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Officials Seek Spouse Input on Licensing


Robert L. Gordon III is the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy. In this blog, Mr. Gordon encourages military spouses to share their state licensing experiences on a discussion board so officials can work toward streamlining procedures.

Military Spouses: State Licensing Process and Your Career
By Robert L. Gordon III
Military Community and Family Policy
Feb. 7, 2011

Military spouses, we need to hear from you! You are part of a talented and amazing work force, but as you know, military life can make it tough to maintain a career.

If your career field requires a state license or certification, then you know the process of renewing that license or certification can be time-consuming, cumbersome, expensive, and that process can vary from state to state. This can frustrate people in career fields like counseling, accounting and health care.

We are working to streamline licensing procedures. We want to make it easier for you to continue your career as you move, so we want to hear from you.

Please visit our discussion board and tell us your stories about transferring occupational or professional licenses. How long did it take?  What barriers did you encounter? What delayed the process? Tell us what needs to change. We want to know what you think would shorten and simplify the process. Have a success story to brag about? We want to hear that too!

Last week, President Barack Obama unveiled a new, whole-of-government approach to military family support , with agencies uniting to create new resources and support programs for military families worldwide. Helping military spouses develop portable career opportunities in high-demand career fields is one of the nation’s four top priorities. Our goal of streamlining licensing procedures is part of that priority, so you can see just how important your feedback is.

This is one of many more blogs to come. We’ll be asking for your ideas and opinions on other topics. We look forward to hearing from you. You continually step up to life’s challenges with grace and strength. You truly serve, and the military is stronger for it. Thank you for your service.


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This entry was posted on February 7, 2011, 4:02 pm and is filed under Family Matters. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Frank Mellott

    I’m not a spouse, but rather a retired member. However, in addition to licensing, how about looking at the spider web of school requirements across the states? Kids arrive and have to devote time taking state unique requirements that the rest of the kids got in lower grades. Most are tied to graduation requirements, and few administrators or districts have the incentive to make it easier.

  • Chessie

    Why has AAFES suddenly required employees of concession contractors to obtain a state license where the installation they are stationed at, and opened the door to inspection of barber and beauty shops by state government officials? Reciprocity is not cheap and if you are licensed by a state not recognized by the state where you are located, there is an expensive licensing process that one must undergo.

  • Straight A Legal

    I applaud the DoD for its support of military families and looking at these issues to make military service a realistic option for families. My husband was a JAG (now reservist), and I am also an attorney. I was licensed in one state, but had to take a bar exam in another state when he was transferred to a new duty station in order to have a meaningful professional experience. As we considered a military career, we faced that I would either have to give up my career or attempt to obtain licensing in numerous states. Licensing fees as well as annual bar dues are several hundred dollars in each state. We decided that it would be best for my husband to get out of the military. We are now both happily employed as civilian attorneys for the DoD, but I know there are times that he wishes he was still on active duty and that we would have been able to pursue a different path while ensuring rewarding careers for both of us.