contact our office at wvbopt@wv.gov or 304-558-0367 to determine the documents that have been received and which requirements are still pending.
3. What forms of payment are accepted?
Fees may be paid via cashier's check, business check, or money order. Our office cannot accept personal checks over $25.00 nor any cash. Incorrect form of payment must be returned, and accounts cannot be credited nor refunds be issued for overpayment. At this time, only online PT/PTA renewals and CEU Locker course applications are authorized to accept credit card information. All fees are non-refundable. This board cannot make any exceptions.
4. How can I receive a receipt for my payment?
Please email receipt requests to wvbopt@wv.gov. Include your name, the amount paid, reason for payment, and approximate date of purchase. Receipts for online payments are automatically emailed.
5. What is my licensee account, and how do I use it?
You may check the contact information our office currently has on file for you, view your licensure information, and, most importantly, renew your license. You may also print your license from your account within 90 days of initial licensure or renewal by clicking your license number under the 'License' tab. Please see Licensee Account Logon on the home page and log in instructions below.
Username: First letter of first name with last name (no space)
Password: Last four digits of SSN
6. Why am I unable to log in to my licensee account with the information from the previous question?
Your username is generated with the last name you provided when you initially applied for licensure. Even if your name has changed, your username will not. Also, if someone who matches your username was licensed before you, a "2" is automatically added to the end of your username (also no space). Please email our office for further assistance if you still cannot access your account after trying those variations.
7. How do I know if I have been made eligible to test?
Once our office receives your applications and fees for licensure via examination and you have registered with FSBPT, you are made eligible to test by the following business day. FSBPT will then email you an “Authorization to Test” (ATT) letter containing instructions on how to schedule an appointment with Prometric.
8. Why have I not been made eligible to test yet?
Have you mailed to our office your applications and fees for licensure via examination? Have you also registered with FSBPT, as instructed on our requirement checklist? Were these steps completed before FSBPT’s jurisdiction approval deadline for your selected test date? If these requirements were met and you still have not been made eligible, please contact our office for further instructions. Individuals with incomplete application packets may have their documentation mailed back for correction or receive an email from our office requesting additional action.
9. How can I submit contact information changes to the board, and why is this rule so important?
Per legislative rule, §16-1-5.7, "any change in personal contact and employer/supervisor information must be submitted in writing to the board as changes occur". You may simply email all updated personal and employer information to wvbopt@wv.gov, and include addresses, phone numbers, and email. If more than one employer, please specify which is primary. PTAs must also provide the name of their supervising PT.
Keeping your information as current as possible ensures that you can reliably receive important correspondence pertaining to your license, such as renewal reminders, CE audit notices, and all other necessary Board information.
10. If a PT/PTA continuing education course is approved by another state Physical Therapy board or FSBPT’s ProCert, is it automatically approved for my WV hours?
No, per legislative rule §16-1-10.3.g, ONLY courses sponsored by the APTA, the WVPTA, BOC and any CAPTE accredited school are automatically approved by this board and do not require a WVBOPT approval number. ALL other courses MUST be submitted to our board for approval.
11. If a PT/PTA continuing education course is provided by my employer, is it automatically approved for my WV hours?
No, per legislative rule §16-1-10.3.g, ONLY courses sponsored by the APTA, the WVPTA, BOC and any CAPTE accredited school are automatically approved by this board and do not require a WVBOPT approval number. ALL other courses MUST be submitted to our board for approval.
12. Are any PT/PTA continuing education courses automatically approved for my WV hours?
Yes, per legislative rule §16-1-10.3.g, courses sponsored by the APTA, the WVPTA, BOC and any CAPTE accredited school are automatically approved by this board and do not require a WVBOPT approval number. ALL other courses MUST be submitted to our board for approval.
13. How can I verify if a PT/PTA continuing education course is WV Board approved?
Please do NOT rely on any company, facility, employer, etc for verification that a course is WV Board approved. This board is the ONLY verified source for WV approved courses. For courses approved in this calendar year, please check the current year's Approved Courses page within the Licensure with the Board- Continuing Education Requirements section. To verify a course taken in the previous year, you will search last year's Approved Courses page. The approval year stated for a course MUST match the year the course was taken. Feel free to contact our office if you are still unsure of a course’s approval status.
14. If a PT/PTA continuing education course was approved in a previous year but not the year it was taken, can I still receive credit?
No, approval numbers do not carry over. Courses must be re-submitted each year for approval. Per legislative rule §16-1-10.3.f.1, credit is only given for courses that are approved in the year the course is taken.
15. How can I obtain credit for an unapproved PT/PTA continuing education course I have already taken or wish to take?
You must submit the course for review using the application from the 'Submitting a CE Course for Review- Individual Licensees' page within the Licensure with the Board- Continuing Education Requirements section.
16. Can I use extra PT/PTA continuing education hours from a previous renewal period towards the next?
No, all 24 hours must be taken within that current two-year licensing period. §16-1-10.2.c. “Accumulated CEUs may not be carried over from one renewal period to another.”
17. Do a certain number of my PT/PTA continuing education hours need to be classroom versus online?
No, currently our board has no requirement for that. However, all 24 CE hours must be WV board approved.
18. Do I have to take exactly 12 PT/PTA continuing education hours each year?
No, your 24 WV Board approved CE hours can be completed anytime within each 2-year licensing period.
19. Do new graduates have to complete the PT/PTA continuing education requirements for their first renewal?
Per legislative rule §16-1-10.2.d, new graduates whose PT/PTA degree and WV license were received in the same year must complete only 12 WV Board approved CE hours for their first licensing period.
20. Why is no grace period given for renewals?
Per legislative rule §30-20-15, “If a license is not renewed when due, then the board shall automatically place the licensee on delinquent status.”
This board allows three months for renewal season and provides each licensee with courtesy renewal reminders via mail and email within the first week. It is your responsibility to submit any contact information changes to our office as they occur. If you have not updated our office with those changes, your courtesy reminders cannot be delivered to you. Please see question number 9 for explanation of the law regarding this issue.
Rule §30-20-18 (b) also states: “Any person regulated by the article shall conspicuously display his or her license or permit at his or her principal business location.” Your license boldly states the expiration date so that you may easily reference this information at any time.
Please note that all responses the West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (hereinafter “Board”) gives to individual questions are based solely upon WV Code § 30-20-1 et seq. and the Code of State Rules 16-1-1 et seq. These Statutory and Regulatory provisions govern the jurisdiction of the Board, and its sole purpose of regulating the practice of Physical Therapy and the protection of the public. As such, the responses do not take into account any billing issues and the regulations that govern such reimbursement. Moreover, a provider should consult with his/her legal counsel for questions pertaining to billing for Physical Therapy services.