Does West Virginia Medicaid Cover Supervised Psychologists and LGSWs?
By George Ruan • October 30, 2026
Yes, for specified credentials and services. West Virginia Medicaid Chapter 521 includes board-supervised psychologists and names LGSWs and LCSWs for certain outpatient psychotherapy services. That is not permission for every provisional therapist to bill under a supervisor: the same chapter rejects nonphysician provisional-license enrollment and billing under an enrolled provider.
This guide reads the Chapter 521 PDF currently linked by BMS, retrieved October 30, 2026. The chapter itself is revised January 15, 2018. Its age matters: use current service-specific authorization, claim instructions and any later BMS notices for the date of service; this is not a certification of every Mountain Health Trust plan’s network rules.
Sections
What is the supervised-psychologist pathway?
Section 521.3.1 accepts a supervised psychologist working under a licensed psychologist and requires credential records at the practice. A Board of Psychology-approved supervisor may bill for no more than four supervised psychologists and may not exchange supervisees with another supervisor for Medicaid billing. Section 521.15 also excludes services by a supervised psychologist at a satellite office that is not the primary practice site when the Board-approved supervising psychologist is unavailable for direct face-to-face supervision. The supervised-psychologist category is expressly named; it should not be replaced with the broad label “unlicensed student.”
Can an LGSW or LCSW provide psychotherapy?
The chapter permits a physician practice to employ LCSWs and LGSWs and requires AJ for the eligible services in that arrangement. Its 90832, 90834 and 90853 credential lists include both. By contrast, the 90837 credential list names physicians, physician extenders, licensed psychologists, board-supervised psychologists, LICSWs and LPCs, but omits LCSWs and LGSWs. Do not extend the shorter-session or group-code permission to 90837.
The 90847 family-therapy entry has a separate ambiguity: its staff-credential list omits LCSWs/LGSWs, while its AJ paragraph includes them. An AJ reference alone does not resolve that discrepancy. Obtain a current BMS determination before using that entry for either credential.
When does AJ apply, and whose identity is used?
For eligible listed services, the manual requires AJ when the specified mental-health professional is not independently enrolled. It allows licensed or supervised psychologists, LICSWs and LPCs to work under a physician practice without independent enrollment, and separately addresses LCSW/LGSW employment there. The AJ rule is not a universal instruction to replace every clinician’s rendering NPI with a supervisor’s NPI. Exact electronic claim fields must follow the applicable BMS claim instructions and enrollment arrangement.
Does a provisional counseling license or student placement qualify?
Not under the general provisional-license route in section 521.3.1: its exception is restricted to newly enrolling physicians. Nor does the chapter’s supervised-psychologist category establish permission for any psychology student. The actual credential, board-approved relationship and procedure-specific staff list must match. Other behavioral-health agency benefits have their own rules; this article does not transfer those to ordinary outpatient claims.
Official sources
BMS Chapter 521: sections 521.3.1 and 521.13, pages 5 and 18–25
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an LGSW bill West Virginia Medicaid for a 60-minute psychotherapy visit?
Chapter 521 includes LGSWs for 90832, 90834 and 90853 in the described arrangement, but its 90837 staff list omits them. Do not infer 90837 eligibility from the shorter-session codes.
Does AJ prove any supervised clinician is eligible?
No. AJ is a claim requirement for specified professionals and services when not independently enrolled. Credential eligibility, practice arrangement and service scope must already be satisfied.
Is a supervised psychologist the same as any provisional therapist?
No. Chapter 521 expressly recognizes board-supervised psychologists while separately restricting provisional licensure. Match the specific category rather than treating the terms as interchangeable.
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