In 2006, a law was enacted to permit the VA to hire LMFTs. However, the job specifications required LMFT applicants to have graduated from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Many of the California marriage and family therapy programs preceded the establishment of COAMFTE and are, instead, part of regionally accredited institutions. This was an insurmountable employment barrier for 95% of California’s LMFTs qualified to treat our nation’s veterans.