Fix SLP: Advocacy & Accountability in Speech-Language Pathology

Leaders from the West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WVSHA) join the conversation to discuss advocacy, leadership, and the role of state organizations in speech-language pathology.Dr. Tori Gilbert, SLP, private practice owner and current association president, and Allegra Cornaglia, PhD/SLP, assistant professor and convention chair, share their experiences working within a state association and supporting clinicians across West Virginia. They discuss how WVSHA operates, opportunities for SLPs to get involved, and why clinician leadership at the state level matters.For SLPs interested in advocacy, professional leadership, or understanding how state-level organizations influence the profession, this discussion offers insight into how change happens within SLP.🚧 Check out or join the West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association here.🚧 Register for the WVSHA Convention, April 28-29, 2026, and don't forget to use FIXWV at checkout for the membership rate, no matter who you are or where you live.🚧 Follow WVSHA on Facebook.✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to preorder the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰, or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser that will help launch Speech Connect nationwide.🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

CPT 92507 is being deleted and replaced with new time-based speech therapy CPT codes. What does this mean for SLP reimbursement, Medicare billing, work RVUs, and compliance?In this episode of Fix SLP, Jeanette Benigas, PhD, is joined by Rick Gawenda to break down:• Why CPT 92507 was targeted for review• The new proposed speech therapy CPT codes• RUC work RVU recommendations• Practice expense implications• The shift from untimed to timed codes• The risk to auditory processing disorder and communication in the new code language• How audits and payer denials could increase• What SLPs can do before the March 6 open comment periodThe AMA CPT Editorial Panel approved deleting 92507 and creating ten new time-based treatment codes. But what’s missing? Language that includes auditory processing disorder, communication, and flexibility for real-world therapy sessions.If you’re a speech-language pathologist in private practice, outpatient therapy, pediatrics, hospital, SNF, or home health, this episode explains exactly what is happening and what could change in 2027. This is the episode every SLP needs to hear about CPT 92507.You can find Rick Gawenda on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook, or at https://gawendaseminars.com. ✨ Grateful for Beaming Health’s partnership in helping clinicians handle insurance so they can focus on patients. Make sure to let them know that Fix SLP sent you! ✨ Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser that will help launch Speech Connect nationwide.🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

In this State by State episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas talks with Emily Bromer. MS/SLP, from the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV), about what a state membership organization actually does and why it matters for SLPs.They discuss how SHAV supports Virginia SLPs and audiologists, the benefits of state association membership, CE opportunities, student leadership development, how advocacy priorities are set, and details about the 2026 SHAV Annual Conference in Richmond, Virginia, including a special discount for nonmembers using the code FIXSLP10.If you’ve ever questioned whether joining your state association is worth it, this episode offers a practical look at how state-level professional organizations build community, shape policy, and support clinicians.Learn more about the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia, and don't forget to use code FIXSLP50 for $75 off the non-member registration at the SHAV annual conference, March 30-31.In case you missed them:➡ Ed Bice, M.Ed./SLP, acting president of the Speech-Hearing Association of Virginia, discusses SHAV's petition to eliminate provisional licenses and grant full licensure to new grads immediately upon graduation in episode 93.➡ Listen in on an open and honest conversation about burnout, fear of mistakes, productivity pressure, and why so many clinicians feel like they’re never doing enough, even when they’re doing everything in episode 106.🛠️ Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10!🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Burnout is driving talented SLPs out of the profession, and perfectionism is a major reason why. In this episode, we break down the myth of the “perfect SLP” and how unrealistic expectations that start in grad school, intensify through credentialing culture, and follow clinicians into the workplace are breaking speech-language pathologists. We talk honestly about burnout, fear of mistakes, productivity pressure, and why so many clinicians feel like they’re never doing enough, even when they’re doing everything. This conversation reframes burnout as a systemic problem, not a personal failure, and names what SLPs actually need to stay in the field.If you missed the infamous Dr. Kroll and Phuong Palafox discuss burnout, get caught up here!Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10!🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

In this listener mailbag episode, SLP grad students, clinicians, and private practice owners call the Minivan Meltdown line to share what’s really happening behind the scenes in our field.First, a grad student with a repaired bilateral cleft lip and palate describes a supervisor who told her she “can’t be a good SLP” because of her speech difference. Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis, SLP, break down discrimination in training, how CCC standards exclude disabled and Deaf clinicians, and why difference is not disorder.Next, a medical SLP who accidentally dropped her CCC in 2008 shares what happened when she kept her state license and kept working. We talk shame culture, confusion around the CCC, mutual recognition agreements, and why so many CCC “rules” fall apart under scrutiny.Finally, a private practice owner in Kentucky explains how pediatric F-codes (like F80) were treated as “mental health” diagnoses, triggering visit caps, mass denials, and 12–18 month reimbursement delays. We unpack F-code chaos, the Mental Health Parity Act, and why small practices shouldn’t be the ones stuck fighting insurers.If you’ve ever been gaslit by a supervisor, confused by the CCC, or crushed by insurance games, this episode is your reminder: you’re not the problem. The system is.Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10!🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, sits down with Oregon SLP Kara Hayden, MS/SLP, to unpack how clinicians organized, lobbied, and helped pass a state law requiring hourly pay, ending pay-per-visit in home health and hospice. They cover timelines, productivity pressure, joining an existing nurses’ union, building a small core team, securing a sponsor, writing testimony, and answering the big question: “Won’t agencies just pay less?” If you’re ready to push for change in your state, pay models, Medicaid rules, or workplace policies, this episode gives you the blueprint and the courage to start.Brought to you by Verse Therapy, the business-in-a-box solution for SLPs who want to start, run, and grow private practice with confidence. Verse Therapy makes private practice a realistic option by providing an AI-integrated EHR, marketing support, cohort trainings, and a team that helps you build your brand and run your practice like a pro. Learn more at versetherapy.com.Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10!🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Telehealth coverage for SLPs under Medicare expired on October 1, 2025. In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Katie Brown, SLP, explain what this means for the provision of Telehealth services for traditional Medicare Part B beneficiaries, the nuances for Part A beneficiaries, and the allowance of private pay. They also unpack the government shutdown’s impact on claims processing, what remains unchanged for Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans, and why employers shouldn’t issue blanket telehealth bans without checking payer rules. Get clear, practical guidance plus the free Telehealth Toolkit to support your patients and advocate for continued access.Find all of the advocacy tools you need here to participate in the telehealth call to action, or check out Katie's SLPs Blueprint to Medicare Success and get $100 off with the code FixSLP.If you missed it, catch Katie and Jeanette’s earlier conversation on Medicare telehealth in Episode 96. It sets the stage for what’s happening now.Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10!🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

SLP fear is real, but facts are louder. In this Fix SLP Podcast episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, unpack the top fears heard daily: Praxis retakes, reinstating the ASHA CCC, supervision requirements, getting overlooked by misinformed employers, whether CCC status affects international portability via the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and how employer education, not court battles, drives SLP autonomy and better jobs.This episode shows how to turn fear into facts: evaluating your local job market, approaching HR about removing CCC requirements, clarifying supervision rules, and proving that patient outcomes, not extra letters, define true competence in the field.Thank you to our sponsor, ⭐️ Informed Jobs, ⭐️ connecting SLPs with meaningful job opportunities and career resources to keep you informed and empowered. Explore more at informedslp.com. Just click the menu, then select "Jobs"!🦺 Employer Education resources🦺 Episode #89: ASHA CCC Reinstatement - Facts, Fear, and What You Actually Need🦺 Episode #82: How ASHA Built a Monopoly in Speech-Language Pathology, and Why We Filed a Federal Complaint🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Telehealth for speech therapy is under threat, and if Medicare pulls access, the consequences could ripple far beyond one program. Adults, families, and care partners lose critical care options, but that’s just the start. A Medicare rollback could trigger private insurance and Medicaid to follow suit, resulting in reduced access across the board. In this episode, we explore why telehealth is crucial for patients who can’t drive, for care partners balancing demanding schedules, and for clinicians serving rural and underserved communities. You’ll also get advocacy tools, ready-to-use letter templates, and simple ways to mobilize your practice and patients to keep telehealth accessible.Find all of the advocacy tools you need here to participate in the telehealth call to action, or check out Katie's SLPs Blueprint to Medicare Success and get $100 off with the code FixSLP.Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! Thank you to our sponsor, ⭐️ Befitting You Medical Supply ⭐️, offering AAC devices with hands-on assessments, education, and support for patients and families. Check them out!New here? Subscribe, share with a colleague, and call the Minivan Meltdown line at fixslp.com to add your voice.🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work.🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com.🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

Burnout is hitting SLPs earlier and harder, especially as caseloads and productivity rise. Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, is joined by Fix SLP’s Mikayla Treynor, MA/SLP, to chat about what burnout really is (per WHO), how high caseloads and rising productivity targets fuel it, and how to tell burnout from simple under‑stimulation. They share practical strategies you can use now: set enforceable boundaries, stop unpaid paperwork, try micro‑breaks, prioritize real rest, use therapy as a tool, track wins, choose CEUs that actually energize you, and connect with peers. They also zoom out to system‑level solutions such as workload models, employer education, and advocacy that make your day‑to‑day job better. If you’re a school or medical SLP feeling stretched thin, this episode gives you tools, language, and a plan to protect your energy and stay in the field you love.🎧 Go back to episode #67: SLPs, OTs, and PTs: How Employers Steal Your Wages (And How to Stop It) for more on wage theft.·Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.·We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.·Become a sustaining partner to support our work.·Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.·Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.·Email us at team@fixslp.com.·Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

ASHA doesn’t own the SLP Interstate Compact, but in Virginia, they used it as leverage to oppose a petition aimed at removing the supervised experience requirement for full licensure. In this bonus episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, unpack the petition, ASHA’s public letter of dissent, and why using the SLP Interstate Compact as a scare tactic matters for SLPs nationwide. We break down the Medicare Administrative Contractor and private insurance barriers, the CMS connection, and Fix SLP’s alternative solution to qualify new graduates for full licensure immediately after graduation while protecting both access to care and new graduate support.·Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.·We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.·Become a sustaining partner to support our work.·Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.·Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.·Email us at team@fixslp.com.·Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, we break down the shocking Praxis exam scandal that has rocked the SLP world. ETS canceled scores for over 180 future clinicians, citing cheating and policy violations tied to a shared Google Doc. We explain what happened, who’s being penalized, and why the response from ASHA is raising eyebrows. Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, bring clarity, evidence, and a call to stop fear-based culture in the field. If you're impacted or just want to understand what this means for the profession, you don’t want to miss this episode.·Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here.·We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com.·Become a sustaining partner to support our work.·Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok·Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content.·Email us at team@fixslp.com.·Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★