We are proud to announce the Nebraska Psychological Association has been selected as a recipient of the National Register 2026 SPTA Advocacy Award! This award is presented annually to State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs) to honor excellence in advocacy. April D. Fernando, PhD , member of the National Register Board of Directors and Chair of the National Register’s SPTA Advocacy Award Committee, said of the Nebraska Psychological Association: “The Committee was incredibly impressed with the results of NPA’s advocacy work to addresses the broken relationship between behavioral health providers and Nebraska’s managed care organizations (MCOs) through audit transparency, appeals protection, statute of limitations, proportionality standard, and dup process. We were also delighted that NPA was able to secure Medicaid reimbursement for doctoral psychology interns. Truly remarkable accomplishments – congratulations to NPA!” After receiving notice of the award, Carmen Skare, NPA Executive Director, stated, “ NPA is extremely honored to receive the National Register’s SPTA Advocacy Award recognizing the relentless work of our very dedicated volunteers. The successful passage of two bills addressing Medicaid audits and psychology intern reimbursement during a single session is an extraordinary outcome for NPA, and evidence that small SPTAs can achieve landmark legislative victories through persistence, expertise, and heart. It acknowledges the power of psychologists who believe deeply in their mission and act on it. We now focus on diligently monitoring implementation of the new requirements, and continuing our efforts to build strong advocacy coalitions as we address our state’s access-to-care and workforce shortage challenges.” About the National Register of Health Service Psychologists The National Register of Health Service Psychologists was established in 1974 and is the largest nonprofit credentialing organization for psychologists and psychology doctoral students. The National Register is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare by identifying psychologists who meet specific education and training standards, and by verifying these professionals to consumers, healthcare organizations, and regulatory bodies. The National Register currently credentials 10,000 Health Service Psychologists and has approximately 5,000 psychology doctoral student and postdoctoral trainee members in its Associate Program. For more information, visit www.nationalregister.org

How long have you been a member of NPA, and why did you join? I joined during my internship year in 2018 and have been active ever since. I had a supervisor turned mentor, who is also an NPA member, who felt I would benefit from being involved with the Legislative Committee given some of my experiences, interests, and long-term career goals. She sponsored my membership, and I loved the experience from the very beginning.