The OT Compact's October 26 application table, practitioner guidance, and Missouri's compact statute
Missouri is now accepting OT Compact applications, giving eligible occupational therapists and assistants another route to practice in the state. The commission's official table lists October 26 as Missouri's opening date. For a clinician considering a Missouri assignment, the next step is checking eligibility and securing the destination privilege before seeing patients.
In brief
- Missouri brings the application network to eleven states.
- Listed state and Compact charges total $105 for OTs and $85 for OTAs.
- Home-state eligibility, jurisprudence requirements, and approval still govern access.
An opening on both sides of the state line
Missouri joins the ten states already accepting applications after Arkansas and Mississippi opened earlier this month. Eligible Missouri residents can seek privileges in other operational states, while eligible residents of those states can apply for Missouri privileges.
The commission's practitioner guidance makes the home-state test explicit: the clinician must primarily reside and hold a license in a participating state, and that state must have launched applications and established the clinician's eligibility. An FBI criminal background check goes through the home-state licensing board. Membership alone does not make a state's license usable across the network.
Read the fee beside the renewal date
Missouri's listed state charge is $30 for an OT and $10 for an OTA. Adding the $75 Compact fee produces totals of $105 and $85. These are the published privilege charges; a required background check can carry a separate cost.
Missouri's compact statute ties the privilege's expiration to the home-state license. Someone applying near renewal should compare that date with the proposed assignment and confirm the next renewal expense before paying. The application table also links Missouri's jurisprudence information. Applicants should review that guidance before making the required attestations.
Check the permission behind the first appointment
Under Missouri's compact law, practice occurs where the patient is located during the encounter, including telehealth. Clinicians working under a Missouri privilege follow Missouri's practice laws. An OTA needs supervision from an OT who holds a Missouri license or privilege.
The application guidance requires clinicians to complete their own applications and legal attestations. A staffing agency can discuss reimbursement and assignment dates; the applicant remains responsible for the submission. Before accepting a start date, ask the employer who will verify the approved privilege and track its expiration. Put the fee reimbursement agreement in writing, and keep the approval record with the assignment paperwork.