Veterans Occupational Credentialing and Licensing
On May 20, 2016, Governor John Hickenlooper signed Colorado House Bill 16-1197 into law. The bill is titled “Concerning a requirement that state agencies implement a program to streamline the granting of occupational credentials to veterans based on military training.”
Implementation of the bill is underway within the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations and is known as "Veterans Occupational Credentialing and Licensing" or VOCAL. VOCAL involves a systematic review of each profession under the Division’s purview to identify whether there are opportunities to streamline the licensing/credentialing of veterans, and then the adoption of policies or rules where such opportunities are identified.
For the following professions, streamlined veteran licensing policies/rules have been adopted. For more info, please review the policies/rules on the website for each Board/Program.
- Addiction Counselor (State Board of Addiction Counselor Examiners)
- Audiologist (Office of Audiology Licensure)
- Barber and Cosmetology (Office of Barber & Cosmetology Licensure)
- Certified Public Accountant (Board of Accountancy)
- Cosmetologist (Office of Barber & Cosemetology)
- Dental Hygienist (Colorado Dental Board)
- Electrician (Electrical Board)
- Esthetician (Office of Barber & Cosmetology Licensure)
- Hairstylist (Office of Barber & Cosmetology Licensure)
- Hearing Aid Provider (Office of Hearing Aid Provider Licensure)
- Marriage & Family Therapist (State Board of Marriage & Family Therapist Examiners)
- Nail Technician (Office of Barber & Cosmetology Licensure)
- Nurse (Board of Nursing)
- Nurse Aide (Board of Nursing)
- Occupational Therapist (Office of Occupational Therapy)
- Occupational Therapy Assistant (Office of Occupational Therapy)
- Optometrist (State Board of Optometry)
- Physical Therapist Assistant (State Physical Therapy Board)
- Physician (Colorado Medical Board)
- Physician Assistant (Colorado Medical Board)
- Plumber (State Plumbing Board)
- Podiatrist (Colorado Podiatry Board)
- Professional Counselor (State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners)
- Psychiatric Technician (Board of Nursing)
- Psychologist (State Board of Psychologist Examiners)
- Social Worker (State Board of Social Work Examiners)
- Veterinarian (State Board of Veterinary Medicine)
The Division analyzed the following professions and found that requirements for licensure are identical in the military and civilian contexts, and thus streamlined veteran licensing policies/rules were not necessary. For general requirements for licensure, please refer to the website for each Board/Program.
- Dentist (Colorado Dental Board)
- Engineer (State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, & Professional Land Surveyors)
- Pharmacist (State Board of Pharmacy)
- Physical Therapist (State Physical Therapy Board)
As the remaining professions under the Division’s purview are analyzed, this website will be updated.
The Division analyzed the following professions and found that these professions do not exist in the military, and thus streamlined veteran licensing policies/rules were not necessary. For general requirements for licensure, please refer to the website for each Board/Program.
- Anesthesiologist Assistant (Colorado Medical Board)
- Architect (State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, & Professional Land Surveyors)
- Land Surveyor (State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, & Professional Land Surveyors)
- Landscape Architect (Colorado State Board of Landscape Architects)
