                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSURE, ETC.; SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT MILITARY TRAINING
AND EDUCATION (§ 54.1-118)

A. Except as provided in this section, the regulatory boards within the
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, the Department of Health
Professions, or any board named in this title shall accept the military
training, education, or experience of a service member honorably discharged from
active military service in the armed forces of the United States, to the extent
that such training, education, or experience is substantially equivalent to the
requirements established by law and regulations of the respective board for the
issuance of any license, permit, certificate, or other document, however styled
or denominated, required for the practice of any business, profession, or
occupation in the Commonwealth. To the extent that the service member&#8217;s
military training, education, or experience, or portion thereof, is not deemed
substantially equivalent, the respective board shall credit whatever portion of
the military training, education, or experience that is substantially equivalent
toward meeting the requirements for the issuance of the license, permit,
certificate, or other document.
			The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the Board of Medicine in
the regulation of the practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine. Nor shall
this subsection apply to the Board of Dentistry in the regulation of dentists or
oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

B. The Board of Medicine may accept a service member&#8217;s military training,
education, or experience as an intern or resident in an approved facility to
satisfy the requirement of one year of satisfactory postgraduate training as an
intern or resident in a hospital or health care facility, provided the applicant
for licensure (i) has been honorably discharged from active military service in
the armed forces of the United States, (ii) is a graduate of a Board-approved
institution, (iii) has successfully completed all required examinations for
licensure, and (iv) applies for licensure within six months of discharge from
active military service.

C. The Board of Dentistry may accept the military training, education, or
experience of a service member provided the applicant for licensure (i) has been
honorably discharged from active military service in the armed forces of the
United States, (ii) has been in continuous clinical practice for four of the six
years immediately preceding the application for licensure, (iii) holds a diploma
or certificate of a dental program accredited by the Commission on Dental
Accreditation of the American Dental Association, and (iv) has successfully
completed all required examinations for licensure. Active patient care in the
Dental Corps of the United States armed forces, voluntary practice in a public
health clinic, or practice in an intern or residency program may be accepted by
the Board to satisfy requirements for licensure.

D. Any regulatory board may require the service member to provide such
documentation of his training, education, or experience as deemed necessary by
the board to determine substantial equivalency.

E. As used in this section, &#8220;active military service&#8221; means
federally funded military duty as (i) a member of the armed forces of the United
States on active duty pursuant to Title 10 of the United States Code or (ii) a
member of the Virginia National Guard on active duty pursuant to either Title 10
or Title 32 of the United States Code.

HISTORY: 2012, c. 524.