Nurse Licensure Compacts
What it is: The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) allows registered nurses and LPN/VNs to hold one multistate license that lets them practice in every compact member state — currently more than 40 states — without obtaining a separate license in each one.
Why it matters to our community: Families of autistic children and adults rely heavily on nursing care: home health nurses for medically complex kids, school nurses, psychiatric nurses, and telehealth providers. The nursing shortage hits disability services hardest, because home- and community-based care is chronically understaffed. The compact expands the pool of available nurses by removing red tape — a nurse across the state line, a military spouse who just relocated, or a telehealth nurse in another state can serve our families immediately instead of waiting months for duplicative licensure. For families in rural areas and border communities, this is the difference between getting care and going without.
Our position: Americans for Autism Advocacy supports the Nurse Licensure Compact and urges remaining non-member states to join. More licensed nurses able to practice means shorter waitlists, more home-care coverage hours filled, and better telehealth access for the autism community.
