Rising costs for consumers and narrowing employment options for workers have one simple remedy in common: occupational license reform. Between the 1950s and today, the percentage of professions mandating these licences rose from under 5% to 30%, and rules became increasingly complex.
Regulators can eliminate redundant education requirements for license acquisition by giving credit for comparable training. Members of the military, in particular, often receive specialized government-sanctioned instruction that equals or exceeds college programs. The veterans transitioning to civilian life each year already have many of the skills needed to merge into the civilian job market.
Military occupational “crosswalks,” systems that enable veterans to substitute relevant military training for correlating required civilian training, allow these professionals to receive appropriate credit for their hard-earned skills. By charting licensing requirements and military jobs, then compiling a database matching the two, regulatory agencies can fast-track licenses for the 200,000 service members reentering civilian employment each year.
The Philadelphia Experiment
Although the concept is relatively straightforward, it is currently underutilized. The federal government adopted its transition assistance program (TAP) crosswalk in 1991, but it was not until 2022 that Pennsylvania established the first state-level crosswalk.
The broad variances in state licensing requirements render these specialized regional programs indispensable. One database does not fit all areas. Pennsylvania matched 300 military occupations to their corresponding skill sets in local civilian licensing, but other states must tailor their charts to their own occupational licensing laws.
The 148 positions with compulsory licensing in Oregon bear little resemblance to the 104 in Kansas. The current patchwork system leaves the onus on former service members to match their own skills to their state rules and plead their case, and many undoubtedly fail to receive credit without a chart specific to their states.
A Good Investment
Some state and local governments cite a lack of resources for their failure to create local databases, but this purported reason falls flat. As Libertas Institute noted when they argued against this excuse in their 2025 crosswalk proposal in Utah, “we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” Although each state has its own set of rules to categorize, Pennsylvania has already created a template anyone else can use.
Moreover, unnecessary licensing itself wastes an exorbitant amount of money. The Institute for Justice estimates Utah’s licensing mandates alone cost the state’s economy $1.9 billion and 20,000 jobs per year.
Creating a detailed coded database for each state is worth the effort, not only because it is a moral obligation to clear the way for veterans to work after their service, but because it benefits the economy at large.
An Untapped Well Of Opportunity
A streamlined channel from military service to civilian employment benefits both individual veterans and the overall workforce. The federal program is almost 35 years old and provides solid groundwork. Judging by the speed with which Pennsylvania charted so many job descriptions, other regions can quickly implement programs suited to their local laws.
All states have an excellent opportunity here, and they have no excuse to waste it. Seldom does a movement have such a good chance of succeeding so soon and with so little cost. Veterans should be able to reap the benefits of their sacrifices, and state legislators should be eager to pave the way for them to do it.