2020 Georgia Code
Title 43 - Professions and Businesses
Chapter 28 - Occupational Therapists
§ 43-28-3. Definitions

As used in this chapter, the term:

1. "Board" means the State Board of Occupational Therapy.
2. "License" means a valid and current certificate of registration issued by the division director.
3. "National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)" means a national organization that administers a national certification examination for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.
4. "Occupations" means activities of daily living in which people engage.
5. "Occupational therapist" means a person licensed to practice occupational therapy as defined in this chapter and whose license is in good standing.
6. "Occupational therapy" means the therapeutic use of occupations with individuals, groups, populations, or organizations to support participation, performance, and function in life roles. Occupational therapy is provided for habilitation, rehabilitation, and the promotion of health and wellness to those who have or are at risk for developing activity limitation or participation restriction. Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory-perceptual, and other aspects of performance in a variety of contexts and environments to support engagement in occupations promoting health, well-being, and quality of life. The practice of occupational therapy, including that which may be provided through telehealth, includes, but is not limited to, the following:
   1. Evaluation, treatment, education of, and consultation with individuals, groups, and populations whose abilities to participate safely in occupations, including activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation, are impaired or at risk for impairment due to issues related, but not limited to, developmental deficiencies, the aging process, learning disabilities, physical environment and sociocultural context, physical injury or disease, cognitive impairments, and psychological and social disabilities;
   2. Evaluation to determine abilities and limitations related to performance of occupations, including the identification of physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional, or social deficiencies. Treatment based on such evaluation utilizes task oriented, purposeful, and meaningful goal directed activities to prevent, correct, minimize, or compensate for deficiencies to maximize independence in daily life and promote overall health and well-being; and
   3. Specific occupational therapy techniques used for treatment that involve, but are not limited to, training in activities of daily living; environmental modification; the designing, fabrication, and application of orthotic or orthotic devices; selecting, applying, and training in the use of assistive technology and adaptive devices; sensory, motor, and cognitive activities; therapeutic exercises; manual therapy techniques that do not include adjustment or manipulation of the articulations of the human body; and physical agent modalities. Such techniques are applied in the treatment of individuals, groups, or through organizational-level practices to enhance physical functional performance, work capacities, and community participation.
7. "Occupational therapy aide" means an unlicensed person who provides supportive services to the occupational therapist and the occupational therapy assistant under the direct supervision of the occupational therapist or the occupational therapist assistant.
8. "Occupational therapy assistant" means a person licensed to assist the occupational therapist in the practice of occupational therapy under the supervision of or with the consultation of the licensed occupational therapist and whose license is in good standing.
9. "Occupational therapy practitioner" means a licensed occupational therapist or licensed occupational therapy assistant.
10. "Orthotic" or "orthotic device" means a rigid or semi-rigid device or splint used to support a weak or deformed body part. An orthotic may be used to restrict, eliminate, or enhance motion; to support a healing body part; or to substitute for lost function or motion and can be custom fabricated, custom fitted, or prefabricated.
11. "Person" means a natural person only, not a legal entity.
12. "Physical agent modalities" means occupational therapy treatment techniques, both superficial and deep tissue, which may, but are not required to utilize the following agents: thermal, mechanical, electromagnetic, water, and light for a specific therapeutic effect to promote functional outcomes.
13. "Telehealth" means the application of evaluative, consultative, preventative, and therapeutic services delivered through telecommunication and information technologies by licensed occupational therapy practitioners. This may include, but shall not be limited to, telemedicine, telepractice, telecare, telerehabilitation, and e-health services.

(Ga. L. 1976, p. 993, § 3; Ga. L. 1991, p. 379, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1994, p. 97, § 43; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1302, § 15; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1706, § 19; Ga. L. 2019, p. 745, § 1/HB 253; Ga. L. 2020, p. 493, § 43/SB 429.)

The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, deleted former paragraph (1), which read: " 'Association' means the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association."; redesignated former paragraphs (2) and (3) as present paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; added paragraphs (3) and (4); redesignated former paragraphs (4) through (7) as present paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively; rewrote paragraph (6); in paragraph (7), substituted "means an unlicensed person who provides supportive services to" for "means a person who assists" near the beginning, deleted "in the practice of occupational therapy and who works" following "therapy assistant" in the middle, and added "or the occupational therapist assistant" at the end; added paragraphs (9) and (10); redesignated former paragraphs (8) and (9) as present paragraphs (11) and (12), respectively; rewrote paragraph (12); and added paragraph (13).

The 2020 amendment, effective July 29, 2020, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, revised punctuation near the beginning of subparagraph (6)(A); and substituted "well-being" for "wellbeing" near the end of the second sentence of subparagraph (6)(B).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

ALR.

- Right of corporation to engage in business, trade or activity requiring license from public, 165 A.L.R. 1098.