Comparing Military Fee Waivers for Licensed Occupations – National Center for Interstate Compacts

Comparing Military Fee Waivers for Licensed Occupations

Military service members, their spouses, and veterans, are among those disproportionately impacted by occupational licensure policy. With frequent interstate relocations and a propensity for employment in licensed occupations, this population is particularly affected by licensure fees, which must be paid to keep a license active or upon each relocation to a new state.

The adverse impact is exacerbated by the potential for required licensure in multiple states over a career in a licensed occupation. Even if states offer less restrictive license portability policies or expedited licensure, fees remain a barrier.

In response, states have made strides to address fees, with 22 states implementing some form of occupational license fee waiver for the population group. However, the policies include certain differences in design and features.

Covered Applicant Type (Active Duty Military Members, Veterans, Military Spouses)

Seven states waive fees either for active duty members and veterans.
Seven states waive fees for active duty members, their spouses, and those with past military service.
Five states waive fees only for active duty members and their spouses.
Three states waive solely one applicant type.

Current or Relocating Residents

Thirteen states have some form of waiver for current residents and those relocating to the state.
Seven states’ fee waivers cover only current residents.
Texas and Arkansas cover only military members and spouses in the process of relocating to their states.

Initial and Renewal Fees

Eleven states’ fee waivers cover both the initial and renewal fees.
Six states cover renewal fees or prevent fees from expiration. In the case of Georgia, this is more specific, with the waiver covering renewal fees if the license lapses while the individual is serving out of state.
Five state policies cover only the initial licensing fees.

Additional Approaches

Beyond the trends outlined above, there are unique policies that provide supplemental support to military members, their spouses, and/or veterans:

In Oregon, the statute establishes a veteran’s assistance emergency fund that can be used for a variety of needs including emergency housing and food, employment assistance, and professional licensing costs. This fund can be utilized by those with past military service and some Oregon National Guard members.
In Virginia, a state with a large military presence, the statutory solution is to prevent any expiration (and therefore reinstatement costs) of licenses during any period of service. This applies to the spouse of the service member as well, as long as the spouse accompanies the service member outside the United States.
In some states, the fee waiver statute focuses on specific occupations with beneficiaries including teachers in Ohio and lawyers, healthcare professionals, and realtors in Nebraska.

Federal Policies

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 allows each service branch to reimburse spouses up to $1,000 for state re-licensure and certification costs resulting from relocations or permanent change of station, including moves stateside from outside the contiguous United States.

Licensing Fee Waiver Policy Comparison Chart

Below is the summarized data of state military fee waiver policies

The Active, Spouse, and Veteran columns represent which subsets of the military population are covered by the waiver in that state.
The Waiver Type column describes whether the waiver covers relocating residents, current residents, or both.
The Initial and Renewal columns indicate whether the waiver covers the initial licensure fees or the fees for a license renewal.
The Covered Occupations column describes what licensed occupations or licensing departments are covered by the waiver.

State	Active	Veteran	Spouse	Waiver Type	Initial	Renewal	Covered Occupations	Link
Arkansas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Relocating	Yes	Yes	All	17.1.106
Colorado	No	No	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	All	12.20.202
Connecticut	Yes	No	No	All	Yes	Yes	All	27-102a
Florida	Yes	Yes	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Occupations	32.455.02
Georgia	No	Yes	No	Current³	No	Yes	All	GA SOS
Idaho	Yes	No	No	Current	No	Yes	All	67-260A
Kentucky	Yes	No	No	Current	No	Yes	All	12.355
Michigan	Yes	Yes	No	Current	Yes	Yes	All	MI LARA
Minnesota	Yes	Yes	No	All	Yes	Yes	All	362.55
Missouri	Yes	Yes	Yes	All	Yes	No	All	324.015
Nebraska	Yes	Yes	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	Nebraska Department of Health and Social Services, Occupations, Lawyers, Realtors, Teachers	NE VA
North Carolina	Yes	Yes	Yes	All	Yes	No	All	93B-15.1
North Dakota	Yes	No	Yes	Current	No	Yes	All	43-51-11.1
Ohio	Yes	No	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	Teachers	OH DOE
Oklahoma	Yes	No	Yes	All	Yes	No	All	SB 670
Oregon	Yes	Yes²	No	Current³	No	Yes	All	408.45
South Dakota	Yes	Yes	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	All	36-1-1
Texas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Relocating	Yes	No	All	2.55.009
Utah	Yes	No	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Occupations	58.1.301
Virginia	Yes	No	Yes	All	No	Yes	All	54.1-117
West Virginia	Yes	No	No	All	Yes	Yes	All	30.18.1
Wisconsin	Yes¹	No	Yes	Current	Yes	No	All	WI Act 209

¹ Waiver covers National Guard and Reserve service members.

²Statute establishes an emergency fund to assist veterans in covering licensing fees.

³ Waiver covers licenses that expired while serving out of state.

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