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Making the Right Moves to Address the Licensing Issue

October 9, 2015 By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

by Libby Jamison, Guest Contributor

What’s your biggest hurdle to maintaining employment as a military spouse on the move every few years? For many, it’s not the job hunt itself.

More and more employers are now hiring milspouses searching for a job at a new duty station. Programs like Joining Forces have made a positive impact in the last few years on this issue.

However, licensing requirements that vary wildly from state to state are still a substantial burden for military families who move on average every 2 to 3 years.

Even with a willing employer available, the costs and time associated with re-licensing can prevent milspouses from meaningful employment.

Today, 1 in 5 U.S. workers must have a state-level license to do their jobs. This is a massive increase since the 1950s when only 1 in 20 needed licensing! Approximately 1,100 professions are regulated in at least one state, including many medical and educational positions popular in the milspouse corps. Months or even years of education and training to obtain a license can be rendered useless by a whole new set of requirements in another location.

The good news is that this issue is being addressed. (kind of!) Almost every state has passed legislation or issued an executive order to better support military spouses needing a license or certification to work. (Check with your state’s licensing bureau or the appropriate professional regulation body to see where they stand.)

But the degree of helpfulness of these rules varies. Some still require great expense and time for re-certification, meaning many military spouses may not be able to afford it or have time to complete the process during a tour of duty.

A licensing waiver isn’t useful if it takes 8 months to process, leaving a spouse with a significant gap on the resume.

Additionally, most of the rules do not apply to certain professions like teachers and attorneys. This patchwork of rules and regulations is frustrating and continues to present significant barriers to employment for military spouses.

Solutions to this issue are still being explored.

In July 2015, a report from the Department of Treasury, Council of Economic Advisers and the Department of Labor was released on occupational licensing and its consequences on the U.S. economy. While a report on occupational licensing didn’t go viral (how could it compete with all those cat memes?), it did specifically refer to military spouses as a reason to work toward better management of licensing requirements.

Following the report, the President proposed $15 million in grants to fund states interested in fixing this problem. The White House also suggested limiting licensing requirements to only those necessary to address public health and safety concerns. While the federal input on this issue is appreciated, each state must act on its own to actually enact the changes needed.

Other groups are working on the military spouse licensing issue at the state level.

Making the Right Moves for a Mobile MilSpouse Career – Addressing the Licensing Issue

The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) support military spouses working in the legal field. Since 2011, they have helped enact rule changes in 15 jurisdictions to reduce the burden of repeated bar exams. Most recently, Maryland added a military spouse attorney special permit to practice which will go into effect on January 1, 2016. By telling the stories of the families impacted (including many forced to live separately in order to maintain the military spouse’s career) and sharing common sense solutions, MSJDN has made progress and continues to fight for reduced barriers to employment for military spouses.

We know military spouses are a determined and resilient group. The milspouse squad includes senators, federal judges, Peace Corps volunteers, teachers, nurses and other rock stars that put Taylor Swift’s posse to shame! By banding together and sharing the real impact of these burdensome and oppressive rules on our military families, we can change the rules and remove the obstacles between us and meaningful careers on the move.

Making the Right Moves for a Mobile MilSpouse Career – Addressing the Licensing Issue

Join the Military Spouse JD Network for their annual career development event in Seattle on October 23! “Making the Right Moves” is a full day event including panels on leveraging technology to work remotely, exploring careers in public service and much more. A networking lunch and resume review is also part of the day.

Making the Right Moves for a Mobile MilSpouse Career – Addressing the Licensing Issue

Visit the Making the Right Moves event page for more information and to register today. 

LibbyLibby Jamison is the Communications Director for the Military Spouse JD Network. She also manages her own virtual law practice and is Of Counsel to the Law Office of Thomas Carter. She currently resides in Rhode Island with her husband, a Navy helicopter pilot. Libby volunteers with MSJDN, the Military Spouse Business Association, Hire Heroes USA, Junior League, and her local spouse group.

Filed Under: Articles, Events Tagged With: career advice, conferences, legislation, Military Spouse JD Network, resources, state professional licenses, working milspouses

The Smart MilSpouse’s Guide to Voter Registration

September 18, 2015 By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

by Jessica Hall, Guest Contributor

You just moved and after updating your address with your bank and all your magazines, finding the closest grocery store and registering the kids at their new school–what else is there to do? Update your voter registration of course!

September is National Voter Registration Month and we here at NextGen MilSpouse have a voter registration guide so that you’re ready to vote in the next election.

The Smart MilSpouse's Guide to Voter Registration

Registering to Vote in Your State

Each state has their own requirements for voter registration but the most common ones are:

  • U.S. citizen
  • Resident of that state
  • 18 years or older
  • Registered before the state deadline

Most states accept the National Mail Voter Registration Form available for download from the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC). There are state specific instructions at the end of the form.

North Dakota and Wyoming do not accept the form; New Hampshire only accepts this as a request for their own absentee registration. Do not use this form if you are stationed overseas.

For more information about your state’s voter registration requirements, visit their Elections website. The EAC has a complete list with links to each state’s website, along with its Facebook page and Twitter handle.

You should register to vote in the state that you are a resident of – this could be where you are currently living or your Home of Record. Also, each state has their own deadline – this can be the day of the election or weeks in advance. Check with your state on their deadline, then get to registering!

Absentee Voting and Voting Overseas

Just because you’re stationed overseas does not mean that you can’t vote. In fact, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986 protects the voting rights of active duty members and their dependents, as well as U.S. citizens residing abroad. The act requires states to allow these eligible citizens to register to vote and vote remotely (by absentee ballot) in federal elections. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) provides resources to service members and their families and overseas citizens so that these individuals are able to vote anywhere in the world. Additionally, the Director of FVAP administers UOCAVA.

If you have questions about how to register to vote or request your absentee ballot, visit a Voter Assistance Office. These offices are at military installations worldwide, including those in the U.S. For a complete list visit the FVAP website.

If you are living overseas, you’ll want to register to vote in your permanent state of residence. It is up to you to update your mailing address with your local elections department and fill out a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) and mail it to your local election official. The FVAP website has the form to download, as well as information for each state’s requirements and local officials contact information. Start your process on their Absentee Voting Overview.

Many states allow for absentee voting in local elections. For instance the state of Washington mails all registered voters their ballots. It’s then up to the voter to return it on time by mail or in a designated drop box or place by Election Day at 8 p.m.

If you aren’t going to be in the state where you are registered on Election Day–request an absentee or early ballot from your local election office. If you aren’t overseas, it is very likely a different form from the FPCA, so download or request information directly from the local official.

Ballots cannot be forwarded by the post office so update your information as soon as possible to ensure that you do receive your ballot on time.

The Smart MilSpouse's Guide to Voter Registration

Finding Out Where to Vote

Once you’re registered to vote the next step is to vote! When Election Day rolls around, you’ll need to go to your designated polling place. These are determined by where you live and are usually in your neighborhood, often at a school or community center. Your local elections department (usually run by the county) will be able to let you know where your polling place is located. Many state elections websites also have search tools to help you find out where to vote.

You can find a complete list with links on this helpful Cheat Sheet from the Election Assistance Commission.

Voter ID Laws

States vary in the required identifications needed to verify yourself at your polling place. Most often a signature is used to verify identification, including for ballots sent by mail. Of the 36 states that require some sort of identification at the poll, some laws are stricter than others. Valid forms of identification include a driver’s license or state ID card, passport, birth certificate, military ID card, current utility bill or bank statement, voter ID card and credit card.  The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has a handy table with detailed information for every state.

If you do not have the proper identification, most states will allow you to vote a provisional ballot. Each state has their own rules about when a provisional ballot is counted, the same table from NCSL explains when a provisional ballot is cast in each state and how it can be counted.

Check with your state before heading to the polls to be sure that you have the right identification with you on Election Day. Legislatures do amend these laws frequently and some have been challenged in court, so stay up to date with the NCSL (they update their table frequently) or by contacting your local election official. Happy voting!

Our friends at the American Military Partner Association is teaming up with 1,400 other organizations across the country to raise awareness for National Voter Registration Day (September 22). If you are interested in helping, visit AMPA’s website for more information. 

Jessica HallJessica Hall is a freelance communications consultant and author of More Than A Military Spouse. She has a Master’s degree in Communication, Digital Media from the University of Washington and a dual B.A. in Journalism and History from New York University. Jessica is an Army spouse and enjoys cooking, exploring whatever duty station she’s at and volunteering more than she should. You can connect with her on Facebook or Twitter. 

Filed Under: Articles, News & Politics, Slider Tagged With: 2016 presidential election, resources, voter registration

Warning Signs of Financial Abuse in a Military Marriage

September 7, 2015 By Guest Contributor 1 Comment

by E.J. Smith, M.S., Guest Contributor

Warning Signs of Financial Abuse in a Military Marriage

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence and abuse over the course of their lifetimes.  As a counselor and advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic abuse, I rarely encounter anyone who is completely unaware that domestic violence is an issue in our society. That’s a good thing. Awareness is the first step in creating social and cultural change. That being said, I do find that many of us hold a somewhat narrow view of what domestic violence actually in entails.

Nickel and Dimed: Domestic Violence Beyond the Bruises

When I have the opportunity to speak to a group— be it a gathering of students, law enforcement or other professionals, I ask this question:

What counts as abuse?

Typically, most people identify physical abuse (i.e. punching, slapping or restraining) quite readily. Frequently, audience members will also talk about verbal abuse (i.e. name calling, threatening or humiliation tactics); sometimes they’ll even mention emotional abuse (i.e. emotional manipulation, withholding love or affection).

But the one form of abuse that rarely anyone mentions voluntarily is that of financial abuse.

Even though The National Network to End Domestic Violence lists financial abuse as present in some form among 98% of all domestic abuse scenarios, our collective consciousness has not become as attuned to it as other forms.

What Is Financial Abuse?

Before we get to the specifics of financial abuse—let’s remember that the goal of all abuse is gaining power and control over another person. The specifics of the abuse–whether it’s physical or sexual assault, verbal, emotional, reproductive coercion or financial–is not nearly as important as that underlying driving goal: dominance and privilege.

Now that we’ve got that firmly established, let’s talk specifics.

Obviously financial abuse has to do with money. And more specifically, financial abuse has to do with the way money is used by one party to wield power or exert control over another party.

After all, finances are intimately connected to quality of life, so exercising dominance in this area extends well-beyond who gets to balance the checkbook at the end of the month.

The power to make financial choices in a relationship involves having direct influence over purchases and expenditures, savings for the future and retirement, travel and recreation activities, as well as a decent amount of parenting and educational decisions.

Warning Signs of Financial Abuse in a Military Marriage

Some of the common behaviors associated with financial abuse are:

  • Suppressing or restricting access to financial assets
  • Purposely excluding one party from all financial decisions or bank accounts
  • Forbidding the person to work
  • Taking a person’s check and restricting/preventing access to it
  • Creating toxic scenarios that sabotage the person’s current employment. Like if one person is a bartender and their boyfriend or spouse comes in every night, gets obscenely drunk and fights with other customers causing the employee to lose her job. (True story).

What Does Financial Abuse Look Like in Real Life?

A major problem with financial abuse is that it is so under-recognized.

For context, let’s compare financial abuse to physical abuse. When it comes to the latter, I’m not sure if there is even one scenario I can think up where a partner would be justified for punching, slapping or hitting their spouse.

With finances however, if I were to go out shopping and completely blow through not only our “fun money” but also the money we needed to buy groceries and pay our mortgage—trust and believe that my husband would be beyond ticked off. And I would venture to guess that most people (myself included) would think he was absolutely justified.

But let’s say that any time I wanted to go out to buy a coffee at Starbucks or a cute pair of shoes at DSW, that he demanded I ask his permission prior to purchasing or that I needed to “work off” my expenditure through chores or other means—that would be a different story entirely.

A more common and subtle financial tactic used by abusers, according to Lundy Bancroft, a renowned expert on the subject of male batterers, is to make sure that all large purchases and assets (i.e. house, car, investments, etc…) are titled in the abuser’s name only or as joint-owner with his spouse.

Not only does this tactic create more barriers to leaving, but it also puts the abuser in an elevated financial position.

It can be significantly more difficult for a woman to leave the relationship and establish herself independently if there is little in her name. And when children are involved, an abuser can use his elevated economic position to threaten drawn-out divorces and custody battles.

Finally, financial abuse can also be easily overshadowed by other abuses that occur concurrently. Physical, sexual, emotional, financial and verbal abuses rarely mutually exclusive, but rather interwoven. We may focus more on the verbal arguments that recur about money— in which shame, guilt, name-calling are the primary assaults— rather than consider the conditions of the money itself.

For a more complete listing of behaviors associated with financial abuse, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Why Should Military Spouses be Aware of Financial Abuse?

Well for one thing, military spouses may be more susceptible to financial abuse as they are often uprooted from established support networks.

Even in completely healthy relationships, the results of a 2013 collaborated study between Syracuse University, The Military Officers Association of America and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families showed that military spouses tend to experience higher rates of unemployment or underemployment due to frequent PCS moves when compared with their non-military affiliated counterparts.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I know at first glance my resume looks like I’m allergic to holding a job for more than a year or two.

This employment reality can lead to greater financial dependence on the service member.

Allowing oneself to become completely financially dependent on another person, even in a healthy scenario, requires a great deal of vulnerability. If there are red flags in that the relationship that point to an imbalance, then it’s imperative to consider the costs and benefits of such a move.

In your evaluation, please keep in mind that one of the major barriers in leaving an abusive relationship (should you ever decide to do so) is the impending financial hardship, potential homelessness and lack of access to resources. This is often compounded by the threat of the service member losing his or her livelihood should the command become aware that a service member is involved in a domestic violence scenario.

When the service member’s salary keeps the family afloat, many spouses may feel reluctant to risk losing their family’s one reliable source of income— even at the expense of their personal safety and well-being.

MilSpouses may be more susceptible to financial abuse.

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It’s also not just about the money itself. One of the ways abusive partners can perpetuate financial dependence is by hiding or even destroying critical documents necessary for employment or other means of independence.

I’ve heard of abusive partners hiding and/or destroying birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, driver’s licenses and more.

Losing one of the documents can create a horrible inconvenience, but losing all of them when you’re hundreds or even thousands of miles away from family?

Without these documents, it can be incredibly difficult to gain employment, find housing, open a new bank account or even drive a car.

Financial Abuse Is Abuse

If there’s anything you take away from this article, please understand that financial abuse is abuse. Through my work with sexual and domestic abuse survivors, I’ve learned there is a tendency to “rate” or “rank” certain forms of abuse, as if one must reach a certain threshold of suffering before speaking out.

And if someone discloses abuse to you, please believe them.  Leave investigation up to the appropriate authorities. Start by believing. Finish with compassion, lack of judgement and offering to help find resources.

Financial Abuse Resources

If there’s one thing I love about my job—second to working with clients face to face in therapy—it’s loading people down with tons of fantastic resources to help them empower themselves and others with knowledge and services.

The Power and Control Wheel. This tool is one of the most comprehensive models ever designed to explain the complicated dynamics of abuse. Take a look and see how these various methods of power and control can work together to perpetuate a cycle of fettered dependency.

Safety Plan. Should you discover or otherwise conclude that a relationship is unhealthy or abusive, it’s always good to have an exit plan. Your local domestic violence shelter or sexual assault resource center should have staff available to help you create a plan.

In the meantime, I always think it’s good to have a general idea of what leaving an abusive relationship entails— even if your own relationship is healthy. As military spouses, we often live far away from family and come to rely on the wisdom and kindness of fellow military spouses. Being able to assist another spouse with resources or just a realistic/grounded conversation about the subject can be a fantastic gift.

Lastly, find out about your local resources by calling National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) or doing an online search. Additionally, author Kim Rabb (writing for the Huffington Post) lists the following as resources for accessing emergency housing, groceries, communication (i.e. phone cards) and even attorneys who will represent spouses pro bono:  The Red Cross, Swords to Plowshares, Operation Care and local YMCAs.

By the way, for the sake of simplicity, I choose to use male pronouns when referring to the abuser and female pronouns when referring to the victim. But do not mistake these roles of abuser and victim as being exclusively tied to one gender or even limited to heterosexual relationships.

EJSmithE.J. Smith is a counselor, speaker, writer and Marine wife. She currently works as a counselor and certified advocate for sexual assault survivors at a local rape crisis center and serves on the Brazos County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). Her philosophy is centered in empowering clients to find their individual purpose, and to create fulfilling, authentic lives and relationships from the inside out. Born in New Jersey, and currently living in Texas, this self-professed holistic health nut enjoys a wide variety of athletics, reading and cooking. You can follow EJ on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook.

Filed Under: Articles, Money, Slider Tagged With: counseling, domestic violence, financial abuse, Leading the Way, resources

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