Nearly 50 individuals, including members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, policy staff and representatives from leading health care organizations, attended the Veterans’ Solutions Forum on Dec. 10 at the Pennsylvania State Capitol. The event, hosted by the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse), focused on discussing practical, tested models to help military medics rapidly transition into civilian health care roles, aiming to address the state’s critical workforce shortages.
The forum comes as Pennsylvania continues to face significant workforce deficits, with rural communities experiencing the greatest strain, according to Daniel F. Perkins, founder and principal scientist at the Clearinghouse, who spoke at the event. This environment heightened interest in actionable approaches that could strengthen the health care system while improving high-quality employment outcomes for veterans who bring extensive, high-level medical training and experience to the civilian sector, he said.
Other speakers included Rep. DJ Johnson of Kentucky, sponsor of the Kentucky Veterans Accelerated Licensure Occupational Recruitment program that helps veterans transition into civilian occupations; and Laura Hanoski, founder of Heroes for Healthcare and lead for Wisconsin’s Military Medics and Corpsmen initiative.
Perkins first outlined the severity of the current labor shortages, noting that 32.7% of job openings nationwide remain unfilled. He highlighted the missed opportunity in the military medical community, where more than 61,000 enlisted service members work in medical fields, yet 50% of medics and corpsmen who want to transition to civilian health care are unable to find work. This failure stems largely from credentialing requirements that often force them to effectively start over despite years of intensive training.
“We have what I think are thousands and thousands of highly trained, highly disciplined individuals looking to become members of the workforce, and they don't know how to do it,” said Rep. Johnson, who said he believes there is a major missed opportunity.
Hanoski, who has worked with veterans for 25 years, reinforced this challenge, explaining that she frequently sees highly skilled veterans looking for employment who lack the necessary civilian credentials to practice. She emphasized the national responsibility to utilize this talent.
“I feel it is up to us to serve them now, and we need to figure out a way to utilize all the tax dollars we’ve put into training these men and women, giving them all these skills and abilities,” Hanoski said.
Johnson and Hanoski detailed how their states established programs that recognize military medical skills and created a fast track to civilian roles. The pathways enable veterans to be employed in supervised medical positions while concurrently fulfilling credentialing requirements.
“When veterans enter the civilian job market, they come with advanced skills that are built through years of intensive training,” Perkins said. “When states create clear routes for medics to continue practicing while they work toward full licensure, both the veteran and the state’s health care system benefit. These programs strengthen the workforce and make it possible for veterans to stay and contribute to the communities they call home. They can also be a strategy for the state to attract transitioning service members to Pennsylvania.”
Following the public presentations, a private working session was convened to consider how similar strategies could be adapted within Pennsylvania. The commonwealth has not yet established a comparable process for military medics, and presenters underscored how targeted policy action could ease workforce pressures while opening new professional opportunities for veterans.
“The models we examined show what can be achieved when lawmakers, licensing boards and employers work together,” Perkins said. “We presented tangible evidence on how Pennsylvania can lead in veteran employment while simultaneously building up its health care capacity.”
About the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness
The Clearinghouse is an applied research center committed to advancing service members' and their families' health and well-being. The Clearinghouse takes a solution-oriented approach that includes conducting applied research studies, building workforce expertise through training and resource provision, implementing and evaluating evidence-informed programs and practices and delivering objective data and policy-relevant findings, so decisions are based on the best science and evidence available. The Clearinghouse is located within Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute.