2018 US Code
Title 10 - Armed Forces
Subtitle A - General Military Law
Part III - Training and Education
Chapter 101 - Training Generally
Sec. 2015 - Program to assist members in obtaining professional credentials

(A) is accredited by a nationally-recognized, third-party personnel certification program accreditor;

(B)(i) is sought or accepted by employers within the industry or sector involved as a recognized, preferred, or required credential for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, or advancement purposes; and

(ii) where appropriate, is endorsed by a nationally-recognized trade association or organization representing a significant part of the industry or sector;

(C) grants licenses that are recognized by the Federal Government or a State government; or

(D) meets credential standards of a Federal agency.

(A) Requirements for eligibility for participation in the program under this section.

(B) A description of the professional credentials and occupations covered by the program.

(C) Mechanisms for oversight of the payment of expenses and the provision of other benefits under the program.

(D) Such other matters in connection with the payment of expenses and the provision of other benefits under the program as the Secretaries consider appropriate.

"(1) are acquired during service in the armed forces; and

"(2) translate into civilian occupations."

"(A) be an independent body that has in place mechanisms to ensure objectivity and impartiality in its accreditation activities;

"(B) meet a recognized national or international standard that directs its policy and procedures regarding accreditation;

"(C) apply a recognized national or international certification standard in making its accreditation decisions regarding certification bodies and programs;

"(D) conduct on-site visits, as applicable, to verify the documents and records submitted by credentialing bodies for accreditation;

"(E) have in place policies and procedures to ensure due process when addressing complaints and appeals regarding its accreditation activities;

"(F) conduct regular training to ensure consistent and reliable decisions among reviewers conducting accreditations; and

"(G) meet such other criteria as the Secretary concerned considers appropriate in order to ensure quality in its accreditation activities."

"(1) Initial report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 13, 2018], the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the pilot program that shall include the following:

"(2) Final report.—Not later than 180 days after completion of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to the committees of Congress referred to in paragraph (1) a final report on the pilot program. The report shall include the following:

"(1) authorize an officer or employee of the Federal Government to create, endorse, or otherwise incentivize a particular curriculum or degree track; or

"(2) require, direct, review, or control a State or educational institution, or the instructional content, curriculum, and related activities of a State or educational institution."

"(1) In general.—The Secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall, to the maximum extent practicable, make information on civilian credentialing opportunities available to members of the Armed Forces beginning with, and at every stage of, training of members for military occupational specialties, in order to permit members—

"(2) Coordination with transition goals plans success program.—Information shall be made available under paragraph (1) in a manner consistent with the Transition Goals Plans Success (GPS) program.

"(3) Types of information.—The information made available under paragraph (1) shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

"(4) Use and adaptation of certain programs.—In making information available under paragraph (1), the Secretaries of the military departments may use and adapt appropriate portions of the Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) programs of the Army and the Navy and the Credentialing and Educational Research Tool (CERT) of the Air Force.

"(1) In general.—The Secretaries of the military departments, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall, to the maximum extent practicable consistent with national security and privacy requirements, make available to entities specified in paragraph (2), upon request of such entities, information such as military course training curricula, syllabi, and materials, levels of military advancement attained, and professional skills developed.

"(2) Entities.—The entities specified in this paragraph are the following:

"(3) Central repository.—The actions taken pursuant to paragraph (1) may include the establishment of a central repository of information on training and training materials provided members in connection with military occupational specialities that is readily accessible by entities specified in paragraph (2) in order to meet requests described in paragraph (1)."

"(1) designate not less than three military occupational specialities or duty speciality codes for coverage under the pilot program;

"(2) consider utilizing industry-recognized certifications or licensing standards for civilian occupational skills comparable to the specialties or codes so designated; and

"(3) permit enlisted members of the Armed Forces to obtain the credentials or licenses required for the specialities or codes so designated through civilian credentialing or licensing entities, institutions, or bodies selected by the Secretary for purposes of the pilot program, whether concurrently with military training, at the completion of military training, or both.

"(1) The number of enlisted members who participated in the pilot program.

"(2) A description of the costs incurred by the Department of Defense in connection with the receipt by members of credentialing or licensing under the pilot program.

"(3) A comparison of the cost associated with receipt by members of credentialing or licensing under the pilot program with the cost of receipt of similar credentialing or licensing by recently-discharged veterans of the Armed Forces under programs currently operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor.

"(4) The recommendation of the Secretary as to the feasibility and advisability of expanding the pilot program to additional military occupational specialties or duty specialty codes, and, if such expansion is considered feasible and advisable, a list of the military occupational specialties and duty specialty codes recommended for inclusion in the expansion."