{
  "_schema": {
    "about": "Social work licensing requirements per US jurisdiction, for the FIRST credential an MSW graduate holds in that jurisdiction.",
    "nullRule": "null means we have not read that figure off the board's own page. It never means zero. Do not substitute a default, an average or another state's number.",
    "attribution": "Social Work Test Prep Academy is not affiliated with any state licensing board or with ASWB. We read each board's published pages and record what they say; the board's page is the source of record. Requirements change.",
    "fields": {
      "abbr": "Two-letter USPS code, uppercase.",
      "name": "Jurisdiction name.",
      "url": "Absolute URL of the human-readable page.",
      "json": "Absolute URL of the full record for this jurisdiction.",
      "checked": "true when we have read this board's own pages and published the record. false means no data yet, not \"no requirements\".",
      "firstCredential": "The first credential an MSW graduate holds here (abbreviation, title, and the ASWB exam category needed to hold it: \"none\" when it is issued without one, null when an exam applies but no board rule names its level, or when the sources disagree on whether one applies).",
      "examRequiredFirst": "true when the ASWB exam gates that first credential. false when the jurisdiction licenses or registers you first and the exam comes later (Michigan, California, Florida, Illinois). null when there is no yes-or-no ASWB answer; examOrderReason says why.",
      "examOrderReason": "Why examRequiredFirst is null (null when it is true or false). \"applicant\": the rule turns on the applicant (Connecticut's degree-date cutoff, Minnesota's provisional route, Colorado's jurisprudence exam). \"provider_unconfirmed\": an exam comes first but the rule names only one approved by the board, not ASWB (Louisiana). \"unchecked\": we have not read the board, or the first rung (Nebraska PCMSW). \"sources_conflict\": the primary sources disagree on whether the exam applies, so neither reading is stated (no jurisdiction today). The per-state JSON `summary` states the rule.",
      "knownFeesUsd": "Sum of ONLY the fixed fees the board publishes for that first credential, in US dollars. null when it publishes none. A level-dependent ASWB exam fee (a fee line with amount_by_level) is never in it; it is charged in addition.",
      "hours": "Plain-language supervised-hour requirement on the path, or the not-checked sentence.",
      "lastChecked": "ISO date WE last read the board pages behind this record. It is not a board review, approval or sign-off.",
      "compactMember": "true when the jurisdiction has enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. null when not checked.",
      "compactStatus": "Social Work Licensure Compact status: \"enacted\", \"pending_legislation\" or \"no_active_legislation\", with the page it was read from and the ISO date checked. null when not checked.",
      "compactLicenses": "Whether multistate compact licenses are being issued anywhere yet, with the compact's own statement quoted and the ISO date checked.",
      "ladder": "Every rung of the licensure ladder in order. `exam` is the ASWB category required to HOLD that rung (\"none\" = no ASWB exam; null = an exam applies but no board rule names its level); `supervised` means practice only under supervision. Optional: `examChoice` (\"board\" | \"applicant\") says who picks from a multi-level `exam`; `checked: false` marks a rung we have not read a record for (not checked yet, never another license's steps); `examProvider: \"unconfirmed\"` marks a rule that names only an exam approved by the board, so ASWB is not asserted.",
      "fees": "The board's own fee lines for the first credential, each with the page it was read from. amount_usd is null when the board does not publish the amount (counted in unknownFeeCount), or when conflict is true: the sources state different amounts, so neither is used (counted in conflictFeeCount, never in knownFeesUsd). A line with amount_by_level is an ASWB exam fee that depends on the level, kept out of knownFeesUsd.",
      "aswbExam": "The exam for the first credential: level (null when no rule names it) and fee. provider \"unconfirmed\" when the rule names only an exam approved by the board, not ASWB. null when the credential is issued without an exam or its rung is not checked yet.",
      "supervision": "The supervised-experience package on the path, each figure with its own source page. A figure the board does not publish is null, and so is one with conflict: true, where the sources state different figures and neither is used (the hours line says it is not confirmed).",
      "applicationSequence": "The board's published order of operations, in the board's own terms.",
      "sources": "The board and statute pages this record was read from.",
      "records": "The raw rulebook records for this jurisdiction, unmodified.",
      "dataProblems": "Every field we could not state plainly, one entry per field: `credential` is the record it belongs to, `path` the field inside that record, `kind` why (unchecked, unpublished, not_applicable, conflict, stale_source, no_single_total), `note` the specifics, `sources` what each source says, verbatim, `askTheBoard` the question to put to the board (or null), `checked` the ISO date we read them. Empty when there are none."
    }
  },
  "abbr": "LA",
  "name": "Louisiana",
  "url": "https://www.socialworktestprepacademy.com/licensing/la",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "checked": true,
  "lastChecked": "2026-09-19",
  "board": {
    "name": "Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners",
    "url": "https://labswe.org/"
  },
  "firstCredential": {
    "abbr": "LMSW",
    "title": "Licensed Master's Social Worker (the Act names only an examination approved by the board, never an ASWB level)",
    "rung": "masters",
    "exam": null
  },
  "examRequiredFirst": null,
  "examOrderReason": "provider_unconfirmed",
  "summary": "An exam approved by the board is required before the license; boards commonly use ASWB, but that is not confirmed here.",
  "aswbExam": {
    "level": null,
    "feeUsd": null,
    "provider": "unconfirmed"
  },
  "knownFeesUsd": 75,
  "unknownFeeCount": 1,
  "conflictFeeCount": 0,
  "fees": [
    {
      "name": "LMSW application",
      "amount_usd": 75,
      "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
      "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
    },
    {
      "name": "Examination approved by the board (provider and fee not confirmed)",
      "amount_usd": null,
      "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
    }
  ],
  "supervision": {
    "experience_hours": {
      "value": 3000,
      "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
    },
    "client_contact_hours": null,
    "supervision_hours": null,
    "minimum_months": {
      "value": 24,
      "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
    },
    "maximum_months": {
      "value": 48,
      "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
    },
    "notes": [
      "The Act does not state a required weekly/monthly clinical supervision hours figure or client-contact-hours split; only the total 3,000-hour experience figure and the 2-4 year window are codified. The board's rules (LAC 46:XXV) likely set a supervision-hours ratio, but that page could not be reached (labswe.org 403).",
      "The Act separately defines a compact-specific clinical-category multistate license pathway (in the compact provisions of the same Act) requiring 3,000 postgraduate supervised clinical hours; consistent with the state's own LCSW figure, not carried over from another state.",
      "R.S. 37:2716 states statutory MAXIMUM caps, not the fees the board charges. The fees on this record come from the board fee schedule (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Section XXV-313), read through the Cornell LII mirror with a corroborating regulations.justia.com summary because labswe.org returns 403 to an automated fetch even with a browser user agent: LMSW application $75 (matches the cap), LMSW renewal $50 (below the $100 cap), LCSW application $100 (matches the cap), LCSW renewal $75 (below the $100 cap), retake/reexamination $50 (matches the cap). The application fees happen to equal their caps; the renewal fees do not.",
      "The ladder carries no ASWB category for this rung. R.S. 37:2701-2720 requires 'an examination approved by the board' and never names an ASWB level; aswb_exam carries no level, fee or source because the provider is not confirmed."
    ]
  },
  "hours": "3,000 hours over at least 24 months, for the LCSW",
  "compactMember": true,
  "compactNote": null,
  "compactStatus": {
    "status": "enacted",
    "sourceUrl": "https://swcompact.org/compact-jurisdictions/",
    "checkedOn": "2026-09-19"
  },
  "compactLicenses": {
    "issued": false,
    "statement": "The Social Work Licensure Compact has been enacted in at least seven states and has reached activation status, however multistate licenses are not yet being issued. The implementation process for the compact will take 12 to 24 months before multistate licenses are able to issued.",
    "sourceUrl": "https://swcompact.org/",
    "checkedOn": "2026-10-18"
  },
  "applicationSequence": [
    "Hold a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work.",
    "Pass a criminal history screening with no disqualifying information.",
    "Pass an examination approved by the board.",
    "Apply to the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners for LMSW licensure."
  ],
  "ladder": [
    {
      "rung": "bachelors",
      "abbr": "RSW",
      "title": "Registered Social Worker (bachelor's or master's generalist entry credential)",
      "exam": "none",
      "supervised": false,
      "source": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf"
    },
    {
      "rung": "masters",
      "abbr": "LMSW",
      "title": "Licensed Master's Social Worker (the Act names only an examination approved by the board, never an ASWB level)",
      "exam": null,
      "supervised": false,
      "source": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "examProvider": "unconfirmed"
    },
    {
      "rung": "clinical",
      "abbr": "LCSW",
      "title": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker (the Act names only an examination approved by the board, never an ASWB level)",
      "exam": null,
      "supervised": false,
      "source": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
      "examProvider": "unconfirmed"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners · LMSW applicant resources",
      "url": "https://labswe.org/"
    },
    {
      "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act, R.S. 37:2701-2720 (8/1/2024 codification)",
      "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf"
    },
    {
      "label": "LMSW fees · LMSW application",
      "url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313"
    },
    {
      "label": "Social Work Licensure Compact · member jurisdictions",
      "url": "https://swcompact.org/compact-jurisdictions/"
    }
  ],
  "records": [
    {
      "state": {
        "name": "Louisiana",
        "postal_code": "LA"
      },
      "license_target": {
        "track": "masters",
        "title": "Licensed Master's Social Worker",
        "abbreviation": "LMSW"
      },
      "board": {
        "name": "Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners",
        "source_url": "https://labswe.org/"
      },
      "fees": [
        {
          "name": "LMSW application",
          "amount_usd": 75,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "LMSW renewal",
          "amount_usd": 50,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "LMSW retake/reexamination",
          "amount_usd": 50,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "Examination approved by the board (provider and fee not confirmed)",
          "amount_usd": null,
          "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        }
      ],
      "application_sequence": [
        "Hold a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work.",
        "Pass a criminal history screening with no disqualifying information.",
        "Pass an examination approved by the board.",
        "Apply to the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners for LMSW licensure."
      ],
      "aswb_exam": {
        "level": null,
        "fee_usd": null,
        "source_url": null,
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
      },
      "supervision_requirement": {
        "experience_hours": null,
        "client_contact_hours": null,
        "supervision_hours": null,
        "minimum_months": null,
        "maximum_months": null,
        "notes": [
          "Louisiana's masters-rung credential is literally named LMSW (unlike CA/FL/NC/WA in the batch-1 merge), so no rung-naming substitution was needed.",
          "The statute requires 'an examination approved by the board,' not explicitly 'the ASWB Masters examination' by name; ASWB Masters level is the exam used in practice per secondary sources, but the statute text itself is silent on ASWB by name; flagged, not treated as confirmed.",
          "R.S. 37:2716 states statutory MAXIMUM caps, not the fees the board charges. The fees on this record come from the board fee schedule (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Section XXV-313), read through the Cornell LII mirror with a corroborating regulations.justia.com summary because labswe.org returns 403 to an automated fetch even with a browser user agent: LMSW application $75 (matches the cap), LMSW renewal $50 (below the $100 cap), LCSW application $100 (matches the cap), LCSW renewal $75 (below the $100 cap), retake/reexamination $50 (matches the cap). The application fees happen to equal their caps; the renewal fees do not.",
          "The ladder carries no ASWB category for this rung. R.S. 37:2701-2720 requires 'an examination approved by the board' and never names an ASWB level; aswb_exam carries no level, fee or source because the provider is not confirmed."
        ]
      },
      "supervisor_eligibility": null,
      "forms": null,
      "processing_benchmark": null,
      "endorsement_rules": {
        "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19",
        "summary": "The Act (R.S. 37:2712) allows licensure by endorsement/reciprocity for a person licensed in another state/agency with substantially equivalent education, supervision, and examination requirements, plus an open-book exam on the Louisiana Practice Act and a fee."
      },
      "compact_status": {
        "member": true,
        "multistate_licenses_available": null,
        "source_url": "https://swcompact.org/compact-jurisdictions/",
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
      },
      "last_verified": "2026-09-19",
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act, R.S. 37:2701-2720 (8/1/2024 codification)",
          "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf"
        }
      ],
      "gaps": {
        "aswb_exam.level": {
          "kind": "unchecked",
          "note": "No primary page names ASWB or a level: the Practice Act says only an examination approved by the board, and the board site (https://labswe.org/) has no exam-provider text.",
          "sources": [
            {
              "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act",
              "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
              "says": "Has passed an examination approved by the board."
            }
          ],
          "checked": "2026-09-29",
          "ask_the_board": null
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "state": {
        "name": "Louisiana",
        "postal_code": "LA"
      },
      "license_target": {
        "track": "clinical",
        "title": "Licensed Clinical Social Worker",
        "abbreviation": "LCSW"
      },
      "board": {
        "name": "Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners",
        "source_url": "https://labswe.org/"
      },
      "fees": [
        {
          "name": "LCSW application",
          "amount_usd": 100,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "LCSW renewal",
          "amount_usd": 75,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "Reexamination",
          "amount_usd": 50,
          "source_url": "https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/louisiana/La-Admin-Code-tit-46-SS-XXV-313",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        {
          "name": "Examination approved by the board (provider and fee not confirmed)",
          "amount_usd": null,
          "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        }
      ],
      "application_sequence": [
        "Hold a master's degree from an accredited graduate school of social work.",
        "Complete at least 3,000 hours of postgraduate social work practice over a minimum of two and maximum of four years under a board-approved clinical supervisor (BACS).",
        "Pass an examination approved by the board.",
        "Apply to the board for LCSW licensure."
      ],
      "aswb_exam": {
        "level": null,
        "fee_usd": null,
        "source_url": null,
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
      },
      "supervision_requirement": {
        "experience_hours": {
          "value": 3000,
          "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        "client_contact_hours": null,
        "supervision_hours": null,
        "minimum_months": {
          "value": 24,
          "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        "maximum_months": {
          "value": 48,
          "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
        },
        "notes": [
          "The Act does not state a required weekly/monthly clinical supervision hours figure or client-contact-hours split; only the total 3,000-hour experience figure and the 2-4 year window are codified. The board's rules (LAC 46:XXV) likely set a supervision-hours ratio, but that page could not be reached (labswe.org 403).",
          "The Act separately defines a compact-specific clinical-category multistate license pathway (in the compact provisions of the same Act) requiring 3,000 postgraduate supervised clinical hours; consistent with the state's own LCSW figure, not carried over from another state.",
          "R.S. 37:2716 states statutory MAXIMUM caps, not the fees the board charges. The fees on this record come from the board fee schedule (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Section XXV-313), read through the Cornell LII mirror with a corroborating regulations.justia.com summary because labswe.org returns 403 to an automated fetch even with a browser user agent: LMSW application $75 (matches the cap), LMSW renewal $50 (below the $100 cap), LCSW application $100 (matches the cap), LCSW renewal $75 (below the $100 cap), retake/reexamination $50 (matches the cap). The application fees happen to equal their caps; the renewal fees do not.",
          "The ladder carries no ASWB category for this rung. R.S. 37:2701-2720 requires 'an examination approved by the board' and never names an ASWB level; aswb_exam carries no level, fee or source because the provider is not confirmed."
        ]
      },
      "supervisor_eligibility": [
        "Must be a licensed clinical social worker who is also a board-approved clinical supervisor (BACS)."
      ],
      "forms": null,
      "processing_benchmark": null,
      "endorsement_rules": {
        "source_url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19",
        "summary": "R.S. 37:2712 licensure by endorsement/reciprocity for equivalent out-of-state credentials, subject to an open-book Louisiana Practice Act exam and fee."
      },
      "compact_status": {
        "member": true,
        "multistate_licenses_available": null,
        "source_url": "https://swcompact.org/compact-jurisdictions/",
        "verified_date": "2026-09-19"
      },
      "last_verified": "2026-09-19",
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act, R.S. 37:2701-2720 (8/1/2024 codification)",
          "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf"
        }
      ],
      "gaps": {
        "aswb_exam.level": {
          "kind": "unchecked",
          "note": "No primary page names ASWB or a level: the Practice Act says only an examination approved by the board, and the board site (https://labswe.org/) has no exam-provider text.",
          "sources": [
            {
              "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act",
              "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
              "says": "Has passed an examination approved by the board."
            }
          ],
          "checked": "2026-09-29",
          "ask_the_board": null
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "dataProblems": [
    {
      "credential": "LMSW",
      "path": "aswb_exam.level",
      "kind": "unchecked",
      "note": "No primary page names ASWB or a level: the Practice Act says only an examination approved by the board, and the board site (https://labswe.org/) has no exam-provider text.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act",
          "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "says": "Has passed an examination approved by the board."
        }
      ],
      "askTheBoard": null,
      "checked": "2026-09-29"
    },
    {
      "credential": "LCSW",
      "path": "aswb_exam.level",
      "kind": "unchecked",
      "note": "No primary page names ASWB or a level: the Practice Act says only an examination approved by the board, and the board site (https://labswe.org/) has no exam-provider text.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Louisiana Social Work Practice Act",
          "url": "https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/boardsandcommissions/StatutoryCitations/41_Louisiana%20Social%20Work%20Practice%20Act%208-1-2024.pdf",
          "says": "Has passed an examination approved by the board."
        }
      ],
      "askTheBoard": null,
      "checked": "2026-09-29"
    }
  ]
}