AB 851, as introduced, Logue. Dentistry: licensure and certification requirements: military experience.
Existing law establishes the Dental Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensing, certification, and regulation of the dental profession.
This bill would require the board, upon the presentation of evidence by an applicant for licensure or certification, to accept education, training, and practical experience completed by an applicant in military service toward the qualifications and requirements to receive a license or certificate if that education, training, or experience is equivalent to the standards of the board. If a board accredits or otherwise approves schools offering educational course credit for meeting licensing and certification qualifications and requirements, the bill would, not later than July 1, 2014, require those schools seeking accreditation or approval to have procedures in place to evaluate an applicant’s military education, training, and practical experience toward the completion of an educational program that would qualify a person to apply for licensure or certification, as specified.
Under existing law, the Department of Veterans Affairs has specified powers and duties relating to various programs serving veterans.
This bill would, require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide technical assistance to the board and to the director of consumer affairs with respect to complying with the bill’s requirements and obtaining specified funds to support compliance with these provisions.
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 2Veterans Dental Care Workforce Act of 2012.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
4following:
5(1) Lack of dental care providers continues to be a significant
6barrier to access to health care services in medically underserved
7urban and rural areas of California.
8(2) Veterans of the United States Armed Forces and the
9California National Guard gain invaluable education, training, and
10practical experience through their military service.
11(3) According to the federal Department of Defense, as of June
122011, one million veterans were unemployed nationally and the
13jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 13.3 percent, with young
14
male veterans 18 to 24 years of age experiencing an unemployment
15rate of 21.9 percent.
16(4) According to the federal Department of Defense, during the
172011 federal fiscal year, 16,777 service members who separated
18from active duty listed California as their state of residence.
19(5) It is critical, both to veterans seeking to transition to civilian
20dental care professions and to patients living in underserved urban
21and rural areas of California, that the Legislature ensure that veteran
22applicants for licensure by the Dental Board of California are
23expedited through the qualifications and requirements process.
24(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that the Dental
25Board of California and schools offering educational course credit
26for meeting licensing qualifications and requirements fully and
27expeditiously
recognize and provide credit for an applicant’s
28military education, training, and practical experience.
Section 1625.6 is added to the Business and Professions
30Code, to read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
2Dental Board of California pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing
3with Section 1600) of this division shall, upon the presentation of
4satisfactory evidence by an applicant for licensure, accept the
5education, training, and practical experience completed by the
6applicant as a member of the United States Armed Forces or
7Military Reserves of the United States, the national guard of any
8state, the military reserves of any state, or the naval militia of any
9state, toward the qualifications and requirements for licensure by
10the board unless the board determines that the education, training,
11or practical experience is not substantially equivalent to the
12standards of the board.
13(b) By July 1, 2014, if the
board under Chapter 4 (commencing
14with Section 1600) accredits or otherwise approves schools offering
15educational course credit for meeting licensing qualifications and
16requirements, the board shall require a school seeking accreditation
17or approval to have procedures in place to fully accept an
18applicant’s military education, training, and practical experience
19toward the completion of an educational program that would
20qualify a person to apply for licensure.
21(c) The board shall adopt regulations, if necessary, to implement
22this section by July 1 2014. If the board determines that regulations
23are not necessary to implement this section, it shall report to the
24Legislature and Governor, no later than July 1, 2014, explaining
25why the regulations are not necessary.
26(d) With respect to complying with the requirements of this
27section including the determination of equivalency between
the
28education, training, or practical experience of an applicant and the
29board’s standards, and obtaining state, federal, or private funds to
30support compliance with this section, the Department of Veterans
31Affairs shall provide technical assistance to the board and to the
32director.
33(e) No later than January 1, 2016, the director shall report to
34the Legislature and the Governor on the progress of the board
35toward compliance with this section.
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