10 U.S.C. § 2015 — Program to assist members in obtaining professional credentials

(a) Program required.—The Secretary of Defense and, for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a Navy service, the Secretary of Homeland Security must run a program that lets armed-forces members obtain, while serving, professional credentials that translate into civilian occupations. (b) Payment.—(1) The Secretaries must provide for paying members’ expenses for professional accreditation, Federal occupational licenses, State and professional licenses, professional certification, and related expenses. (2) The authority cannot pay for credentials that are prerequisites for appointment in the armed forces. (c) Quality.—Within three years after enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, each Secretary concerned must ensure that a credentialing program used under subsection (a) meets one of these requirements: (A) accreditation by a nationally recognized third-party personnel-certification accreditor; (B)(i) employers in the industry or sector recognize, prefer, or require it for recruiting, screening, hiring, retaining, or advancing workers, and (ii) when appropriate, a nationally recognized trade association or organization representing a significant part of that industry or sector endorses it; (C) it grants licenses recognized by the Federal or a State government; or (D) it meets a Federal agency’s credential standards. (d) Regulations.—(1) The Secretaries must issue regulations. (2) As far as practicable, the regulations must apply uniformly across the armed forces. (3) They must state eligibility requirements; describe covered credentials and occupations; provide oversight mechanisms for paying expenses and providing other benefits; and cover other matters the Secretaries consider appropriate. (e) Expenses defined.—“Expenses” means classroom instruction, hands-on training and related materials, manuals, study guides and materials, textbooks, processing fees, test fees, and related fees.