CRC in Texas
Recognition and practice information for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor in Texas.
Recognition and qualification in Texas
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 Texas Workforce Commission, Vocational Rehabilitation Division (TWC-VR) administers public vocational rehabilitation in Texas. KWVRS CRC-credentialed experts apply nationally recognized standards.
Texas courts and venues
Expert qualification in Texas's courts is determined case by case.
- District Court - General jurisdiction; civil cases, felonies, domestic relations
- County Court at Law - Statutory county courts; civil cases between $200 and $325,000 (higher in some courts), misdemeanors, and in some counties family law cases
- Constitutional County Court - Civil cases between $200 and $20,000, probate, Class A and B misdemeanors
Highest court: Supreme Court of Texas. Federal venues: N.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., W.D. Tex.
Sources: Texas Judicial Branch, Court Structure of Texas (October 2026): the Supreme Court has final appellate jurisdiction in civil and juvenile cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals in criminal cases; the 15th Court of Appeals has statewide jurisdiction; district courts have original jurisdiction in divorce and felony criminal matters; statutory county courts hear civil matters between $200 and $325,000, and some courts may have a higher maximum; constitutional county courts hear civil actions between $200 and $20,000 and probate matters; statutory probate courts are limited primarily to probate, mental health and guardianship matters; justice courts hear civil actions of not more than $20,000 and small claims; the Business Court shares civil jurisdiction with the district courts in certain complex business disputes when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, and has no jurisdiction over claims for bodily injury or death (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Judicial Branch, Trial Courts: the district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction, with original jurisdiction in felony and divorce cases, and most try both criminal and civil cases; constitutional county courts hear Class A and Class B misdemeanors; county courts at law may share jurisdiction with the county and district courts; statutory probate courts sit in the more populated counties; justice courts hear Class C misdemeanors and small claims; municipal courts hear city ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Judicial Branch, Courts of Appeals: the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals hear civil and criminal appeals from district and county courts, each in its own region of the state; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has statewide civil intermediate appellate jurisdiction (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Business Court, About the Texas Business Court: a statewide, specialized trial court created to resolve certain complex business disputes (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Legislature, Government Code, Business Court: civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts in listed business actions in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, home page: Texas' highest court for criminal cases (reviewed 2026-10-12); Texas Legislature, Government Code, Statutory County Courts: in some counties, among them Angelina County, a county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases and proceedings (reviewed 2026-10-12)
Other credentials in Texas
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
- Texas Judicial Branch, Court Structure of Texas (October 2026): the Supreme Court has final appellate jurisdiction in civil and juvenile cases and the Court of Criminal Appeals in criminal cases; the 15th Court of Appeals has statewide jurisdiction; district courts have original jurisdiction in divorce and felony criminal matters; statutory county courts hear civil matters between $200 and $325,000, and some courts may have a higher maximum; constitutional county courts hear civil actions between $200 and $20,000 and probate matters; statutory probate courts are limited primarily to probate, mental health and guardianship matters; justice courts hear civil actions of not more than $20,000 and small claims; the Business Court shares civil jurisdiction with the district courts in certain complex business disputes when the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, and has no jurisdiction over claims for bodily injury or death (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Judicial Branch, Trial Courts: the district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction, with original jurisdiction in felony and divorce cases, and most try both criminal and civil cases; constitutional county courts hear Class A and Class B misdemeanors; county courts at law may share jurisdiction with the county and district courts; statutory probate courts sit in the more populated counties; justice courts hear Class C misdemeanors and small claims; municipal courts hear city ordinance violations and Class C misdemeanors (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Judicial Branch, Courts of Appeals: the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals hear civil and criminal appeals from district and county courts, each in its own region of the state; the Fifteenth Court of Appeals has statewide civil intermediate appellate jurisdiction (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Business Court, About the Texas Business Court: a statewide, specialized trial court created to resolve certain complex business disputes (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Legislature, Government Code, Business Court: civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts in listed business actions in which the amount in controversy exceeds $5 million (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, home page: Texas' highest court for criminal cases (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
- Texas Legislature, Government Code, Statutory County Courts: in some counties, among them Angelina County, a county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in family law cases and proceedings (reviewed 2026-10-12)Government
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