Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019 UCW 11 Army and Air Force spouses can apply for reimbursement of up to $500 for professional relicensing costs when they relocate with their service members. e new policy is retroac- tive to Dec. 12, 2017. It's designed to ease the financial burden of spouses having to renew licenses each time they move to new duty stations. In many cases, spouses can't get jobs in their fields unless they meet the requirements of their new states for licenses to practice in their profes- sions. e policies apply to spouses of active-duty Army and Air Force, Guard, and Reserve on Title 10 orders. e Navy is still working on its policy to allow the reimbursement and expects to release it soon, accord- ing to a Navy administrative message. Information was not immediately available from the Marine Corps. e Army and Air Force policies apply to fees paid during each perma- nent change of station move. But reim- bursements in connection with each move cannot exceed $500. Local and state-level licenses or certifications are required for a long list of profes- sions, thousands in our area involving Army spouses. ey range from dental hygienists and accountants to nurses and doctors, hair stylists, teachers and attorneys. e requirements vary widely from state to state, and from one profession to another. Here's how the Army program works: Instructions on how to apply for reimbursement can be found in the All Army Activities message, or ALARACT 036/2019. Instructions will also eventu- ally be available on the Military One- Source website. Department of Defense officials have been working for years to bring attention to state lawmakers that transferring occupational licenses from previous states is an important issue for military spouses who want to be able to continue to work in their professions. In North Carolina, state law provides in part that "licensure for military spouses ... an occupational licens- ing board, as defined in G.S. 93B-1, shall issue a license, certification, or registration ... to allow the applicant to lawfully practice the applicant's occu- pation in this state." Certain ordinary provisions must be met. Relicensing costs can include exam and registration fees where the new duty station is located — fees that are required in order to engage in the pro- fession the spouse was in while with the service member at the last duty station. e reimbursement is a pilot program authorized through Dec. 31, 2022, by the current defense law, the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. Family advocates have been frustrat- ed by the delay in implementing the program. "We're really encouraged to see that it's retroactive back to Dec. 12, 2017," said Jen Davis, government rela- tions deputy director for the National Military Family Association. e association will be watching to see how reimbursement programs get rolled out for the Navy and Marine Corps. Because the individual military services are responsible for both the permanent change of station moves and related reimbursements, they have the discretionary authority to provide the payments. Financial help for military spouses' professional relicensing by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS ere is a new program designed to ease the financial burden of military spouses having to renew professional licenses each time they move to new duty stations. Respite Special Enjoy 1 Week FREE! Call us today for more information * with 30 day respite stay 910.635.0555 Summer At Harmony we combine social and physical programs with proper nutrition, hydration and medication management to substantially reduce falls for our residents. 1 IN 4 O V E R 6 5 WILL FALL * Falls are a leading cause of injury and death among the elderly and a significant public health issue. *US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health 7051 Rockfish Rd. | Fayetteville, NC 28306 | HarmonyAtHopeMills.com ASSISTED LIVING | SECURED ASSISTED LIVING