The Financial Health of Massage Organizations: COMTA

COMTA logo

 

 

The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) accredits  educational schools and programs offering instruction in massage therapy and bodywork or esthetics and skin care. My first report on their finances was back in 2010, again in 2011, and again in 2013. It’s been quite a while since I checked in on them. As individual massage therapists, we’re not giving them our money in the form of membership dues, but I think it is in our interest to understand what they do. Disclosure: I was a COMTA reviewer for several years a long time ago. It’s not as simple as filling out an application and sending in the fee to get approved. it’s an arduous process and there’s a lot of documentation involved for school owners.

Schools can opt to pay for one of two levels of accreditation: institutional or programmatic. Once the school is approved, COMTA collects annual sustaining fees based on the level of accreditation; institutional members pay a percentage of revenue, and programmatic members pay by the number of students. You can see their entire fee list here.

There is also a category, “COMTA-Endorsed Curriculum,” which is for schools or programs that have not yet decided to take the plunge into accreditation, and has a less expensive separate schedule of fees.

COMTA is currently listing 71 schools on their website; the overwhelming majority are massage schools, with only a couple of esthetics schools listed. I had to click on every school listed to see which accreditation they actually have.  The majority have institutional approval, a handful have COMTA-endorsed curriculum, and the rest have programmatic approval.

Since it’s been so long since I’ve reported on them, I’m listing some differences in filings over a 10-year period of time. Keep in mind that 990 filings from exempt organizations have a different filing schedule. I am listing these comparisons by the ending dates of the fiscal year. These filings can be found on ProPublica. COMTA is a 501(c)(3) entity.

Their last filing is for the fiscal year ending in February 2024. 

Gross Revenue: $261,512.  Total Salaries: $131,026.  Of that figure, Dawn Hogue, the Executive Director, was paid $100,000 plus $7200 in other compensation. There are no other employees listed on the filing, so we can assume Hogue is running the office and doing administrative duties within her job description. COMTA Commissioners are volunteers and are not compensated. When I was a site reviewer, we usually traveled as a team of 2-3 people and we were not paid, but our travel expenses were paid by the organization. The total number of volunteers is listed as 24. The total functional expenses for the organization, which include attending conventions, accounting, normal office operation expenses, etc., totaled $247,234.

Let’s look at the filing for the fiscal year ending in February 2014 for comparison’s sake. 

Gross Revenue: $397,670. That included $2000 in grants, which COMTA did not receive for the fiscal year ending in 2024. Their revenue had actually dropped substantially from the previous year (2023), when it was $481,773. Total Salaries: $208,457. Of that figure, Kate Zulaski, the Executive Director at that time, received $81,413 plus $6,890 in other compensation. There were 40 volunteers listed at that time. The total functional expenses were listed at $464,066, which is $66,396 less than they took in.

Years ago, COMTA received some substantial grants from AMTA.

As I wrote in 2013, COMTA  grew out of the American Massage Therapy Association’s (AMTA) Program Approval Review Committee and the Commission on Massage Training Approval & Accreditation (COMTAA) organization. In 2002, COMTA was recognized by the Secretary of Education to accredit non-degree and degree granting institutions that offer massage and/or bodywork training programs. In 2004, COMTA separated itself from the AMTA, becoming an independent organization. The then-CFO at AMTA, Larry Liboda, told me in 2013, a couple of days before I published that blog, that they were no longer subsidizing the organization.

COMTA has hung on through recessions and COVID, which affected schools everywhere. They have assets and net balances of $491,306. That’s not a lot in the general scheme of things. If another recession hit tomorrow, they still have to pay someone to run the organization. They still have to pay for utilities, insurance, accounting services, banking fees, and the miscellaneous expenses of running an organization.

I’ve always thought COMTA was a good organization for massage therapy schools, which trickles down to excellence in education for massage therapy students. I know many school owners who have refused COMTA accreditation because “I’m not going to have anybody telling me what I have to do.” But COMTA standards are actually high. Their Self-Study Report, which places schools under no obligation to seek COMTA approval, is available on their Forms page. I encourage school owners to download it. It might help you see where there’s room for improvement. Isn’t there always?

California Call to Action: Ask the Governor to VETO AB1504 for the Good of Massage Therapy

VETO

 

 

 

Please ask Governor Newsom to VETO AB1504 – which is granting CAMTC another 4 years.  The bill is sitting on the governor’s desk and there is advocacy for him to veto this bill.

CAMTC is currently the only model in CA where a private, voluntary organization controls certification for a healthcare profession — without public oversight or due process. Individuals have faced unfair treatment, delays, or denials in certification from CAMTC.

  1. Email the Governor today:
    Go to https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/
  2. Email to chief of staff of Governor Newsom: nathan.barankin@gov.ca.gov 
  3. Subject Line: VETO AB1504
  4. Choose Con (against) 
  5. Message (Write in your own words):
  • Share your experience with CAMTC if you’ve had one.
  • Express your concern that CAMTC is a private voluntary organization but turned into mandatory, as most major counties require CAMTC certification to practice.
  • Mention that AB1504 is unjust and should be vetoed to protect future massage professionals.
  • You can also copy or adapt this message from our organization:

Dear Governor,

I urge you to veto AB1504 — a bill that undermines the rights of working individuals, especially minorities and immigrants, and sets a dangerous legal precedent.

AB1504 is an unconstitutional model granting a private, voluntary organization (CAMTC) the   sole authority to oversee the certification of massage therapists in California. It is not a licensing board. No other state in the nation allows a private entity to wield such unchecked power over a healthcare profession — without public accountability, due process, or oversight.  This organization has violated due process by denying individuals fair access to certification and discriminated against ESL applicants, leading to an ongoing civil rights lawsuit by AJSOCAL. CAMTC has prevented qualified individuals from pursuing a career in massage therapy, turning a voluntary credential into a de facto mandatory license — without legislative oversight or constitutional authority. CAMTC is facing contempt of court trial for defying your state court’s orders. They may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, yet they continue to operate without being held accountable for harming individuals and business owners.

Major industry stakeholders and organizations have called for the sunsetting of CAMTC. Continuing to empower this private body serves only its own interests — not the interests of California workers, consumers, or public health.

AB1504 is not only poor policy — it is legally and morally wrong. Stand up for working   people. Stand up for fairness, access, and constitutional governance. Do not be part of this injustice. VETO AB1504.

(Your Name Here)

 

I am sharing the following letter that the owners of A2Z Health Massage School, which has been operating for over 26 years, is an AMTA Member School, a school member of CAPPS (California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools), and approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. In fact, Dr. Ben Drillings, co-owner of A2Z with his wife Lilah, is a former board member of CAMTC. They sent this to their graduates a few days ago:

Dear Graduates,

CAMTC has filed a motion to move the case of A2Z Health Massage School vs. CAMTC from Sacramento Superior Court to California Federal Court. This move came just as CAMTC is set to face contempt of court trial in state court, with a trial date that was scheduled for September 18, 2025.

Because of the motion they filed to move the case to federal court, the state court on 9/16/25 removed the 9/18/25 contempt trial off calendar.  This is another litigation tactic by CAMTC as they are going through legislative sunset. It has used procedural tactics to avoid facing the consequences of its conduct.

In response to their motion, A2Z filed a motion to remand the case back to state court. A federal judge will decide whether the case remains in federal court or returns to state jurisdiction. This hearing is set for today September 19, 2025. There are no court appearances on this matter, the judge will decide and notify both parties. We have not heard back yet from the court.

Regardless of where the case is ultimately heard, it’s important to emphasize:

  • The court’s injunctions against CAMTC remain in effect.
  • The contempt charges are still active.
  • If the case proceeds in federal court, the contempt trial will move there, and the contempt trial date will be adjusted according to the federal court’s calendar.

CAMTC has deprived both our institution and our graduates of fundamental due process rights. We have been subjected to an open-ended investigation with no deadlines, no closure, and no accountability. That is not regulation. That is a clear abuse of power.

We are actively pursuing all legal remedies available.

 

Why do I care what happens to massage therapists in California? I don’t live there, so it’s not personally affecting me. I care because the CAMTC is hurting people who have spent their time and money to go to school, graduated, and are being denied a license for no other reason than because CAMTC is on a power trip. There are currently around 300 graduates in limbo. If you are uninformed about what’s happened there, please read my previous blogs on this matter, linked below. And please send an email to Governor Newsom today.

Sunset CAMTC: Call to Immediate Action

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part II

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part III

The Financial Health of Massage Organizations: NCBTMB

Looking back through my older blogs, I see that the first time I reported on the finances of the NCBTMB was in 2010…fifteen years ago. Things have changed drastically since then. The FSMTB, established in 2005, rolled out the MBLEx in 2007, back when the National Certification Examinations (one in Therapeutic Massage, one  in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, and the National Exam for State Licensing) were the choices for licensing in almost every regulated state. A few states had and continue to have their own licensing exams. The last NCBTMB exam intended for entry-level licensing purposes was given February 2015. The NCBTMB continues to offer voluntary certification exams.  The organization has seen a lot of changes since then. I reported on their finances in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2019.  Bear in mind that  tax-exempt organizations are on a different filing schedule than the general public, so this blog, posted 09/13/2025, reflects the financial filing submitted on for the 2023 calendar year, or tax year beginning 03-01-2023 , and ending 02-29-2024. The actual form is posted on ProPublicaFilings of this and other exempt entities are usually listed there, as well as on Candid. 

For my older blogs, I used Guidestar, but their page for exempt entities is now pointed to Candid.

ProPublica has filings from the NCBTMB dating back to 2007.  For that fiscal year, the NCBTMB showed total revenue of $8,655,003.

For the 2023 filing, total revenue is $1,281,328.  Part of their revenue for 2023 was $174,200 in grants, reportedly from AMTA. They weren’t getting grants in 2007, but they didn’t need any. Their operating expenses in 2007 were $8,747,653. Their operating expenses in 2023 were $1,131,271.

To make a long story short, they’re not what they once were. The MBLEx changed the whole landscape of massage licensing exams. But they’ve also cut their expenses to reflect that. The current CEO, Shelly Johnson, received  a salary of $134, 327 plus an estimated $7,565 in other compensation in 2023.

In comparison, in 2007, then- Executive Director Chris Laxton was paid a salary of $191,962 plus $1,769 in benefits and $7,680 for an expense account.

The telling difference is the compensation that was paid to board members in 2007 compared to what they are paid now. I know several of the 2023 board members, including Dolly Wallace, the then-chairperson (Christopher Deery is now the Chair). Dolly was paid the magnanimous total of $4,200 for leading the board, and the filing says she worked 4 hours per week (I call BS on that, having served on public boards before). Other board members for the 2023 filing were paid between $1350-$1800. It’s basically a volunteer job. Nobody’s getting rich…but they used to.

In 2007, Board Chair Donna Feeley was paid over $100,000 for supposedly working 10 hours a week. Let it be said that Feeley and then-Executive Director Chris Laxton came under extreme fire from former members of the board, who raised numerous concerns about their manhandling NCBTMB matters instead of having board discussions and votes. One being that they decided to change Laxton’s title to CEO instead of Executive Director without any consultation with the board members. You can see the letter written by concerned former board members here. 

I’ve written about Feeley before. She is deceased and not here to defend herself, but she notoriously held a board meeting in Hawaii and was known for taking limos and going to 5-star restaurants at NCBTMB expense. None of the present board members would do any such thing. The NCBTMB also spent over $925,000 on legal expenses during 2007, reportedly for filing lawsuits against states who chose to use the MBLEx. We see how that turned out.

The NCBTMB is a different animal than it used to be. The massage regulatory landscape evolved and so did they. They have a great CEO and great board members, and are fulfilling their now-mission of providing voluntary certification instead of licensing. No one is required by any state to get Board Certification. People do it because they want to. The NCBTMB has been around since 1992, and they aren’t going anywhere. They’re rolling with the changes.

 

 

 

 

The Financial Health of Massage Organizations: FSMTB

The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Their mission remains the same as it was in the beginning:

The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) is an autonomous, non-profit organization comprised of state regulatory boards and agencies that regulate the massage therapy profession. All revenue collected by the organization is used to enhance FSMTB programs and provide support to FSMTB Member Boards in fulfilling their responsibility of protecting the public.

The mission of FSMTB is to support its Member Boards in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public safely and competently.

As non-profits have a different filing schedule than the rest of us, this 990 filing is for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, ending June 30, 2023 (the form is labeled as 2022), and is published on ProPublica. The FSMTB is a 501(c)(3) organization. As of this writing, the only states that are not members are Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Wyoming, Minnesota, the US Virgin Islands, and Kansas.  The US Virgin Islands, Maine and Connecticut accept the MBLEx, although they are not FSMTB members. Wyoming, Minnesota, and Kansas have no statewide licensing to date. Vermont has registration. California is a member of FSMTB, although there is no exam required there at all and they have voluntary certification, not licensing, issued by the California Massage Therapy Council.

I was only able to access the fiscal years from 2012 going forward on ProPublica. The revenue of FSMTB has not varied much over the years. For the past 12 years’ filings, their incomed was relatively static at $5M +, except for the fiscal years 2016 and 2017, when it was over $7M. In all years, the majority of income is from the fees collected for taking the MBLEx, which currently costs $265. If one fails and retakes the exam, it’s $265 for each retake. This filing’s total revenue was $5,588,490;  $5,273,753 of that was from MBLEx fees. Other revenue includes investment income, although the 2022 filing showed a loss of $-25,833. On their previous filing, investment income was $342,911.

The expenses of the Federation for this filing includes 24 employees, and while their 75 volunteers are not paid per se, if they are required to attend meetings such as those for test item writers, their expenses are paid for travel, lodging, and meals. Total salary expense for this filing was $1,754,993, including that of Executive Director Debra Persinger, who earned $367,261 in base compensation, a $10,000 bonus, $74,504 in other compensation, $62,200 in retirement compensation, and $64,743 in non-taxable benefits, for a total of $578,708. $50,000 of that was reported as deferred from the previous filing.

Expenses of the FSMTB include salaries, rent, utilities, office supplies, printing costs, advertising, technology, insurance, maintenance, investment expenses, cost of holding FSMTB meetings and attending meetings and massage conventions, accounting, and the big one, paying Pearson Vue to administer the MBLEx. About 20,000 people take the exam in one year’s time, with about 20% retaking the exam at least once.  Pearson Vue also charges test takers an additional $20 to administer the exam.

Revenue minus expenses for this filing equals $812,688. The FSMTB also show $18,446,702 in assets and only $515 in liabilities.

All in all, the FSMTB is in sound financial standing.

Sunset CAMTC: Call to Immediate Action!

According to the California Senate Business and Professions Committee website, a Senate vote on AB1504 in regards to CAMTC is scheduled for June 30, 2025, at 10:00 AM, located at 1021 O Street, Room 2100.

Massage therapists, school owners, employers, and consumers of massage: please attend and encourage all those who support sunsetting CAMTC and establishing a state licensing board to attend and speak in support for up to 2 minutes. Advocacy letters in favor of creating a state licensing board can also be sent to legislative staff and to the Business and Professions Committee. (should be sent prior to 6/30/25). A template courtesy of ABMP can be downloaded here. They can email their support to sunset CAMTC to:

Link to AMTA licensing support of state license is here: https://ca.wp.amtamassage.org/state-legislation/

Link to ABMP licensing support is here: https://www.abmp.com/updates/legislative-updates/california/let-sun-set-camtc-certification

There are numerous reasons for sunsetting CAMTC and getting a real licensing board, the same as exists in 46 states, Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Licensed massage therapists are not out there in left field with a “certification.”

It’s interesting to note that California has a population of over 39 million people, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s salary is $279,476.00. Meanwhile, CAMTC has less than 60,000 certified massage therapists, and the CEO of that organization makes more than twice the amount of salary that the governor does. No wonder they don’t want the sun to go down on this organization. It’s a cash cow.

Yet another reason to sunset CAMTC is the unethical and unlawful behavior they have exhibited in the matter of A2Z Healthnet Massage Schools. The Sacramento Superior Court hearing to hold CAMTC in contempt of court is scheduled now for June 24, 2025. A2Z graduates (the number is now close to 300) remain in a state of limbo—some for over two years—with no explanation or solution provided by CAMTC. Despite two court injunctions ordering CAMTC to certify A2Z graduates, the organization refuses to comply. This organization apparently thinks it is above the law. The graduates have shown up to board meetings, sent emails, called, but they are being ignored. The owners have written letters requesting to speak at board meetings that received no response linked here, and specifically wrote a letter to Joe Bob Smith, Director of Education Standard Division,  to which they have also had no response, linked here.

We call on legislators to protect the due process rights of individuals. They have the constitutional right to work. Furthermore, these students have paid their $300 fee to CAMTC, and they have nothing to show for it. Legislators must hold CAMTC accountable. Whatever grievance CAMTC may have with the school should not affect the applicants. These students enrolled and attended A2Z while it was fully approved, and there was never any lapse in its approval.

For more background on the sunset, you can read my previous blogs:

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part II

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part III

I urge every massage therapist in California to email their legislators. Flood their email urging the sunset of CAMTC and the creation of a true licensing board in California.  Do it before June 30.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Financial Health of Massage Organizations: AMTA

Over the next few blogs, I will be posting about the financial health of massage therapy organizations that are non-profit. First up is AMTA. As non-profits are on a different schedule than taxpayers, 2023 is the last year that is currently available. Their Form 990 is labeled as such, although technically their tax year for this filing is for the time period beginning 03/01/2023 and ending 02/29/2024.  Information comes from www.guidestar.org.

AMTA is in sound financial health. Their total revenue for this filing is $22,691,933, a gain of over $1.7M from the previous year. Over $18,000,000 of that came from member dues. Their total expenses for the year were 22,523,607.

They awarded $598,997 in grants (AMTA supports the Massage Therapy Foundation as well as the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation and also gives scholarships).

At the time of this filing, Bill Brown was still the executive director. He received just under $450,000 in salary and other compensation. Lisa Stegink, CEO and general counsel received over $363,000 in salary and other compensation, and Jeffrey Flom, CEO, received over $325,000 in salary and other compensation. Six other department directors received a minimum of $150,000 up to $191,000 in salary and other compensation.

AMTA spent over $969,000 on lobbying for the good of the massage therapy profession.

AMTA has $46,741,102 in assets, minus $17,004,290 in liabilities, leaving them with $29,736,812 in net assets and fund balances.

Although the exact number is not given, AMTA’s website says they have over 100,000 members. AMTA was founded in 1943. In other words, they have managed their finances well, and they’re not going out of business.

 

A Podcast about CAMTC from Healwell.org

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve always admired the folks at Healwell.org.

If you don’t know what Healwell is and what they do, please visit their website.  Healwell weighed in on the CAMTC Sunset this week. They have a regular podcast, called The Rub: a Healwell podcast about massage therapy. This episode is  Rubdown News Alert: California State Licensing

Please give it a listen and read the notes; they have some good resources.

Healwell also has a very informative blog covering different topics related to massage and other health-related topics. Again, please visit their website and see all the good work they do, not limited to but including working with cancer patients, providing education, conducting research, and doing hospital-based as well as outpatient care. Healwell is a non-profit organization. Their finances are transparent and their 990 filings and annual reports are linked directly on their website. Consider making a donation. 

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part III

The pathetic saga of CAMTC continues. The Sunset hearing is scheduled for April 29. ABMP and AMTA are both in favor of sunsetting this organization and are working towards that end through their government relations people. What you can do, as a massage therapist, is send a letter to your representative ahead of the April 29 deadline. If you don’t know who your legislators are, you can find that out here. A letter template can be accessed here. You can also ask your clients to support this and encourage them to contact legislators as well.

California massage therapists deserve true licensing instead of this voluntary certification, which was never meant to be the final outcome from the beginning. It was seen as a stopgap measure until true licensing could be achieved. One wonders why the CAMTC is so against licensing. It may be they are happy with the money their executives are hauling in. You can see their 990 filing from 2023 here. 

Regardless of the outcome of that, one can only hope that on June 2, justice will be served when the contempt of court hearing against CAMTC happens.  It is unfortunate that the contempt of court hearing is not taking place before the sunset hearing.

There are now approximately 300 graduates from A2Z Health Massage School who have their certifications in limbo. They’ve completed school, paid their money to CAMTC, and are being denied certification by CAMTC. There are two court orders telling them to certify the graduates, the last one issued by the Superior Court, but they have not been complied with. The hearing on June 2 requires that the CAMTC explain why they are violating the court orders. It will be especially interesting since during the discovery process, the owners of A2Z found that a CAMTC employee who visited the school multiple times during surprise visits gave them good reviews.

Licensing boards exist for public protection. They exist to license those who meet the qualifications, to approve education, to investigate complaints, to work against human trafficking and the association of sex in the massage profession, and to give due process to consumers and to licensees. CAMTC has failed the due process part miserably. As I quoted in my last post, the order issued by the Superior Court states:

(1) By no later than April 4, 2025, the Council shall issue provisional certifications to each Petitioner. The provisional certifications shall remain effective until the final disposition of this action, subject to the Massage Therapy Act’s provisions for renewal (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 4605) and discipline (Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 4609-4611).
(2) The Council is enjoined from withholding certification from any applicant based upon the Council’s investigation of and/or approval revocation proceedings against A2Z.
(3) The Council is enjoined from requiring any applicant to submit to any
investigatory process as a condition of certification, including interviews,
hearings, or submission of additional information, except for the sole purpose of determining whether the applicant has received the required education set forth in Business & Professions Code, § 4604, subd. (a)(2).)
IT IS SO ORDERED.

Graduates of this school who were called in for interviews stated that they were asked such questions as “Where is the school’s bathroom located?” and “What is beriberi?” Beriberi is a rather obscure disease caused by a deficiency in thiamine, that is most prevalent in indigenous populations in the Amazon, in infants in refugee camps, for example, and other places lacking adequate nutrition.¹ It is a rare occurrence in the US. As the author of a textbook on passing licensing exams that is in its 5th edition, I have never mentioned it in the pathology section.  I’d be surprised if it’s a question on the MBLEx, other state exams, or the Board Certification Exam. If knowledge of beriberi is the benchmark for the safe and effective practice of massage therapy, a lot of us are probably in trouble. 

Please act on this immediately by writing your legislators. April 29 is looming, and if this doesn’t happen now, there will not be another opportunity for four more years. It’s time to support real licensing in California.

  1. Geoffrey A. Preidis, 81 – Nutrition-Associated Disease, Editor(s): Jeremy Farrar, Patricia Garcia, Peter Hotez, Thomas Junghanss, Gagandeep Kang, David Lalloo, Nicholas White. Manson’s Tropical Diseases (Twenty-Fourth Edition),Elsevier, 2024, Pages 1161-1177. ISBN 9780702079597,Geoffrey A. Preidis,
    81 – Nutrition-Associated Disease,
    Editor(s): Jeremy Farrar, Patricia Garcia, Peter Hotez, Thomas Junghanss, Gagandeep Kang, David Lalloo, Nicholas White,
    Manson’s Tropical Diseases (Twenty-Fourth Edition),
    Elsevier, 2024, Pages 1161-1177,
    ISBN 9780702079597,
    https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-7020-7959-7.00081-6.

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC Part II

 

My recent blog about CAMTC caused quite a stir. I got dozens of emails from people who have been affected by their actions and  letters of thanks from two former national presidents of AMTA. I also received an email from Joe Bob Smith, CAMTC Director of Educational Standards Division, telling me my BS meter looks like it’s a little rusty. I had given him a heads up on the forthcoming blog and CAMTC could have given their side, but chose not do so.

Today is April 4, the deadline imposed by the California Superior Court to grant petitioners who graduated from A2Z Health Massage School a provisional certification. Although the case was filed by 6 specific petitioners, the ruling from the Superior Court, dated 03/13/2025, states the following:

Petitioners’ motion for a preliminary injunction is granted as follows:
(1) By no later than April 4, 2025, the Council shall issue provisional certifications to each Petitioner. The provisional certifications shall remain effective until the final disposition of this action, subject to the Massage Therapy Act’s provisions for renewal (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 4605) and discipline (Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 4609-4611).
(2) The Council is enjoined from withholding certification from any applicant based upon the Council’s investigation of and/or approval revocation proceedings against A2Z.
(3) The Council is enjoined from requiring any applicant to submit to any
investigatory process as a condition of certification, including interviews,
hearings, or submission of additional information, except for the sole purpose of determining whether the applicant has received the required education set forth in Business & Professions Code, § 4604, subd. (a)(2).)
IT IS SO ORDERED.

Today, I was contacted by one of the graduates who has been waiting more than a year to receive the certification for which they meet all the qualifications, whose initial contact with me was the reason I wrote the first blog. They are one of 250 graduates of A2Z whose certifications have unlawfully and unethically been held up by CAMTC. The graduate emailed CAMTC today inquiring about the certificate and including the court order, and CAMTC’s response was “Due to ongoing litigation your application has not been processed.” Bear in mind, these 250 people have all paid the required $300 fee to apply for certification, as well as paid for fingerprints/background check, and a passport photo, as well as submitting all the required paperwork.

$300 may not seem like a lot of money, but when it’s been held up for over a year and you haven’t received anything in return for it except excuses, most people would be upset over it. These graduates are particularly upset over it, because even though certification in California is completely voluntary–in theory–there are many places that will not hire a therapist without the certification, regardless of how much education they have.

CAMTC has made it a point to state how financially solvent they are. Since non-profits are on a different filing schedule than the rest of us, the latest 990 filing that is available from them on Guidestar is for 2022. Edit: it was brought to my attention that another website, ProPublica, has the CAMTC 2023 filing available. You will have to create a free account to access it. It’s quite enlightening. Since this quasi-board is not like other state regulatory agencies, they operate quite a bit differently. You will not find another massage board anywhere in the United States where there is a CEO making over half a million dollars a year. And yet, one of the arguments they use to maintain their status quo is that actual licensing will cost massage therapists a whole lot more than $300. I call BS, regardless of what anyone thinks of my BS meter.

Other professions in California have real licensing boards. Massage therapists deserve the same. 46 states, Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico have real licensing boards. They are not out there in left field with a “certification.”

I was on a call last night with the California Massage Schools Association with about 60 others, who are overwhelmingly supporting licensing. The keynote speaker was Laura Puryear, Government Relations representative from ABMP. She stated that ABMP and AMTA are both working towards real licensing for California. It is past time for that to happen. Puryear provided a letter template that interested parties may use to contact their legislators in California. You can download it here. 

I encourage all massage therapists, those who are currently in school seeking a career in massage therapy, and school owners to send this letter. If you don’t know who your representative is, you can find that out here. 

Furthermore, ask your massage clients to write in, too, supporting licensure for massage therapists. Time is of the essence as the next hearing on this issue happens April 29.

Let the Sun Set on CAMTC

 

Those who formerly followed my blog focusing on the politics of massage know that I gave it up a long time ago. But in this case, I feel compelled to come out of blogging retirement. Hang on; this will be lengthy.

For the uninformed, up until 2008, massage in California was subject to neither licensing or certification. It was regulated by individual towns and cities, and was most often categorized as adult entertainment. A legitimate therapist who was practicing years ago told me she was required to take a test for STDs before getting a city license.

In 2008, a bill creating the CAMTC (California Massage Therapy Council) as a non-governmental, non-profit agency to offer voluntary certification for massage therapists was passed, and in 2009, they began issuing certifications. Just a few years later, city officials managed to get a change made, stating that brothels masquerading as massage businesses had proliferated since the initial bill passed. The CA Chapter of AMTA has a history of the process available for public view.

Newer legislation clarifies what cities and towns can and cannot do to interfere with health professionals, such as massage therapists, doing their job. And yet, that is exactly what CAMTC is currently doing.

On January 14, 2025, I was contacted by a graduate of A2Z Health Massage School, located in Reseda, California.  The graduate who contacted me had graduated from a 250-hour program at A2Z in Thousand Oaks in 2015, followed by obtaining another 50 hours of additional education in Deep Tissue Massage in 2016, and returned to the Reseda location for a 528-hour diploma in 2024. They tracked me down through my old blog and we had a phone call. In the meantime, they emailed me their transcripts and communications with CAMTC. The crux of the communications was that their application was denied; not because of lack of education, but because A2Z was under investigation. When I looked up the school on the CAMTC website before my call with the graduate, they were listed as an approved school. They are still listed as an approved school, but there is now a statement there that says, “As of 1/23/2025, CAMTC has placed A2Z Health.net, Inc., under investigation.” That may be so, but this graduate applied for their license over a year ago.

According to the owners of A2Z, there are approximately 250 graduates of their school who have applied to CAMTC for certification who have not received it. They are being held in limbo.

CAMTC has, in my opinion, come to the end of their usefulness. Judging by the 60+ school owners, educators, and therapists in attendance at a ZOOM meeting of CAMSA (California Massage Schools Association) that I also attended this past Wednesday, as well as last month’s meeting, the majority of are in agreement that California needs full-on licensing the same as the other regulated states.

Besides California, there are now only a few states without regulation: Minnesota, Kansas, and Wyoming; Vermont does not require a license, but requires registration. What that means is that people practicing massage in unregulated states do not have to have any training in massage therapy, nor pass any sort of exam to prove competency. California’s certification is voluntary, and while they have the requirement of 500 hours of education to be certified, they do not require anyone to pass an exam. And it is still perfectly fine to hold yourself out as a massage therapist in CA without any training or knowledge at all; you just can’t claim to be certified by CAMTC.

I ended up contacting the school owners, Dr. Ben Drillings and Lilah Drillings for some clarification. Dr. Ben has been a chiropractor since 1991 ; he and Lilah founded A2Z school in 1997. Dr. Drillings is a former Board member of CAMTC, and is the President of the California Massage Schools Association. A2Z was approved by the CAMTC in 2015, when they initially started approving schools. CAMTC’s website states: Pursuant to CAMTC’s Policies and Procedures for Approval of Schools, as of July 1, 2016, CAMTC generally only accepts education from California schools specifically approved by CAMTC. Previously, CAMTC did not approve schools. Rather, it accepted education from California schools approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) or other entities listed in California Business and Professions Code section 4601(a), unless the school was otherwise un-approved by CAMTC.

A2Z has been approved by the BPPE since their inception in 1998. BPPE is a division of California Department of Consumer Affairs to provide oversight of private postsecondary educational institutions operating in California. The Drillings stated to me that their school (and all others that are approved by the Bureau) gets inspected annually by the Bureau, and that if any deficiencies are found, the school is notified in writing and is given 30 days to correct any deficiencies. And herein starts the problem.

On January 4, 2023, A2Z received a corrective letter from Joe Bob Smith, the Director of Educational Standards Division at California Massage Therapy Council, who had visited the school 7 months prior. He stated that the ESL students did not understand the material.  Another employee in the Education Standards Division, Jeff Simancek, also visited; during 2022, A2Z received a total of 7 unannounced visits from CAMTC, including two in one day. From May 20, 2022 to December 8, 2022, there was an unprecedented number of unannounced visits to A2Z’s Reseda and Santa Monica locations. What Mr. Simancek observed and reported was that A2Z students appeared to understand the material that was being taught in English and participated in English.

Following the May 20, 2022 visit, Mr. Simancek wrote “Students were asking questions and participating in the lecture.” Following the June 9, 2022 visit, Mr. Simancek wrote that “class was in English.” “Students were asking questions.” “Teacher was knowledgeable”. Following the August 3, 2022 visit, Jeff Simancek wrote that the students were very interactive with students commenting and answering questions, and that the class was student driven. In the December 8, 2022 visit, Simancek stated that many students speak English very well and that the lectures are in English. In an email written by  Simancek to Joe Bob Smith dated December 9, 2022, Simancek reported that there were “no red flags. Most students spoke and responded to in English.” It should be noted that the Drillings, owners of the school, did not receive these good reports until they were provided during the discovery process of the lawsuit.

Neither students nor teachers were interviewed at the school. They were “observed.” Joe Bob Smith informed the school that CAMTC wanted a list of every ESL student who had graduated from 2020 forward. When the school responded they did not keep a separate list of ESL students because that would be discriminatory, CAMTC said they intended to interview every student. Once the interviews, which were conducted by Shanna Price, Hearing Officer of CAMTC, started, according to the Drillings, every student who was ESL (most were Asian) failed the interview. However, when students asked why they failed, they were not given a response.  When the school questioned the interview, asking about a rubric, how many questions a student needed to answer correctly to pass, etc., the response from Price was “It is based on my experience.” American students who were interviewed were asked “how they felt” about ESL students. 18% of  California’s population is Asian. 71% of Asians in California are proficient in English.

It should be noted that once the student failed the interview, they were notified they could have a hearing to appeal, 5-6 months in the future, and that there would be a fee of $180 for a written hearing, or $270 for a verbal hearing. In July 2024, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) filed a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court against the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) for discriminating against students of Asian descent, on behalf of 6 Chinese and Thai massage therapy students. A2Z secured a court ruling  on October 10, 2024, where CAMTC was ordered to stop its investigation and issue certifications to A2Z grads…but they did not do so, apparently working on the assumption that they are above the law.

The graduate who contacted me, who is incidentally non-Asian, born in America, and English-speaking, along with the other graduates who have been waiting, received an email from A2Z last week that included a Superior Court ruling that was issued on March 13 ordering the CAMTC to issue provisional certificates no later than April 4. The pertinent part of the order is:

Petitioners’ motion for a preliminary injunction is granted as follows:

(1) By no later than April 4, 2025, the Council shall issue provisional certifications to each Petitioner. The provisional certifications shall remain effective until the final disposition of this action, subject to the Massage Therapy Act’s provisions for renewal (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 4605) and discipline (Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 4609-
4611).
(2) The Council is enjoined from withholding certification from any applicant based upon the Council’s investigation of and/or approval revocation proceedings against A2Z.
(3) The Council is enjoined from requiring any applicant to submit to any
investigatory process as a condition of certification, including interviews,
hearings, or submission of additional information, except for the sole purpose of determining whether the applicant has received the required education set forth in Business & Professions Code, § 4604, subd. (a)(2).)
IT IS SO ORDERED.

I had first approached Joe Bob Smith, Director of Educational Standards Division at California Massage Therapy Council, a few weeks ago to tell him I was coming out of retirement to blog about this issue, and that I would give CAMTC a chance to comment. He said they could not comment because it was currently in litigation. I contacted him again last week to let him know I had a copy of the Superior Court order telling them to issue the certifications, and asked him if they were going to comply with it. He stated he was away from the office but that he would pass it on. I have not heard anything from them. The graduate who initially contacted me emailed CAMTC on March 17, asking to have their certification in accordance with the court order, and received the following reply:

Thank you for your inquiry.  Due to ongoing litigation between A2Z and CAMTC, we are unable to discuss the details of this ongoing matter or respond more substantially at this time.  Please feel free to contact us in the future and we will plan to let you know when we can share additional information.

Tomorrow, March 24, is the Sunset hearing for CAMTC. AMTA is backing the sunset of this organization in favor of a real licensing board. So is ABMP.  If you agree that it’s time for California to retire this power-trip organization in favor of an actual licensing board, please contact Robert.Sumner@asm.ca.gov  with Sunset Hearing – CAMTC or California Massage Therapy Council in the subject line. You can also view the committee members and their contact info at

https://abp.assembly.ca.gov/members/committee-staff

https://sbp.senate.ca.gov/committeehome

Time is of the essence so please contact them immediately. If anyone would like a sample letter to send them, you can get in touch with me at educatedheart@gmail.com and I will send you one.

 

 

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