Disaster Workforce credentialing provides for an objective evaluation and documentation of an individual's current certification, licenses, or degree, training and experience and demonstrated competence or proficiency to meet state or national standards. Credentialing is an administrative process for validating personnel identity, qualifications and providing authorization to perform specific functions during an incident. In 2010-11, the Florida Department of Health developed a White Paper on credentialing the disaster workforce. This paper provides an overview of national and state disaster workforce credentialing initiatives and recommends action steps to enhance the public health and healthcare components of the state credentialing initiative.

Florida Public Health and Health Care Preparedness Disaster Workforce Credentialing White Paper

Credentialing means having provided documentation that identifies personnel and authenticates and verifies the qualifications of such personnel by ensuring a common level of training, experience, physical and medical fitness, and capability appropriate for the position. Furthermore, credentialing provides the authority for the personnel to be within an area of operations. (2003, Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5). Florida's credentialing framework is diagramed below as a toolbox with each drawer housing a set of tools for credentialing the disaster workforce.