On July 1, the Washington state legislature approved a new licensure law to benefit Servicemembers transitioning into the civilian workplace. The Licensing and Credentialing Help for Transitioning Servicemembers legislation requires that occupational licensing boards (for several commercial trades and healthcare specialties) establish policies that prohibit requiring separating Servicemembers to repeat any training or experience they've already completed while in the military.

U.S. Labor Department statistics for January 2011 show that 15.5 percent of male veterans and 13.5 percent of female veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan era are looking for work and cannot find it. The hope is that legislation like this can mitigate some of the veteran unemployment.

The military already provides Servicemembers with the chance to obtain certifications while on active duty, whether through the Army Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL), Navy COOL or the Community College of the Air Force; however, when Servicemembers leave the military, this documentation is not always utilized or accepted by the individual states' licensing offices.

Mark San Souci, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, works as the Regional Liaison Northwest for the Defense State Liaison Office, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, DASD (Military Community and Family Policy).

In his position, San Souci works to facilitate legislature that will benefit members of the military and their families in Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon; most recently, he worked with Washington State Senator Derek Kilmer and Senator (formerly Representative) Christine Rolfes on the Licensing and Credentialing Help for Transitioning Servicemembers.

"This is the first year that the bill was out there nationally," San Souci said. "Washington has the seventh largest active duty and (Reserve) presence in the nation. That makes these measures necessary, and state legislators are cognizant that the military is a priority."

Presently, only three states other than Washington have passed this legislation - Colorado, Virginia and Utah - though it is pending in at least three more.

Looking ahead, San Souci is going to begin working on the Licensing Help for Military Spouses issue in Washington, with the hope that it is passed in 2012. He has already gotten that very bill, which allows for relocated military spouses to receive a temporary license for up to 180 days in their new state, passed in Alaska.

While there is no centralized office to handle military seeking licensure under this law, San Souci advises Servicemembers who are leaving the military to contact the respective regulatory agencies for their career fields and be aware of how this new law can help expedite the process.