Board of Hearing and Speech
Board of Hearing and Speech information
The mandate of the Board of Hearing and Speech is to protect the public's health and safety and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers under its jurisdiction. The board accomplishes this through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division.
Become a Board, Commission or Committee Member.
- Board Information
-
Description
The Board of Hearing and Speech governs the three separate professions: Hearing aid specialist, audiology, and speech language pathology. The board consists of eleven members to be appointed by the governor.
Members of the board must be residents of this state. Three members represent the public and have an interest in the rights of consumers of health services and must not be or have been a member of, or married to a member of, another licensing board, a licensee of a health occupation board, an employee of a health facility, nor derive his or her primary livelihood from the provision of health services at any level of responsibility. Two members are hearing aid specialists who are licensed, have at least five years of experience in the practice of hearing instrument fitting and dispensing, and must be actively engaged in fitting and dispensing within two years of appointment. Two members of the board are audiologists licensed who have at least five years of experience in the practice of audiology and are actively engaged in practice within two years of appointment. Two members are speech-language pathologists who have at least five years of experience in the practice of speech-language pathology and are actively engaged in practice within two years of appointment. One advisory nonvoting member is a speech-language pathology assistant certified in Washington. One advisory nonvoting member is a medical physician licensed in the state of Washington.
Compensation
Each member is eligible to receive compensation in an amount not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars for each day during which the member attends an official meeting of the group or performs statutorily prescribed duties approved by the chairperson of the group.
Reasonable allowances will be provided to cover reasonable and necessary subsistence and lodging expenses while engaged on official business away from their designated posts of duty.
Powers and duties:
- Establish by rule minimum standards and procedures in the fitting and dispensing of hearing instruments as deemed appropriate and in the public interest.
- Adopt any other rules necessary.
- Develop, approve, and administer or supervise the administration of examinations to applicants for licensure.
- Require a licensee or interim permit holder to make restitution to any individual injured by a violation. The authority to require restitution does not limit the board’s authority to take other actions deemed appropriate.
- Pass upon the qualifications of applicants for licensure or interim permits and to certify to the secretary.
- Recommend requirements for continuing education and continuing competency requirements as a prerequisite to renewing a license or certification.
- Adopt rules, if the board finds it appropriate, in response to questions put to it by professional health associations, hearing aid specialists, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, interim permit holders, and consumers in this state.
- Adopt rules relating to standards of care relating to hearing aid specialists or audiologists, including the dispensing of hearing instruments, and relating to speech-language pathologists, including dispensing of communication devices.
Board participation expectation guidelines
The following expectation guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for current members and for prospective appointees of the board:
- Attend regular board meetings, scheduled quarterly on Fridays during business hours. The board sets its meeting schedule each fall for the following calendar year.
- Board members may be appointed to one of the following:
- Disciplinary Committee
- Education/Exam Committee
- Public Relations Committee
- Rules Committee
- Site Review Committee
- Prepare for all meetings by reading materials sent one to two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting date. The packets take an average of two to four hours to read.
- Participate on disciplinary panels by telephone several times per year. These calls take less than one hour.
- Evaluate and make recommendations on disciplinary cases. Participate in calls with staff attorneys and board staff as needed to develop recommendations. Time spent on disciplinary cases depends on the nature and number of cases assigned to that board member. Each case can take from one to several hours.
- Participate on hearing panels from one to several days approximately once per year. A panel of three board members is generally used to hear disciplinary cases.
- Mentor newly appointed board members as necessary.
Total annual time commitment
- Meetings: Four days per year. Two to four hours of preparation and follow-up per meeting.
- Disciplinary calls: Eighteen to twenty per year. Preparation and attendance are usually less than one hour per call.
- Disciplinary case review: One to several hours per complaint assigned.
- Hearing Panels: One to several days per year.
- Board Members
-
Name and term expiration date of members
Member Term End Brenda Litke, fitter/dispenser June 6, 2025 Connie Furry, fitter/dispenser June 6, 2025 Nichole Furness, audiologist, chairperson June 6, 2026 Amberkiah Pomeroy, audiologist June 6, 2025 Taylor Adkins, speech-language pathologist June 6, 2026 Sonja Bradford, speech-language pathologist, vice-chairperson June 6, 2025 Ray Parker, public member June 6, 2025 Paula Benson, public member June 6, 2024 Robert Richardson, public member June 6, 2026 David Horn, non-voting licensed medical physician June 6, 2024 Cristy Pellegrini, non-voting licensed speech-language pathology assistant June 6, 2026 - Board Meetings
-
Meeting information
Please join us either in person or via Microsoft Teams using the provided details.
Date and Location Activity Documents February 2, 2024
- Location: University of Washington Tacoma, Garretson Woodruff and Pratt (GWP), 1754 Pacific Ave, Room 320, Tacoma, WA 98402
- Virtual Option: Microsoft Teams
- Time: 9 a.m.
- Meeting ID: 271 400 184 104
- Passcode: 4wiNmV
Regular meeting May 3, 2024
- Location: Washington State Department of Health, Town Center 2, 111 Israel Rd. S.E., Room 166, Tumwater, WA 98501
- Virtual Option: Microsoft Teams
- Time: 9 a.m.
- Meeting ID: 238 830 972 199
- Passcode: LmuJb6
Regular meeting July 26, 2024
- Virtual Option: Microsoft Teams
- Time: 9 a.m.
- Meeting ID: 251 573 896 627
- Passcode: HdkSa7
Regular meeting November 1, 2024
- Virtual Only: Microsoft Teams
- Time: 9 a.m.
- Meeting ID: 286 553 793 714
- Passcode: kwdtpH
Regular meeting - Meeting Minutes
-
2023
2022