Individuals determining workers' eligibility and providing vocational assistance must be certified by the director and on staff of an authorized vocational assistance provider, insurer or self-insured employer.

To become certified, applicants shall submit a completed Vocational Assistance Certification Program Individual Certification application (Form 1880) demonstrating their qualifications for the specific classification of certification they are requesting. These classifications include Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Vocational Rehabilitation Interns, and Return-to-Work Specialists. Each class of certification has specific requirements, which include:

For Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor certification, the applicant must include either a certificate from one of the following national certifying organizations: Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), the Commission for Case Managers Certification (CCMC) or the Certification of Disability Management Specialists Commission (CDMSC), or they must meet the educational and direct experience requirements as described in OAR 436-120-0830.

For a Vocational Rehabilitation Intern certification, the applicant must have either a master's degree, or a bachelor's degree and 12 months of direct experience (as described in OAR 436-120-0830). 36 months of direct experience may substitute for a bachelor's degree. The applicant must also show they will be supervised by a certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor who must co-sign and take responsibility for the intern's eligibility determinations, vocational evaluations, return-to-work plans, vocational and billing reports.

For a Return-to-Work Specialist certification, the applicant must have 24 months of direct experience. Full-time (or the equivalent) additional college course work in psychology, counseling, or a field related to vocational rehabilitation may substitute for up to 18 months of direct experience, on a month-to-month basis.

If the applicant is not nationally certified by one of the above organizations, they must provide transcripts showing either a master's or a bachelor's degree of their educational training. These transcripts are not returned to the individual, but kept in the applicant's file.

Certification is not required for individuals conducting only labor market research and/or job development; but a certified vocational counselor must supervise these individuals.

Renewal of these certifications shall occur every five years as described in OAR 436-120-0820. To renew, an individual must submit either their current national certification or verification of a minimum of 60 hours of continuing education units, prior to their certification expiring. At least seven and one-half of these hours must be for training in ethical practices.