Understanding LMSW, LCSW & LPC CEU Audits
Audit. This word brings about anxiety for many. But what should you be worried about related to an audit of your continuing education? Is this something that should bring about concern?
The short answer is ”no,” if you understand all of the guidelines required for your license renewal. Today we will take a little bit deeper look into continuing education audits and how you can make sure that you’re prepared.
Understanding continuing education (CE) audits for mental health professionals is the key to working from a place of confidence rather than anxiety when it comes to license, renewal, and compliance with state guidelines.
Behavioral Health Executive Council of Texas, along with similar councils for states across the country, have specific guidelines that outline continuing education unit (CEU) requirements, and the possibility of subsequent audits
It’s important to keep in mind, the purposes behind continuing education audits. These audits are typically conducted at the time of license renewal and ensure that individuals are following guidelines related to continuing education and upholding standards for continuing education for the licensed mental health therapist community. As long as you understand the guidelines for your state, and your specific licensure required for your continuing education, this truly should be a no-stress situation.
Here, are questions that typically come up, related to continuing education audits:
Are there different types of continuing education (CEU) audits?
Yes, there are actually two different types of CEU audits that can be conducted by the Behavioral Health Executive Council.
Random audits occur for licenses who are in the process of renewing their license. These are license renewal requests that you submit the continuing education certificates for the continuing education courses that were completed over the license renewal time period. These audits are conducted for individuals at random, and individuals are typically notified by the renewal system for their license, either by email, mail, or the online licensing system used for license renewals. Individuals who may be selected for these types of audits have done nothing wrong, and are simply a part of randomized quality control for upholding the integrity of the licensing system. These audits typically come with instructions on how to upload PDFs proving the courses were completed during the renewal time along with whatever additional documentation is needed for renewing the professional mental health license.
The second type of audit, an individualized audit can occur if there is suspicion that a licensee may not be in compliance with the regulations and requirements of the professional mental health license. These types of audits are typically requested if there is some kind of complaint or report of noncompliance with state standards. For these types of audits, individuals will be notified with specific instructions, requesting documentation of their continuing education hours during a specified time. (1)
How can I be prepared if I am selected for an audit?
The best way to be prepared for potentially being selected for an audit of your continuing education (CEU) courses is by having a system for storing and tracking your continuing education hours. Should you be selected for an audit, you will be required to provide proof of the completion of the continuing education hours that you participated in. Developing a system for how to store your continuing education, certificates, and track the number of hours/type of continuing education hours (ethics, human Trafficking, diversity, supervisor, etc.) is important so that if you are selected randomly for an audit, you’re easily able to upload those certificates to the requested location.
How many people are selected for random audits?
According to the latest guidelines by the Texas, Behavioral Health Executive Council, roughly 5% of licenses are selected automatically at the time of their renewal for an audit of their continuing education documentation. (2) So roughly, you have a 1 and 20 chance of being selected for a randomized audit. All that to say is, there is a high probability that, at some point in your professional career, you will be selected for one of these randomized audits, so keeping those documents of your education is pretty imperative.
So overall, I shouldn’t be worried if I am selected for an audit of my continuing education?
Absolutely not. As long as you understand, your licensing requirements, are attentive and intentional in your continuing education throughout your license renewal time period, and have properly documented your compliance with the state regulations, an audit should be nothing more than an additional administrative task of uploading certificates to the license, renewal portal. For those who may struggle with organization, Neglect to stay up on current guidelines, related to continuing education requirements, or lean towards apathy and continuing education, audits are there for accountability to comply with the rules and regulations of your license.
