Fix SLP: Advocacy & Accountability in Speech-Language Pathology

ASHA launched a new consumer-facing website, and SLPs immediately started digging. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, and Stephanie Feero, MS/SLP, unpack the newly rebranded Communication Health Support Association (CHSA), its connection to ASHA, and the financial and organizational questions surrounding the rollout. The conversation explores CHSA’s 70-year history, ASHA's evolving missio...

CPT 92507 Option B is officially in front of the AMA Editorial Panel, and this is the week that decides what happens next. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, sits down with a private practice owner of 44 years, Mary Billings, MS, CCC/SLP, who has seen Medicare cuts before, and is sounding the alarm again. What’s being proposed isn’t just a coding change. It has the potential to reshape ho...

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 as...

SLPs had a lot of questions after our last episode on CPT 92507, so we brought back healthcare reimbursement expert Rick Gawenda to answer them. In this Q&A episode, we talk about: 🛠️ Why CMS flagged 92507 🛠️ How the proposed 30-minute base codes would work 🛠️ Why SLP timed codes are not the same as PT/OT 🛠️ Questions about schools, Medicaid, documentation, and more If you're an SLP allied pro...

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...

Speech Connect, SLP directory, private practice growth, ASHA ProFind alternative, and access to speech therapy, this episode covers it all. Dr. Jeanette Benigas sits down with Jordyn Montique, MS/SLP (@ jrc_theslp ), founder of Speech Connect, a new free, community-driven directory for licensed speech-language pathologists. Speech Connect allows families to filter by identity, specialty, neurodive...

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...

In this solo episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, unpacks why speech-language pathologists across the country are suddenly questioning ASHA’s CCC refund policy, and what changed to prompt those questions. Many clinicians are discovering, often for the first time, that ASHA membership and the Certificate of Clinical Competency (CCC) are bundled in ways that were never clearly explained on renewal in...

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, product...

After an unexpected eight-week silence, Dr. Jeanette Benigas returns to the Fix SLP Podcast to explain where she’s been, what’s been happening behind the scenes, and why stepping away was necessary. In this episode, Jeanette addresses burnout in speech-language pathology, advocacy fatigue, care partner strain, and the pressure of being constantly accessible while leading a clinician-driven movemen...

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, b...

SLP burnout isn’t a personal failure; it’s a systems problem. In this episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, talk with researchers Dr. Tobias Kroll (Texas Tech) and Phuong Palafox, SLP, about their study, “The Invisible Workload of School-Based SLPs.” We cover why SLPs are advocating (and being ignored), how caseload vs. workload, siloed roles, and “martyr culture” fuel overwhelm...

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: “Wo...

After letting her CCC lapse without regret, Christal Washington, MS/SLP, later chose to reinstate, on her own terms, to help the private practice she works at grow. She shares the exact process, Praxis prep, and timeline, plus what she learned about working without the CCC. This honest story strips away the fear and shows what reinstatement really looks like when the choice is yours. Brought to yo...

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 r...

Michigan SLPs just scored a unanimous 15–0 win in the Michigan House Health Policy Committee. House Bill 4484 is officially moving forward, clarifying that the state license, not a private certificate, is the credential for reimbursement. In this bonus episode, we detail what’s next in the Michigan legislative process, why this matters for Medicaid states, and how SLPs can replicate the win across...

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,...

Renewal season is here, and the confusion is real: what’s the difference between ASHA membership and the CCC, and what do SLPs actually need to practice? In this episode, we discuss the legal authority of your state license, why the CCC is sold as a product, what “membership perks” really mean, and when keeping or dropping the CCC matters for supervision, Medicaid billing, or employer policies. Cl...

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 cruci...

SLP malpractice insurance without ASHA Membership (or the CCC), fact or fiction? In this Fix SLP Summer School episode, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, discuss affordable liability coverage options for licensed SLPs who choose not to maintain ASHA membership or the CCC. They explain the ProLiability/AMBA partnership, why it’s not your only option, what policies and riders are...

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 bounda...

Virginia is shaking up SLP licensure. Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, talks with Ed Bice, M.Ed./SLP, acting president of the Speech-Hearing Association of Virginia, about their petition to eliminate provisional licenses and grant full licensure to new grads immediately upon graduation. They unpack the petition’s purpose, address mentorship versus supervision, explore impacts on The Audiology & Spee...

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 nationwid...

This week on Fix SLP, Dr. Jeanette Benigas, SLP, and Preston Lewis, MS/SLP, call out the emotional and professional fallout from the Praxis exam scandal, the profession’s empathy deficit, and what the response reveals about the culture of speech-language pathology. They discuss how shame and judgment are being used to gatekeep the field, what really happened with the 180 impacted students, and wha...

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...