Occupational Therapy Assistant - Compact Home State Approval

You can apply for your Wisconsin single-state license and Home State Approval at the same time.

If you do not already have a single-state Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Assistant credential, submit an application before proceeding with your Home State Approval request. You will be asked for your single state license or application number as part of the Home State Approval application.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, select Apply for a License and choose:

Category: Health
License Type: Occupational Therapy Assistant
Application Method: Home State Approval

Please note: You are not required to provide all documents before application submission. You do not need to upload documents to every available category.

After Home State Approval is granted, please allow up to one week (7 days) for your approval to be searchable in the CompactConnect system.

Verification of all licenses, current or expired, is required if you have been disciplined by another state board. We can accept verifications directly from other state boards via email (DSPSCredMedBdAffiliates@wisconsin.gov), postal mail, VeriDoc (link below), or the LicensE third party upload portal.

You do not need to submit materials to both your Home State Approval and Initial licensure application, if applying simultaneously. 

Questions and clarifications about your application should be submitted as support tickets in LicensE. Email addresses provided for document submission are not monitored for support purposes. After a document is emailed, you can submit a support ticket to alert our staff.

An FBI Background Check is required for participation in the Compact. Instructions will be sent on how to complete upon submission of your application. Provisions set forth in Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 16.34, require us to notify you that your fingerprints may be used to check the criminal history records with the FBI. Identification records obtained from the FBI may be used solely for the purpose requested and may not be disseminated outside the receiving department, related Agency, or other authorized entity.

The Department of Safety and Professional Services does not deny a license based on the information in the record itself, but does require the submittal of a certified copy of the criminal complaint and judgment of conviction in any matter which would appear to be cause for denial of a license

If you hold an active compact privilege to practice and wish to convert your privilege to a Home State Approval, please see the Privilege to Practice to Home State Conversion application method.

You must pass the open-book examination on the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code, if you are applying for your single state licensure simultaneously and have not already. 

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.