Virginia Contractors Receive Free Digital Licenses for Secure, Contactless Verification

Permitting offices, inspectors, and the public can more safely verify licenses issued by Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

MILLBRAE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) and Merit, the interoperable digital credentials ecosystem, have expanded their 2019 partnership to issue free digital versions of contractors’ licenses to thousands of professionals across the Commonwealth.

"We began working with Merit last year to digitize more than 100 license types across more than 40 professions for the first time, which was a meaningful, technology-forward initiative that had immediate value for our department and for our regulants,” said Mary Broz-Vaughan, Director of Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. “But what has really been highlighted during the current COVID-19 pandemic is that a merit or license on a smartphone is touchless. This is a game-changer for the many professions that require regular license checks – including the tens of thousands of contractors across Virginia.”

Overview of the digital license partnership between DPOR and Merit:

1. Merit’s technology platform integrates directly with DPOR’s systems, ensuring that all license fields are updated on Merit in real-time.
2. Digital versions of professional licenses, known as merits, are automatically sent to licensees.
3. When a recipient receives a merit, they can activate it and manage it through any web browser, or on the go through Merit’s secure smartphone app, eliminating the need to carry a paper license.
4. Local permitting offices, field inspectors, and members of the public can easily and contactlessly verify a digital license using Merit’s built-in sharing tools.

“It is exciting to see a great partner like Virginia’s DPOR offer even more professionals the digital, portable, verified credentials that we’ve been providing to other industries across the commonwealth,” said Merit COO, Jacob Orrin. “Merit is proud to work with Virginia’s contractors.”

“This ongoing collaboration with Merit allows easy access to and fast verification of professional licenses,” said Marjorie King, Board Administrator for the DPOR Board for Contractors. “With this new extension of Merit’s services, local permitting offices and inspectors can now verify contractors’ licenses with Merit during permit-pulls or inspections – no paperwork required.”

To learn more about Merit’s work with DPOR, visit www.merits.com/dpor.

About Merit

Merit is the interoperable ecosystem for all digital credentials issued by trusted organizations. The platform allows everyone to access, track, and organize their licenses and credentials in real-time. Merit works with more than 1,000 organizations for professional licensing, occupational regulation, workforce development, emergency services, and other digital credentialing needs.