First lady pushes spousal license portability - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

First lady pushes spousal license portability

The Obama administration has set a goal for all 50 states to pass their own legislation to address licensing issues for military spouses, to make it easier to transfer professional licenses and certifications from one state to another, first lady Michelle Obama told a group of service members, spouses and officials in the Pentagon auditorium today.

“We know it’s an ambitious goal. We know it won’t be easy to achieve, but we also know that our nation’s military families have waited long enough,” Obama said, speaking about the initiative on stage with Army wife Ann Wells, Dr. Jill Biden, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Panetta noted that his wife’s ability to practice as a nurse was often inhibited by these licensing issues when he was in the service.

The issue must be addressed by each state. To date, 11 states have adopted legislation to support military spouse professional license portability; 13 have proposals in the works.

Nearly 35 percent of military spouses in the workforce are in professions that require licenses or certification, according to a report released Wednesday. The report was a joint effort by the departments of defense and treasury, and provides ideas for the states to consider.

“These are practical, real steps to bring more flexibility and portability with fewer obstacles and delays for our military spouses with license careers,” Dempsey said. “It takes some of the rocks out of their rucksacks and gives them the fair shot that they both need and deserve.”From 2007 to 2011 an average of 15 percent of military spouses reported moving across state lines in the previous year, compared with 1.5 percent of their civilian counterparts, according to the report.

The top three professions of military spouses are teachers (5.2 percent), child care workers (3.9 percent) and registered nurses (3.7 percent), all of which require licenses or certifications.

Ann Wells, whose husband Robert is an Army career combat engineer and command sergeant major, said she has lost track of how many months she has spent waiting to get her license renewed as a registered nurse every time she moved.

She described herself as “enormously proud” of what her husband does, and proud to step up and serve her country. But, she said, “I take my profession as a nurse just as seriously as Robert does the military.”

At one point in one state, because the whole licensing process was so difficult, and her husband was having a tough time after a deployment, she gave up and decided not to get her license.

“We’re not looking for a handout. None of us wants to change a professional standard,” Wells said. “We just want to be able to provide for our families and continue the careers that we love.”

Obama said this issue is the No. 1 problem military spouses talk about when she and Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, travel around the country promoting Joining Forces, their initiative to support military families.

“So on the rare occasion when our military spouses do speak up and ask for our help, then it’s time for all of us to take action,” Obama said.

As one example, she said, a military spouse with years of teaching experience who moves across state lines could end up taking extra classes for weeks before getting a job, in addition to other requirements.

“When you’re talking about dozens of careers, the web of requirements and standards can get pretty thick,” she said.

But Obama stressed: “We’re not asking any state to change their standards. These state rules are important, and states have every right to set benchmarks just like these. In doing so, they hold our professionals to a high bar and they give us all peace of mind whenever we walk into a hospital or enroll our kids in school.

“But it’s also clear that this system poses very unique challenges for our military families.”

The report provides tips and ideas for states, “not edicts and decrees,” she said.

The Defense Department’s state liaison office has been working on this issue since 2008. In 2011, the office presented some options to state policymakers that would ease the process for spouses, while preserving the integrity of the licensing process.

The best practices that DoD and Treasury officials identified in their report include:

• Licensure by endorsement, if the license from the previous state is based on requirements similar to those in the receiving state, and without a disciplinary record.

• Temporary or provisional licensing, allowing applicants to be employed while they fulfill the requirements of a permanent license, such as examinations, applications and fees.

• Expedited application process: For example, an official overseeing licensing with a state also can approve license applications for the boards.

To date, 11 states have adopted legislation that supports military spouse license portability: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Another 13 states have proposed legislation to help spouses in these situations: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.