On February 24, 2019, the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Committee met to discuss the timeline of inmate health care modifications and opportunities to ease burdens on military trained applicants and military spouses in obtaining occupational licensure.

View the agenda here.

Inmate Healthcare Overview

An updated timeline was provided by the Department of Public Safety, Department of Health and Human Services, and UNC Health Care on the inmate 340B program.

Military Occupational Licensure Report from the Program Evaluation Division (PED)

The Program Evaluation Committee directed the PED to consider six sub topics:

1. Expanding criteria to allow for more licensures

2. Publishing licensure criteria for military spouses

3. Including military/military spouse status

4. Enhancing continuing education programs

5. Provide training for DMVA employee(s)

6. Reporting annually on the number of applicants licensed or denied

Key Findings

Here are a few of the important findings found by PED:

  • In a recent survey of veterans, 37% considered themselves to be underemployed.
  • 86,000 military spouses live in North Carolina currently.
  • 35% of military spouses work in a occupational licensing jobs.

Currently, military licensure provisions fo not apply to the NC Medical Board and the State Bar.

Recommendations

The PED provided the group 3 recommendations to the Committee:

1. Requiring occupational licensing boards to offer expedited application process for licensing military spouses by December 2020.

2.  Requiring each board to publish military licensure provisions on their websites.

3. Requiring each board to report the number of military trained applicants and spouses who were licensed from these provisions and the number who were denied licensure.

Summary Findings

Overall, PED found that occupational licensing boards are not currently required to implement an expedited application process for military spouses. No requirement currently exists for boards to make veterans and military spouses aware of the opportunities offered. Stakeholders in the military community feel that military licensure provisions are important and relevant data should be tracked.