Can school-based ASHA-certified clinicians request a salary supplement for their participation in third-party billing?
Yes. For example, clinicians in Minneapolis Public Schools were making little progress in their efforts to garner a salary increase until the school district started to bill Medicaid for speech-language pathology services. Because the state required ASHA CCCs (or equivalent) for third-party billing, but not for being a school-based SLP, Minneapolis clinicians used the opportunity to argue for a salary increase for holding voluntary national certification. ASHA CCCs had value as the district began collecting reimbursement to support students in special education. The school district stood to receive significant reimbursement by having ASHA-certified SLPs fully participate in third-party billing. As a result, the SLP’s union and school district signed an agreement providing a salary increase of more than $1,500.
