As posted in: Veterans
Career Center
Another victory has been registered in The American Legion’s ongoing
licensing and credentialing campaign. On April 2, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence
signed into law a bill that "provides that the Emergency Medical Services
Commission issue a license or certificate to a military service applicant who
meets the necessary requirements." The new law, which takes effect on July
1, spells out those requirements as completing a military training program in
emergency medicine, working in the related military occupational specialty, and
performing those duties at a level that is "substantially equivalent"
to that of a civilian licensee, such as an emergency medical technician or
paramedic. In practical terms, a military medic or corpsman’s skills and
experience will now be recognized by their civilian counterparts in Indiana.
The bill, which unanimously passed in the Indiana General Assembly, also
allows for the issuance of a temporary certificate or provisional license
"while the military service applicant is satisfying requirements as
determined by the (Emergency Medical Services) commission."
"Helping Hoosier veterans put their military training and experience to
work when they return is good for them and good for the state," Pence
said. "(This) is good Hoosier common sense that honors the brave men and
women who served our nation and sacrificed to protect our freedom."
The American Legion Department of Indiana played a significant role in the
passage of its new state law by working with the Department of Defense on
codifying it and lobbying both houses of the state legislature on the bill’s
behalf. On the day after the bill was signed, Department Commander Richard
Jewell, a Vietnam War combat veteran, recalled his testimony before members of
the General Assembly and how he viewed the skills of the military’s emergency
medical practitioners. "I spoke off the cuff, but told them basically that
I had personally seen these folks in action in Vietnam (practicing emergency
medicine) under the most horrific conditions imaginable ," Jewell said.
"If I was in any kind of medical emergency or accident, there’s nobody I
would rather come to my side than a combat medic or corpsman."
In an effort spearheaded by its National Economic Commission, Legion
departments are campaigning on behalf of legislation that would require their
state’s agencies and bodies to recognize appropriate military training and
experience as fulfilling all or at least part of their licensing and
credentialing requirements. The Legion also favors the logical state-to-state
transfer of licenses and certifications previously issued to a servicemember or
military spouse who, by virtue of their service, does not reside in the
originating state.
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