CRC in Hawaii
Recognition and practice information for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor in Hawaii.
Recognition and qualification in Hawaii
The Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) is a national certification, not a state license, awarded by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Counselors earn it with a qualifying graduate degree, a supervised internship (or, where the degree is in a related field, the employment experience CRCC accepts in its place) and a passing score on the CRC examination, and renew it every five years on 100 clock hours of approved continuing education, at least 10 of them in ethics.
The Hawaii Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) administers public vocational rehabilitation in Hawaii. KWVRS CRC-credentialed experts apply nationally recognized standards.
Hawaii courts and venues
Expert qualification in Hawaii's courts is determined case by case.
- Circuit Court - General jurisdiction; civil cases over $40,000, felonies, family court division
- District Court - Civil cases up to $40,000, misdemeanors, small claims, traffic
- Family Court - Division of the circuit court; matters involving children, divorce, child support, paternity, custody and domestic violence
Highest court: Hawaii Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Haw.
Sources: Hawaii State Judiciary, How the Courts are Structured: the appellate courts are the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals; the trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, Circuit Courts: general jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, with exclusive jurisdiction in felony cases and in civil cases where the contested amount exceeds $40,000 (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Family courts, divisions of circuit courts: the family courts are divisions of the circuit courts (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, Family Courts: legal matters involving children, domestic relations cases including divorce, child support, paternity and custody, and domestic violence cases (reviewed 2026-10-12); Hawaii State Judiciary, District Courts: civil actions up to $40,000, small claims up to $5,000, traffic infractions and criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment not exceeding one year (reviewed 2026-10-12)
Other credentials in Hawaii
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) a license or a certification?
A certification. CRCC describes certification as a peer-regulated, voluntary credential whose expectations the profession itself sets, and licensure as a mandatory credential governed by state law and administered by a state licensing board, and it advocates that rehabilitation counselors hold both. Counsel confirms the CRC and any state counseling license separately; the CRC and state license comparison sets the two side by side.
How can counsel look up whether an expert's CRC is current?
Ask for the certificate, which carries a valid-through date, and search CRCC's online Certificant Registry. The registry shows only certificants who are current and have chosen to publish their contact information, so a missing name does not by itself mean a lapse, and CRCC answers requests about the certification status of the people who hold its credentials. The guide to hiring a vocational expert lists the questions to ask next.
Do courts require a CRC specifically to testify on vocational issues?
Not as a rule of evidence. The federal standard, and the state standards built on it, let a witness qualify as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education, so the CRC counts as evidence of training rather than a prerequisite, and the court then examines the opinion's method, as the methodology standards guide explains. Where a forum sets its own qualifications for vocational witnesses, counsel confirms them before retaining the expert.
How often must a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor renew the CRC?
Every five years, on 100 clock hours of approved continuing education, at least 10 of them in ethics, earned within the current five-year period; hours beyond the 100 do not carry over, and CRCC ended renewal by examination on March 31, 2022. A certification that is not renewed expires, and regaining it takes a new application under the eligibility criteria then in effect and a passing score on the examination.
References
- CRCC - CRC Certification Guide (updated July 1, 2026)Organization
- CRCC - CRC Certification Renewal Guide (revised July 1, 2026)Organization
- CRCC - Advocacy: Certification and LicensureOrganization
- CRCC - Locate a Professional (Certificant Registry)Organization
- Testimony by Expert Witnesses, Federal Rules of EvidenceCase Law
- Hawaii State Judiciary, How the Courts are Structured: the appellate courts are the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals; the trial courts include the Circuit, Family and District courts (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, Circuit Courts: general jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, with exclusive jurisdiction in felony cases and in civil cases where the contested amount exceeds $40,000 (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Legislature, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Family courts, divisions of circuit courts: the family courts are divisions of the circuit courts (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, Family Courts: legal matters involving children, domestic relations cases including divorce, child support, paternity and custody, and domestic violence cases (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Hawaii State Judiciary, District Courts: civil actions up to $40,000, small claims up to $5,000, traffic infractions and criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment not exceeding one year (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
Ready to Get Started on CRC engagements in Hawaii?
Contact KWVRS to discuss scope, timing, and the deliverables appropriate to the matter. Plaintiff and defense.