More than a third of military spouses in the labor force have jobs that require state licenses. But frequent moves bring challenges in the job market that their civilian counterparts often don’t have to deal with.
The Department of Defense recently approved a series of grants designed to help with the problem of professional license portability. The grants will help the Council of State Governments craft legislation to develop interstate compacts so spouses will not have to recertify for their occupation with every move, Pentagon officials said Monday.
It’s the first time the Defense Department has provided this type of program. The grant amount wasn’t immediately known.
The selected professions are teaching, social work, cosmetology, massage therapy and dentistry/dental hygiene, officials said.
The Defense Department “views the selection of these professions as a significant milestone in achieving the long-term goal of providing license portability for military spouses,” Lernes J. Hebert, the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“We look forward to working with the National Center for Interstate Compacts and the selected professions on the completion of compacts for these professions,” Mr. Hebert said.
Several professions — ranging from medicine and nursing to occupational therapy — already operate under an interstate agreement, Pentagon officials said.
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