House Bill 880 (HB 880) Georgia Professional Licensing for Military Spouses FAQ

To qualify for HB 880, the applicant must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Be the spouse of an active-duty or transitioning military member.
2. Hold an active and valid professional license issued by one of the other forty-nine (49) United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, or Guam.
3. Have a license in good standing from that state or territory (see #2).
4. The profession must not be part of an interstate compact in which Georgia participates. If Georgia is part of a compact for the applicant’s profession and the license is from another compact state, the applicant is not eligible for HB 880 as they may be covered under the compact.
5. Submit all required documentation, including proof of military status and license verification.
6. File an application for an expedited license using the Endorsement –
7. Military Only application type.

Notes:

• The new application type, Endorse Military Only, is intended for our active duty military members and their spouses seeking license endorsement from another state or territory.
• It is important to note that being eligible for Endorse Military Only does not automatically qualify the spouse seeking licensing for HB 880 benefits under the law.
• The new GOALS licensing portal workflow guides an applicant through the HB 880 process to determine if that military spouse is eligible for benefits.

 HB 880 does not apply if:

• The applicant’s profession is part of an interstate compact that Georgia participates in, and
• The license is from a participating compact state. 

Common compact professions include:

• Nursing
• Psychology
• Counseling
• Speech Language Pathology
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

In these cases, the applicant must pursue licensure through Regular Endorsement.