Any member of the armed forces or National Guard or any veteran, within two years of such veteran's discharge from the armed forces, may submit an application for military training evaluation to the Labor Department program of apprentice training set forth in section 31-22q. Such application shall include (1) evidence of satisfactory completion of a program or course of instruction as part of military training that is equivalent in content and quality to that required for a specific trade in this state, and (2) if such applicant is a veteran, such veteran's military discharge document or a certified copy thereof. The Labor Commissioner shall evaluate any such application and determine whether the applicant's military training may be substituted for all or part of the term of an apprenticeship program registered with the Labor Department for a specific trade. If the commissioner determines that the applicant's military training is equivalent to the training required for completion of such apprenticeship program, the commissioner shall issue such applicant a recommendation for review by the appropriate examining board established under section 20-331. Presentation of such recommendation, pursuant to section 20-333, shall allow such applicant to sit for any licensure examination without participation in an apprenticeship program. If the commissioner determines that the applicant's military training is equivalent to part of the training required for completion of an apprenticeship program, such applicant's hours of qualified military training, as determined by the commissioner, shall be deducted from the hours of apprenticeship training required for the specific trade provided (A) such applicant completes the minimum number of hours of apprenticeship training required under federal law, and (B) prior to implementation of this provision, the Labor Department obtains concurrence with such provision from the federal office of apprenticeship pursuant to 29 CFR 29.13(b)(9). For the purposes of this section, (i) “veteran” means any person who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service in the armed forces, (ii) “armed forces” has the same meaning as provided in section 27-103, and (iii) “military discharge document” has the same meaning as provided in section 1-219.

(P.A. 14-131, S. 4.)