Improvement of transition of medics in the Armed Forces to the civilian workforce in health care occupations

(a) Recommendations required The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with each of the States (through the Defense-State Liaison Office of the Department of Defense), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy), shall develop recommendations to improve the transition of medics serving in the Armed Forces into the civilian workforce in health care occupations, including as certified nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, or medical assistants. (b) Considerations In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall— (1) identify any barriers— (A) to improving the ability of the Secretary to determine and communicate how the military credentials and experience of a medic separating from the Armed Forces translate to credentialed civilian employment in health care occupations; (B) that exist to the standardization among the Armed Forces of military medic credentials and experience and the alignment of such credentials and experience to credentialed civilian employment in health care occupations; (C) that exist to ensuring members of the Armed Forces with military medic credentials and experience have earned the equivalent civilian credential prior to separation from the Armed Forces in addition to receiving their military credentials; (D) to the increased establishment and uptake of accelerated or bridge programs to assist separating members of the Armed Forces in translating military credentials and experience into civilian health care credentials and employment; (E) to increasing the availability and accessibility of preparatory activities under the SkillBridge program established under section 1143(e) of title 10, United States Code, in the health care sector for members of the Armed Forces preparing for separation, to include— (i) the approval timeline for separating members to participate in SkillBridge programs in the health care sector; and (ii) requirements to return to their duty station for out-processing; and (F) to providing information on civilian health care credentials and employment under the Transition Assistance Program to medics separating from the Armed Forces, including information on State-by-State licensing and credentialing; and (2) consider the potential impact of— (A) clarification by States through legislation, actions of State licensing boards, or actions of State credentialing boards of the civilian equivalents of certain military credentials and experience in health care; (B) implementation, including through State-provided incentives, of accelerated programs to bridge military medic credentials and experience with civilian health care credentials and licenses; (C) financial support or incentives by States to increase the availability and accessibility of such programs; (D) requiring the military departments to align military health care credentials with civilian equivalents; and (E) tracking and reporting, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy), the number of separated members of the Armed Forces with health care-related military credentials and experience who continue in the civilian health care sector, including the type of employment they pursue. (c) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report containing— (1) the recommendations developed under subsection (a); and (2) a plan to implement those recommendations. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Medic The term medic means a member of the Armed Forces acting in a clinical health care-related occupation while serving in the Armed Forces. (2) State The term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that have a Defense-State Liaison Office. (3) Transition Assistance Program The term Transition Assistance Program means the program of the Department of Defense for pre-separation counseling, employment assistance, and other transitional services provided under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.