IDFPR Announces Report That Shows More Service Members, Spouses Received Support for Professional Licensure in 2021

For Immediate Release – January 13, 2022

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced the release of the annual Report on Expedited Licensure Review for Military Service Members and Spouses for 2021. The complete report may be found here.

In 2019, Governor Pritzker signed legislation expediting the license review process for military service members who are an active duty member (or whose active duty service concluded within the
preceding two years before application) and their spouses. The report details the Department’s efforts to shepherd service members and their spouses through the licensing process.

In 2021, IDFPR’s military liaison assisted 862 military service members and their spouses with licensing, more than tripling the number of individuals assisted during the initiative’s first year in 2020. While the 2021 data shows military service members and their spouses engaged in a wide range of professions, applications for registered nurse licenses sharply increased, followed by applications for permanent employee registration cards (unarmed security guards). Along with those two sets of licenses, most applications received were for physician and surgeon, dentist, and cosmetologist licenses.

Per the 2019 Act, IDFPR reviewed submitted applications within 60 days of receiving all required documents and fees. That review time will be halved in 2022, per legislation Governor JB Pritzker signed into law in August 2021.

“We recognize how critical it is for military families to have a smooth transition when relocating. The ability to begin working provides immediate peace of mind when a military family moves to a base in Illinois,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “We are committed to enabling them to work in their chosen profession as soon as possible, while also ensuring the requirements for licensure are still met.”

IDFPR offers a webpage for military service members and their spouses seeking professional licensure in Illinois. Resources on the page include contact information for the Department’s military liaison, a list of professions overseen by the Department, and quick tips for licensure in the professions most common for military service members and their spouses who move to Illinois. The webpage may be found here.