Requirements by State

The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics, Inc. (ABC) believes that the provision of orthotic, prosthetic and pedorthic (O&P) care should be vested in practitioners who have fulfilled requirements for ABC certification.  We believe that state licensure laws should embody equivalent requirements, and that it is the responsibility of local O&P practitioners and consumers to determine the merits of such initiatives within their state or commonwealth.

Therefore, depending on the unique needs of individual states, consumers and practitioners, we will endorse state licensure for the O&P profession for the provision of safe and effective care to patients.  We also understand that state licensure may require initial “grandfathering” of other providers of O&P services for a time-limited period.

We will serve as a resource for and provide public and proactive assistance to local ABC-certified practitioner groups who have undertaken organized efforts to seek state licensure requirements that include ABC credentialing standards as the basis for licensure. Assistance may include non-financial support such as written and or verbal testimony given before state legislative bodies. Such support will be provided either by request or when we determine it is appropriate and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by our Board of Directors.

​A map of states with O&P licensure will be maintained at this site for your reference.

State Licensure Exams Administered by ABC

We have worked with various state licensure agencies to establish the highest quality testing procedures for the practitioners in their state. We are pleased to have been chosen as the state licensure examination administrator for the following states: Florida, Washington, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and New Jersey.

ABC Licensure Information Available

Our Licensure Task Force created three documents that provide information for those interested in writing licensure bills:  the licensure handbook, which provides a general overview, as well as a template for licensure bills and a template for licensure administrative rules.  For editable versions of these documents, please contact ABC Clinical Resources.​