AB 705, as amended, Blumenfield. Combat to Care Act.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires boards within the department to adopt rules and regulations to provide for methods of evaluating education, training, and experience obtained in the armed services, if applicable to the requirements of the business, occupation, or profession regulated, and to specify how this education, training, and experience may be used to meet the licensure requirements for the particular business, occupation, or profession regulated. Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing.
Existing law requires applicants for licensure as a registered nurse to meet certain educational requirements, to have completed specified courses of instruction, and to not be subject to denial of licensure under specified circumstances. Existing law authorizes applicants who have served on active duty in the medical corps in the United States Armed Forces to submit a record of specified training to the board for evaluation in order to satisfy the courses of instruction requirement. Under existing law, if the applicant satisfies the other general licensure requirements and if the board determines that his or her education establishes competency to practice registered nursing, the applicant shall be granted a license upon passing a certain examination.
This bill would provide that this act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Combat to Care Act and would make various legislative findings and declarations, including that California recognizes that military service members gain skill and experience while serving the country that, upon discharge, can be translated to the
civilian world. The bill would require the Board of Registered Nursingbegin delete to adopt regulations thatend deletebegin insert, by regulation and in conjunction with the Military Department, toend insert identify the Armed Forces education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert orend insert experience that is equivalent or transferable tobegin delete courseworkend deletebegin insert the curriculumend insert required for licensure by the board.begin delete Thisend deletebegin insert
Theend insert bill would require the board, after evaluating a military applicant’s education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert
orend insert experience, to provide the applicant with a list of the courseworkbegin insert, if any,end insert he or she must still complete to be eligible for licensurebegin insert and to grant the applicant, if he or she meets specified criteria, a license upon passing the standard examination. The bill would require the board to attempt to contact military service members who may meet the bill’s criteria and would authorize the board to enter into an agreement with the federal government in that regard. The bill would require the board to maintain records of applicants, as specifiedend insert.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
2Combat to Care Act.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
4(a) President Barack Obama signed the Veteran Skills to Jobs
5Act, authored by former California State Senator Jeff Denham,
6which directs federal licensing authorities to consider and accept
7military experience and training for the purposes of satisfying the
8requirements for licensure.
P3 1(b) In signing the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act, President Obama
2declared that “No veteran who fought for our nation overseas
3should have to fight for a job when they return home.”
4(c) The Institute
for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse
5University found that, since 2001, more than 2.8 million military
6personnel have made the transition from military to civilian life
7and another one million service members will make this transition
8over the next five years.
9(d) California is home to the largest veteran population in the
10country, with approximately 2 million veterans, and is expected
11to welcome home 30,000 more annually.
12(e) California recognizes that military service members gain
13skills and experience while serving our country that, upon
14discharge, can be translated to the civilian world.
15(f) Last year the Governor signed into law Assembly Bill 2659
16(Ch. 406, Stats. 2012) to help veterans with military
commercial
17motor vehicle driving experience transfer those skills into civilian
18life. This act is part of California’s ongoing effort to streamline
19veterans into viable careers after military service.
Section 2736.5 of the Business and Professions Code
21 is amended to read:
(a) Any person who has served on active duty in the
23medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States and
24who has successfully completed the course of education, training,
25begin delete andend deletebegin insert orend insert experience required to qualify him or her for rating as a
26medical service technician--independent duty, or other equivalent
27rating in his or her particular branch of the Armed Forces, and
28whose service in the Armed Forces has been under honorable
29conditions, may submit the record of that
education, training,begin delete andend delete
30begin insert orend insert experience to the board for
evaluationbegin delete towardsend deletebegin insert towardend insert licensure.
31(b) After making an evaluation pursuant to subdivision (a), the
32board shall provide an applicant with a list of coursework, if any,
33that the applicant must complete to be eligible for licensure.
34(c) If an applicant meets the qualifications of subdivision (a)
35and paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 2736, and
36if the board determines that his or her education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert or end insert
37 experience
would give reasonable assurance of competence to
38practice as a registered nurse in this state, he or she shall be granted
39a license upon passing the standard examination for licensure.
P4 1(d) The board shall, by regulation, establish criteria for
2evaluating the education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert orend insert experience of applicants
3under this section.
4(e) On or before January 1, 2015, the board shall, by regulation
5begin insert and in conjunction with the Military Departmentend insert, identify the
6Armed Forces education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert
or end insert experience that is
7equivalent or transferable tobegin delete courseworkend deletebegin insert the curriculumend insert required
8for licensure by the board.
9(f) The board shall maintain records of the following categories
10of applicants under this section:
11(1) Applicants who are rejected for examination and the areas
12of those applicants’ preparation that are the causes of rejection.
13(2) Applicants who are qualified by their military education,
14training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert
orend insert
experience alone to take the examination, and the
15results of their examinations.
16(3) Applicants who are qualified to take the examination by
17their military education, training,begin delete andend deletebegin insert orend insert experience plus
18supplementary education, and the results of their examinations.
19(g) The board shall attempt to contact by mail or other means
20individuals meeting the requirements of subdivision (a) who have
21been or will be discharged or separated from the Armed Forces of
22the United States, in order to inform them of the application
23procedure provided by this section. The board may enter into an
24agreement with the
federal government in order to secure the names
25and addresses of those individuals.
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