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Federation and DCA brief PT board on exam changes, wellness tool and leadership transition
Summary
DCA officials and FSBPT updated the Physical Therapy Board about a TOEFL scoring change affecting licensure standards, a free clinician wellness tool (HRRI), improvements to the ELDD data system, and a forthcoming FSBPT task force to recommend standards during the transition period.
State Department of Consumer Affairs and the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy gave the board operational updates at the start of the meeting.
Lucia Salazar, Deputy Director of Board and Bureau Relations at the Department of Consumer Affairs, reviewed compliance deadlines for mandatory harassment‑prevention training now assigned through DCA’s Learning Management System and encouraged board members to check LMS if they have questions. Salazar also noted DCA charitable campaigns for state employees and invited members to contact Board and Bureau Relations for assistance.
Kimberly Kirkmeyer, Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, addressed the board and announced she will retire at the end of the year, thanked board members and staff for their consumer‑protection work and opened for questions.
Michelle Sigman Gaines of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy reviewed several items important to licensing jurisdictions: ETS will change the TOEFL scoring scale starting January 2026 and provide a two‑year transition period during which reports include both the old and new scales; FSBPT will assemble a task force to recommend how jurisdictions should interpret the new scale for licensure. Gaines also demonstrated the Healthy Practice Resource (HRRI), a free, confidential self‑assessment and learning suite designed to support clinician wellness and indicated the tool can issue certificates that jurisdictions might accept for continuing‑education credit.
FSBPT staff also summarized work to strengthen the ELDD (exam, licensure and disciplinary database), and noted early ideas for a federated public lookup and improved workforce data standards across jurisdictions to better track active practice and mobility.
The board asked clarifying questions about training time for HRRI modules (about one hour per module) and FSBPT’s planned task force timeline; presenters offered to return for more detailed briefings.
The board did not take regulatory action during these updates; the information was presented for member awareness and potential follow‑up.
