District-of-columbia LSWA Requirements & Hours Tracker

Licensure as a Licensed Social Work Associate (LSWA) in the District of Columbia is governed primarily by the District of Columbia Code § 3‑1208.01 and the Board of Social Work’s regulations and application materials. Together, they define what you need in terms of education, exams, supervision, and hours—and, importantly, what you do not need.

Below is a structured guide focused on LSWA requirements and the exact “hours” language where it actually appears in D.C. law and Board rules.

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1. Legal definition of the LSWA license in D.C.

The core statutory definition appears in D.C. Code § 3‑1208.01:

“The Board of Social Work shall license as a social work associate a person who, in addition to meeting the requirements of subchapter V of this chapter, has a baccalaureate degree (‘B.S.W.’) from a social work program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education, and has satisfactorily completed the examination process at the associate level.” (code.dccouncil.gov)

and

“A licensed social work associate (‘L.S.W.A.’) may perform case work, group work, and community organization services under the supervision of a social worker licensed under § 3‑1208.03 or § 3‑1208.04.” (code.dccouncil.gov)

Two key takeaways:

• The statute does not set any numeric practice‑hour requirement for LSWA.
• It explicitly requires that all practice at that level be under supervision of an LISW or LICSW.

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2. Education requirement (and how “experience” is built in)

Required degree

To qualify for LSWA in D.C., you must have:

• A baccalaureate degree in social work (BSW) from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (code.dccouncil.gov)

This mirrors national comparative summaries of D.C. licensure, which list for LSWA:

• Education: BSW
• Experience: 0 (no post‑degree hours required)
• Exam: ASWB Bachelors (“associate level”) (cga.ct.gov)

CSWE‑accredited BSW programs include field practicum, but the D.C. Board does not set a separate number of practicum hours for LSWA licensure. Any practicum hour totals are accreditation/education requirements, not additional state licensing hours.

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3. Examination requirement (“associate level” exam)

The statute requires that an LSWA applicant:

• “has satisfactorily completed the examination process at the associate level.” (code.dccouncil.gov)

In practice, this means:

• Passing the ASWB Bachelors‑level national exam, which is the national “associate level” exam used for baccalaureate social work licensing.
• The Board’s application package links directly to the ASWB Exam for applicants. (dchealth.dc.gov)

The exact scaled passing score and logistics come from ASWB, but for D.C. LSWA purposes the requirement is simply: pass the ASWB Bachelors exam and have that score reported to the Board.

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4. Are there required practice or supervision hours for LSWA?

Pre‑licensure experience hours

For LSWA, the District does not prescribe any minimum number of post‑degree “practice hours” or “supervised hours” for initial licensure:

• The LSWA statute contains no language about hours—in contrast to the LISW and LICSW statutes, which explicitly require 3,000 hours of supervised experience for those higher licenses. (dccode.elaws.us)
• A 50‑state comparative report similarly lists the experience requirement for D.C. LSWA as “0” hours, confirming there is no mandated pre‑licensure hour total for this level. (cga.ct.gov)

So, to answer your example directly:

D.C. does not require “1,500 hours of direct experience and 1,500 hours of supervised experience,” or any other numeric practice‑hour breakdown, to obtain an LSWA license.

Supervision requirement for LSWA practice

Although no hours are required to get the license, all LSWA practice must be supervised:

• LSWA “may perform case work, group work, and community organization services under the supervision of a social worker licensed under § 3‑1208.03 (LISW) or § 3‑1208.04 (LICSW).” (code.dccouncil.gov)
• The Board’s supervision regulation, 17 DCMR § 7012, states that “a licensed social work associate” is among those who “may practice under supervision.” (dcrules.elaws.us)

The regulation does not impose a total‑hours requirement for LSWA; it instead governs how supervision must be structured (see section 7 below).

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5. Core application requirements for LSWA (by examination)

The Board’s “Social Work – LSWA, LGSW, LISW and LICSW New License Application – Examination Checklist” lays out what every new applicant must submit. For LSWA, those requirements include: (dchealth.dc.gov)

1. Online application

   • Complete all pages of the online application through the DC Health licensing portal.

2. Demographic and identity documentation

   • Demographic information (name, DOB, address) must match the electronic licensing system.
   • Social Security number, or if you do not have one, a sworn affidavit under penalty of perjury plus acceptable immigration/citizenship documentation (e.g., Certificate of Citizenship, Resident Alien Card, valid foreign passport with visa, or DHS work permit). (dchealth.dc.gov)
   • One recent passport‑size (2x2) color photo of your face with a white background (digital upload). (dchealth.dc.gov)
   • Photocopy of a current government‑issued photo ID (driver’s license or passport). (dchealth.dc.gov)
   • Name‑change document if applicable (marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order). (dchealth.dc.gov)

3. Education verification (transcripts)

   • An official transcript must be sent directly (electronically or in sealed envelope) from the educational institution to the Board, showing completion of a CSWE‑accredited social work degree.
   • For LSWA specifically, this must be a baccalaureate degree in social work (BSW), consistent with D.C. Code § 3‑1208.01. (code.dccouncil.gov)
   • Foreign‑educated applicants must have their education evaluated via CSWE. (dchealth.dc.gov)

4. Work Experience Form (but not a required hour minimum)

   • All applicants must complete a Work Experience Form, listing all social‑work‑related experience (including internships) in chronological order. (dchealth.dc.gov)
   • The form itself does not prescribe a minimum number of hours for LSWA; it is a documentation tool rather than an hours requirement.

5. Character references

   • A Character Reference List with three references:
     • At least two must be professional social workers.
     • The third may be a family member or friend.
   • Each must have known you for at least one year and be able to attest to your character. (dchealth.dc.gov)

6. Criminal Background Check (CBC)

   • All applicants must undergo a criminal background check and pay the specified CBC fee online.
   • If any screening question is answered “Yes,” you must submit explanations and supporting documents (court records, monitoring agreements, licensure orders, etc.). (dchealth.dc.gov)

7. Screening questions and NPDB self‑query (if applicable)

   • All screening questions must be answered, including “Clean Hands.”
   • If you answer “Yes” to certain items, you must obtain and submit a National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Self‑Query Report, dated no more than 30 days before submission. (dchealth.dc.gov)

8. Fees

   • The checklist specifies $230 (USD) for the combined application and license fee (for new license by examination). (dchealth.dc.gov)

9. Examination

   • Apply for and pass the ASWB Bachelors‑level exam, and have your results sent to the Board. (dchealth.dc.gov)

Notably absent from these LSWA application requirements is any reference to required totals of practice or supervised hours—those appear only for LISW/LICSW.

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6. Where hour‑based requirements do appear (for higher licenses)

The D.C. statute and Board materials are very explicit about hours for independent licenses, which helps highlight that LSWA has no such requirement:

• Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW):
  Must have “at least 3,000 hours post‑master’s or postdoctoral experience under the supervision of a licensed independent social worker over a period of not less than 2 or more than 4 years.” (dccode.elaws.us)

• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW):
  Must have “at least 3,000 hours of post‑master’s or postdoctoral experience participating in the diagnosis and treatment… under the supervision of a licensed independent clinical social worker over a period of not less than 2 years or more than 4 years,” with limited substitution of psychiatrist/psychologist supervision allowed for up to 1,500 of those hours. (dccode.elaws.us)

• The Board’s checklist reiterates for LISW/LICSW only:
  “A total of 3000 general supervision hours and 100 face to face or immediate supervision hours verified on onsite or offsite supervision forms is required.” (dchealth.dc.gov)

None of this hour language is applied to LSWA in the statute or Board checklists.

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7. Supervision structure and “hours” while practicing as an LSWA

Even though LSWA licensure itself has no minimum hour requirement, once licensed you must practice under supervision, and the regulations define the ratio and type of supervision rather than a total number of hours.

Under 17 DCMR § 7012 – Supervision of Practice: (dcrules.elaws.us)

• Who may practice under supervision

  • Includes “a licensed social work associate” (LSWA). (dcrules.elaws.us)

• Compensation and independence

  • An LSWA “shall not establish an independent practice, and shall not receive compensation of any nature, directly or indirectly, from a patient, except for a salary based on hours worked under supervision.” (dcrules.elaws.us)

• Supervision ratio and contact

  • “At least one (1) hour of every thirty‑two (32) hours of supervised practice shall be under immediate supervision.” (dcrules.elaws.us)
  • Supervision must include ongoing communication and oversight, and major decisions requiring social work skill must be made with supervisor approval. (dcrules.elaws.us)

This creates an hour‑based ratio for supervision (1:32) but does not mandate a total number of supervised hours for LSWA. It simply regulates how any supervised practice—whether 50 hours or 5,000—is structured.

Temporary supervised practice while awaiting licensure

The Board also uses a “Request for Supervised Practice Form” that allows an applicant to work under supervision for a limited time while the application is processed:

• An approved supervised practice authorization is valid for 90 days only from the approval date, and is described as a “ONE TIME ONLY issuance with no extensions.” (dchealth.dc.gov)
• The applicant “cannot begin work without an approved supervised practice form.” (dchealth.dc.gov)

Again, this sets a time limit (90 days), not a required number of hours.

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8. Continuing education hours (post‑licensure)

Once licensed as an LSWA, you must meet the same continuing education (CE) requirements as the other social work license types for renewal:

The Board states: (dchealth.dc.gov)

• Total CE hours: 40 hours of approved continuing education each renewal cycle.
• Ethics: At least 6 hours in Ethics, which must be done face‑to‑face; no online courses accepted for this portion.
• LGBTQ: At least 2 hours of LGBTQ training (this portion may be online).
• Public Health Priorities: At least 4 of the 40 hours must be in topics designated as Public Health Priorities.
• Online CE cap: No more than 12 of the 40 hours may be completed online.

These are the primary “hour” requirements you will encounter as an LSWA, but they apply after initial licensure, not as pre‑licensure practice hours.

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9. Step‑by‑step summary focused on hours and key requirements

Putting this into a concise, hour‑focused roadmap:

1. Complete a CSWE‑accredited BSW.

   • No additional Board‑mandated practicum hours beyond what the accredited program already requires.

2. Apply to the D.C. Board of Social Work for LSWA (by examination).

   • Submit online application, ID documents, character references, and official transcript. (dchealth.dc.gov)

3. Undergo CBC and answer screening questions.

   • Provide explanations and NPDB report if needed. (dchealth.dc.gov)

4. Take and pass the ASWB Bachelors‑level (“associate level”) exam. (code.dccouncil.gov)

5. No pre‑licensure practice‑hour total is required for LSWA.

   • Experience requirement is “0” hours in comparative tables; statute mentions only degree and exam. (cga.ct.gov)

6. Once licensed, practice only under supervision.

   • Cannot have independent practice or bill directly.
   • Must follow supervision rules, including 1 hour of immediate supervision for every 32 hours of supervised practice. (dcrules.elaws.us)

7. For renewal, complete 40 hours of CE (including 6 ethics, 2 LGBTQ, 4 public health priorities, and no more than 12 online). (dchealth.dc.gov)

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Bottom line on “hours” for LSWA in D.C.

• Pre‑licensure required practice hours: None. The law and Board materials do not impose a 1,500/1,500 or any other numeric practice‑hour requirement for LSWA licensure.
• Supervision ratio while practicing as LSWA: At least 1 hour of immediate supervision for every 32 hours of supervised practice. (dcrules.elaws.us)
• Temporary supervised practice authorization: Valid for 90 days once granted, one‑time only. (dchealth.dc.gov)
• Continuing education for renewal: 40 hours total per cycle, with specified sub‑requirements in ethics, LGBTQ topics, and public‑health‑priority topics. (dchealth.dc.gov)

All other LSWA requirements in the District of Columbia revolve around education, examination, supervision structure, character/fitness, and continuing education, not quantified pre‑licensure practice hours.