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2014 SESSION

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14102385D
HOUSE BILL NO. 500 Offered January 8, 2014 Prefiled January 6, 2014 A BILL to amend and reenact § 54.1-2600 of the Code of Virginia, relating to practice of audiology; cerumen management. ---------- Patron-- Yost ---------- Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 54.1-2600 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 54.1-2600. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Audiologist" means any person who engages in the practice of audiology.

"Board" means the Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

"Practice of audiology" means the practice of conducting measurement, testing and evaluation relating to hearing and vestibular systems, including audiologic and electrophysiological measures, and conducting programs of identification, hearing conservation, habilitation, and rehabilitation for the purpose of identifying disorders of the hearing and vestibular systems and modifying communicative disorders related to hearing loss, including but not limited to vestibular evaluation, limited cerumen management, electrophysiological audiometry and cochlear implants. Any person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that audiology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing audiology.

"Practice of speech-language pathology" means the practice of facilitating development and maintenance of human communication through programs of screening, identifying, assessing and interpreting, diagnosing, habilitating and rehabilitating speech-language disorders, including but not limited to:

1. Providing alternative communication systems and instruction and training in the use thereof;

2. Providing aural habilitation, rehabilitation and counseling services to hearing-impaired individuals and their families;

3. Enhancing speech-language proficiency and communication effectiveness; and

4. Providing audiologic screening.

Any person offering services to the public under any descriptive name or title which would indicate that professional speech-language pathology services are being offered shall be deemed to be practicing speech-language pathology.

"Speech-language disorders" means disorders in fluency, speech articulation, voice, receptive and expressive language (syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics), swallowing disorders, and cognitive communication functioning.

"Speech-language pathologist" means any person who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.

2. That the Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology shall promulgate regulations governing cerumen management by audiologists, which shall include requirements related to training and qualifications of audiologists who perform cerumen management, to implement the provisions of this act to be effective within 280 days of its enactment.