Attention Military Veterans and Families - Learn About Expedited Licensing
Last reviewed/updated: August 5, 2024
The Veterans Full Employment Act of 2013, amended in 2019, requires the Commissioner of Financial Regulation and the State Collection Agency Licensing Board to expedite the processing of certain license applications for service members, veterans, and military spouses.
The law requires the Commissioner or the Board to act within 60 days on a completed license application from a person who:
- is a current service member, a veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, or the spouse or surviving spouse of a service member or a veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable;
- is a legal resident of Maryland or is assigned to a duty station located in Maryland;
- is applying as a sole proprietor for one of the following licenses:
- Check cashing service
- Collection agency
- Consumer loan
- Credit services business
- Debt management services
- Installment loan
- Money transmitter
- Sales finance; and
- currently holds an equivalent license in another state.
The law is intended primarily to cover applications for occupational and professional licenses held by individuals. It covers license applications from service members, veterans, and military spouses themselves; it does not cover applications from corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, or other business entities, regardless of whether a service member, veteran, or military spouse is an owner or part owner of the entity. Therefore, it applies only if the requested license is to be held directly by a service member, veteran, or military spouse as a sole proprietor.
This law specifically excludes applications for mortgage lenders and mortgage loan originators.
Mortgage Loan Originators
There is a separate law providing for expedited licensing of service members, veterans, and military spouses applying for licensure as mortgage loan originators. Under this law, the term, “veteran,” when referring to individuals or spouses, means an individual who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable within one year before the date the application is submitted. Coverage under this law is not limited to legal residents of Maryland or individuals stationed in Maryland. The law permits the Commissioner to expedite licensure by waiving or suspending licensing requirements for an applicant who holds a valid mortgage loan originator license in another state, so long as the waiver does not result in the failure to meet the requirements of the SAFE Act (12 U.S.C.A. § 5101 et seq.). The law does not require the Commissioner to process the license application within a specific time period.
The law also permits a similar waiver of requirements for the renewal or change of status of a license, so long as all requirements of the SAFE Act have been satisfied.
General documents to determine eligibility
| Veteran | Current Service Member | Spouse | Surviving Spouse | |
| DD FORM 214, With Discharge Under Circumstances Other Than Dishonorable | x | (if spouse of veteran) x |
x | |
| Proof of Maryland Residence or Military Orders Assigning Duty Station in Maryland | x | x | (if spouse on active duty) x |
|
| Marriage Certificate | x | x | ||
| Death Certificate | x |
Requesting expedited licensure
All applications for licensure subject to the authority of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation or the State Collection Agency Licensing Board are submitted through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS). Applicants requesting expedited licensure should follow the standard NMLS process, and, in addition should complete this Verification of Status and Licensure for Service Member, Veteran, or Military Spouse, and upload it to NMLS in the “Verification of Experience” area of your MU2 or MU4 form.
Veteran Education Benefits offered via the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC)
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