(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, any licensee or registrant of any board, commission, or bureau within the department whose license expired while the licensee or registrant was on active duty as a member of the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces, may, upon application, reinstate their license or registration without examination or penalty, provided that all of the following requirements are satisfied:
(1) The licensee or registrant’s license or registration was valid at the time they entered the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces.
(2) The application for reinstatement is made while serving in the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces, or not later than one year from the date of discharge from active service or return to inactive military status.
(3) The application for reinstatement is accompanied by an affidavit showing the date of entrance into the service, whether still in the service, or date of discharge, and the renewal fee for the current renewal period in which the application is filed is paid.
(b) If application for reinstatement is filed more than one year after discharge or return to inactive status, the applicant, in the discretion of the licensing agency, may be required to pass an examination.
(c) If application for reinstatement is filed and the licensing agency determines that the applicant has not actively engaged in the practice of the applicant’s profession while on active duty, then the licensing agency may require the applicant to pass an examination.
(d) Unless otherwise specifically provided in this code, any licensee or registrant who, either part time or full time, practices in this state the profession or vocation for which the licensee or registrant is licensed or registered shall be required to maintain their license in good standing even though the licensee or registrant is in military service.
For the purposes in this section, time spent by a licensee in receiving treatment or hospitalization in any veterans’ facility during which the licensee is prevented from practicing the licensee’s profession or vocation shall be excluded from said period of one year.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 351, Sec. 17. (AB 496) Effective January 1, 2020.)