(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, who is deployed or mobilized outside of this State, or receives orders for a permanent change of station outside of this State, or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense performing temporary duty outside of the State in support of the armed forces, whose license expires while serving outside of this State or whose license expires within ninety days from the beginning of service outside of this State, may apply for an extension on the expiration of the license.

(B) The department must grant the extension if the service member, or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense, provides copies of the orders that require service outside of this State and a valid military identification card, or in the case of a civilian employee, the civilian employee’s Department of Defense issued identification card, or military orders supporting services outside of the State. The extension shall expire ninety days after the member is discharged from the service or returns to this State. If the orders do not specify a return date, the service member is deemed to have returned on the date that the commanding officer of the unit provides as the return date to the department. The license is deemed to expire only upon the expiration of the extension.

(C) The provisions of this section also apply to dependents residing with the service member.

(D) The department may prescribe forms and policies to implement the provisions of this section. The department must post the application form on its website, and the application must be able to be processed by mail or electronically.