HB879

HB879 requires the relevant Texas board to issue a license to a qualifying military veteran applying as a physician, physician assistant or nurse. The applicant must meet all of these conditions:

• Hold a license in good standing in the same profession in another state.
• Have retired or otherwise left military service no more than one year before applying.
• Have been on active duty at the time of leaving and authorized in that profession to treat enlisted service members or veterans.
• Have been honorably discharged.
• Have passed the applicable Texas jurisprudence examination—a test of the profession’s governing laws and rules.

This is a route for already licensed clinicians meeting defined service conditions, not permission for any veteran with medical experience to practice without a license. The final law does not require the prior active-duty service to have occurred in Texas. Final law

The boards may not issue a license under this route if the applicant holds a relevant professional or controlled-substance license that is under active investigation, or is or was subject to disciplinary action/order or denial by another jurisdiction. It also excludes applicants convicted of, on deferred-adjudication community supervision or deferred disposition for, or under active investigation for a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude. The screening provisions are not limited to current criminal convictions.

The act incorporates the existing statutory definitions of active duty and the U.S. armed forces. Those definitions include specified state military active-duty service and reserve units; the applicant still must meet every eligibility condition in the new licensing provision. Definitions

The law took effect September 1, 2025. It does not set a guaranteed number of days for processing an application or itself change the professional scope of practice after licensing. Official history