Medi-cal billing and BBS registration

[rmenoch]

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Hey all,

I have been interviewing for some temporary county-level jobs, as it would be nice to expand my savings before I start internship this fall. Anyways, several of the sites seem very interested in hiring me but have expressed concern that I am not registered with the BBS, since most of their clinicians-in-training are MFTs and LCSWs that are registered. Does the BBS even register doctoral students? Also, has anyone heard of a doctoral student registering for a "lesser" qualification, like an LPCC, on the way to licensure as a Clinical Psychologist in an effort to be eligible for higher paying jobs while still training?

The basic concern these employers have expressed is that registration with the BSS makes it so these clinicians-in-training can bill Medi-Cal. I have no experience with Medi-Cal, but are there any ways that reimbursement can be requested for the work provided by doctoral level clinician-in-training? If so, what steps need to be taken to insure reimbursement?

Thanks ahead of time for any insights you are able to offer!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Hey all,

I have been interviewing for some temporary county-level jobs, as it would be nice to expand my savings before I start internship this fall. Anyways, several of the sites seem very interested in hiring me but have expressed concern that I am not registered with the BBS, since most of their clinicians-in-training are MFTs and LCSWs that are registered. Does the BBS even register doctoral students? Also, has anyone heard of a doctoral student registering for a "lesser" qualification, like an LPCC, on the way to licensure as a Clinical Psychologist in an effort to be eligible for higher paying jobs while still training?

The basic concern these employers have expressed is that registration with the BSS makes it so these clinicians-in-training can bill Medi-Cal. I have no experience with Medi-Cal, but are there any ways that reimbursement can be requested for the work provided by doctoral level clinician-in-training? If so, what steps need to be taken to insure reimbursement?

Thanks ahead of time for any insights you are able to offer!

TX is the only state I know of that allows doctoral students (once they have their masters and have passed the EPPP) to become licensed as LPC's. Some say one of the reasons for the slow going in developing new internship spots is due to the inability to bill insurance for pre-doctoral students' services, so given that (and how frequently I hear it as a complaint in general), I'm not sure there are many ways around it, although I'd imagine it varies state-to-state.

 

[docma]

The Board of Psychology website in California has details about pre-licensure pre-degree statuses as a psychological assistant and in some settings (eg: government sites, schools) you can meet requirements for being waivered or registered once your degree is complete. Each setting has to determine whether these categories meet their MediCal requirements. You can explore these with potential employers. But getting that in place for employment right now and before the fall could be tricky and they have to agree to engaging in the process with the BOP. I don't think there is any separate BBSE status for doctoral program students; in other states you can get the LPC enroute to licensure I think but the thicket of different ways hours get counted and the newness of the LPC to CA probably does not make it worth the effort.