West Virginia GC licensure is law—what we know so far

On April 1, 2026, Governor Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia signed HB 5458 into law, bringing genetic counseling licensure to the state. Read the bill here (PDF).

A representative from the West Virginia Board of Medicine says they are currently drafting the rules and licensure application and expect to have them ready by their next board meeting on July 13.

The representative also says the board is drafting emergency rules to extend the July 1 deadline set in the bill, since the application will not be available until after the next board meeting. The representative could not provide an official date, but we’re likely to see an application—along with a licensure requirement date—by mid-July.

Genetic counseling licenses from the state will last two years and renew on June 30 of odd-numbered years.

Renewals will require 3 CEUs (30 hours) every 2 years, but the law waives the CEU requirement for its first renewal.

Genetic counselors can order genetic tests under the new law, as it explicitly allows them to do so within their scope of practice.

The application fees and grace period for this initial licensing period have not yet been determined, but we’ll send updates as soon as more information becomes available.

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