[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
PUTTING AMERICA'S VETERANS BACK TO WORK
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JUNE 1, 2011
__________
Serial No. 112-14
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Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_____
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67-189 WASHINGTON : 2011
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Jeff Miller, Florida, Chairman
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida BOB FILNER, California, Ranking
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado CORRINE BROWN, Florida
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida SILVESTRE REYES, Texas
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California
BILL FLORES, Texas BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa
BILL JOHNSON, Ohio JERRY McNERNEY, California
JEFF DENHAM, California JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan JOHN BARROW, Georgia
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas
Vacancy
Vacancy
Helen W. Tolar, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
______
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
__________
June 1, 2011
Page
Putting America's Veterans Back to Work.......................... 1
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OPENING STATEMENTS
Chairman Jeff Miller............................................. 1
Prepared statement of Chairman Miller........................ 50
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member....................... 3
Prepared statement of Congressman Filner..................... 51
Hon. Gus M. Bilirakis, prepared statement of..................... 51
Hon. John Barrow, prepared statement of.......................... 52
Hon. Russ Carnahan, prepared statement of........................ 52
__________
WITNESSES
U.S. Department of Veterans, Ruth A. Fanning, Director,
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service, Veterans
Benefits Administration........................................ 34
Prepared statement of Ms. Fanning............................ 96
U.S. Department of Labor, Hon. Raymond M. Jefferson, Assistant
Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service........... 37
Prepared statement of Mr. Jefferson.......................... 100
__________
American Veterans (AMVETS), George Ondick, Executive Director,
Department of Ohio............................................. 25
Prepared statement of Mr. Ondick............................. 76
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, Heather L. Ansley,
Esq., MSW, Co-Chair, Veterans Task Force....................... 28
Prepared statement of Ms. Ansley............................. 86
DirectEmployers Association, Jolene Jefferies, Vice President,
Strategic Initiatives.......................................... 6
Prepared statement of Ms. Jefferies.......................... 61
Florida Army National Guard, Major General James D. Tyre, ARNG,
Assistant Adjutant General..................................... 33
Prepared statement of General Tyre........................... 93
National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Richard A.
Hobbie, Executive Director..................................... 4
Prepared statement of Mr. Hobbie............................. 52
Reserve Officers Association of the United States, Captain
Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.), Director, Legislative and
Military Policy, and also on behalf of Reserve Enlisted
Association.................................................... 26
Prepared statement of Captain Hanson......................... 79
Society for Human Resource Management, Henry Jackson, Interim
President and Chief Executive Officer.......................... 9
Prepared statement of Mr. Jackson............................ 71
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Kevin M. Schmiegel, Vice President,
Veterans Employment Programs................................... 8
Prepared statement of Mr. Schmiegel.......................... 67
__________
MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
Post-Hearing Questions and Responses for the Record:
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to Richard A. Hobbie, Executive Director,
National Association of State Workforce Agencies, letter
dated June 22, 2011, and response letter, dated August 3,
2011....................................................... 103
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to Jolene Jefferies, Vice President,
Strategic Initiatives, DirectEmployers Association, letter
dated June 22, 2011, and response, memorandum dated June
29, 2011................................................... 105
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to Kevin M. Schmiegel, Vice President,
Veterans Employment Program, U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
letter dated June 22, 2011, and Mr. Schmiegel's responses.. 112
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to George Ondick, Executive Director,
Department of Ohio, AMVETS, letter dated June 22, 2011, and
Mr. Ondick's responses..................................... 113
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to Captain Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.),
Director, Legislative and Military Policy, Reserve Officers
Association, letter dated June 22, 2011, and Captain
Hanson's responses......................................... 114
Hon. Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on
Veterans' Affairs to Hon. Raymond M. Jefferson, Assistant
Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service, U.S.
Department of Labor, letter dated June 22, 2011, and DoL's
responses.................................................. 115
PUTTING AMERICA'S VETERANS
BACK TO WORK
----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Jeff Miller
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Miller, Stutzman, Benishek, Huelska
mp, Filner, Michaud, Braley, McNerney, Donnelly, and Barrow.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN MILLER
The Chairman. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to our
Committee meeting this morning: Putting America's Veterans Back
to Work. I think we all can agree that this is one of the most
important hearings that we will have in this Congress. That is
why we have decided to proceed with this hearing even though
many of the Members on the majority side are at a meeting at
the invitation of the President at the White House.
Just last week, I and other Committee Members met with
dozens of veteran organizations who were nearly unanimous in
making jobs for veterans their number one priority. I couldn't
agree more.
Lengthy unemployment can cause an unbelievable amount of
strain. Bills don't get paid, savings can be exhausted, and
family needs have to be put on hold. The financial strain of
not having meaningful employment has a cascading effect for
many: family problems, declining health, homelessness. We have
just got to get the economy going again to put Americans back
to work, especially those who have protected our freedom to
work in the first place.
Growing the economy starts with the fundamentals of keeping
taxes on small businesses low, which necessarily means holding
Federal spending down, reducing burdensome and unnecessary
regulations, and ensuring that we have a trained, skilled
workforce ready for the 21st Century jobs.
It is this third area, ensuring a trained, skilled
workforce, that the Veterans' Affairs Committee is primed to
lead. There are a number of programs run by the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL)
that have the potential to help, but our task is to see if
those programs, as designed, are doing the job as intended. Our
responsibility is to modernize them to respond to the specific
needs that exist for unemployed or under-employed veterans in
our economy. So let me take a moment to highlight a few areas
where I think we need improvement.
First, the unemployment rate among all veterans of the
Global War on Terror has been reported to be as high as 13.1
percent. This high rate exists despite the fact that Transition
Assistance Programs (TAPs) for separating servicemembers
looking for work are available, as are federally funded
veterans employment specialists within every State. We need to
look at these programs anew to see how they can be improved.
Second, training and the education benefits through the new
Post-9/11 GI Bill and other programs are valuable tools, I
think we will all agree, for our veterans. However, as
currently designed, they do little good for middle-aged
veterans far removed from military service who may need new
skills to break out of unemployment.
To highlight the point I am making, on the 2nd of May the
Conference Board released its data showing there are nearly 4.5
million jobs advertised on the Internet. The Board's data also
show the top 10 career fields with a heavy presence of jobs
requiring hard skills. To me, this shows that good jobs are out
there. We just need to retool the programs we have to help our
veterans compete for those very jobs.
Finally, there are legal protections for Guardsmen and
Reservists who left work to fight for our country. By law, they
are entitled to have or go back to their jobs when they come
home; and we need to be aggressive in enforcement of this law.
Just one more thing. We need to have a better understanding
of the demographics of unemployed veterans, things like
education levels, lengths of unemployment, skills learned in
the military, to name a few; and we will hear some of that from
our witness from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But I
believe it is time to expand the facts that we know about
unemployed veterans.
As a beginning, I hope today's witnesses can provide some
insight into what we can do to help veterans get the jobs they
want and they deserve. I have some ideas of my own. So let's
get the ball rolling.
I will soon introduce a new jobs bill for veterans, and the
principles of my bill are simple. We need to provide a
meaningful retraining program for our older veterans, who make
up two-thirds of all unemployed veterans. We need to ensure
that the Transition Assistance Programs--TAP--for our younger
veterans is effective and, just as important, utilized when
they separate from the military. We need to add flexibility and
accountability to federally-funded job training programs, and
we need to ensure that we have updated legal protections for
veterans who want their jobs back on their return from service
active duty. And we must do a better job of enforcing these
protections.
I know Members will have other ideas as we go forward, but,
keeping in line with the theme of this hearing, I am anxious to
roll up my sleeves and get to work. As with any work, we need
to set goals; and let me tell you what my goal is. I believe
that an unemployment rate between 4 and 5 percent is generally
accepted to be full employment in this country. So I want to
begin today's hearing by setting a goal to reduce unemployment
among veterans from its current level of 7.7 percent to about
4.5 percent. That means, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics
April data, we need to reduce the number of unemployed veterans
from April's number of 873,000 to 470,000, or a reduction of
about 400,000 veterans. I think we can do that, and I invite
every Member of this Committee to join me in achieving this
goal--not just overnight--but over the next year or 2, at the
outside.
I now recognize our Ranking Member, Mr. Filner, for his
opening remarks.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Miller appears on p.
50.]
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BOB FILNER
Mr. Filner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for having
this hearing.
I ask that my opening statement be made part of the record.
The Chairman. Without objection.
Mr. Filner. I would associate myself with your comments,
except for one statement. You start off with the mantra that we
have to reduce taxes on small business, which I would agree
with, and cut spending. Then you go on to say how much we need
more training. It seems to me we have to increase spending in
these areas, and I am not afraid to come out and say it. We
have to increase our spending in these areas. If we are going
to put people back to work, it is going to take some
investment; and maybe we can do another hearing on this, Mr.
Chairman.
The VA has hired thousands and thousands of employees to
deal with disability payments and other issues. I suspect that
they need to meet some percentage goals in terms of hiring
veterans. But this is the VA. It ought to go much further. We
could use those jobs as a training vehicle for people. Why
aren't we hiring all veterans for these jobs? Veterans in
charge of the disability payment situation would probably bring
a whole new level of concern for those who are applying. But
the VA ought to not just hire thousands of veterans. If it
doesn't find qualified veterans then it should train them.
Second, as you know, we have major construction projects in
the VA and, of course, around this whole government. I would
find it hard to believe--and I would like to have a hearing on
it--that these construction projects meet some minimal
guidelines for hiring veterans. It should be a requirement for
our VA construction projects but also for construction projects
across the government. We are spending billions and billions of
dollars, not only in VA, but the DoD. If the agencies say they
can't find qualified people, then let's train the veterans
right on the job.
It seems to me we can meet your goal. I thank you for
setting it, not just in the public sector, but we should also
be encouraging and having everybody understand what they should
do for our Nation's veterans.
I think we have to take what we have already and look at
whether we are hiring and meeting goals in these areas. I don't
know the statistics, but I bet we are not anywhere near what we
ought to be if we are going to meet the goals that you properly
set, Mr. Chairman. So I hope that we not only encourage the
private sector by whatever we can do through the Congress and
the White House to encourage that amongst our citizens, but we
ought to have a hearing on what the public sector is doing in
terms of meeting these goals.
Again, everybody says, well, I wish I could find qualified
people. If you really mean that, then you are obligated to
train them and not just say they are not qualified. I think we
can meet these goals, but I think we have to make sure our own
hiring practices and our own contracting regulations are also
in furtherance of that goal.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[The prepared statement of Congressman Filner appears on
p. 51.]
The Chairman. I thank my colleague for his remarks.
I would remind him, although there is a little bit of
difference in the way we think we need to raise the money, what
I will propose will be within current spending levels. We will
have an offset that I believe he will probably most readily
agree with, that we can do that. So it is not a matter of
spending more. It is definitely spending it more efficiently.
Mr. Filner. We're going to cut your staff?
The Chairman. And title 38 of section 4212--I heard you--
requires all Federal contractors to report jobs that are
available and how many veterans that they employ. So I will be
happy to help you get the information that is out there, and I
appreciate your comments and your willingness to work together,
as we have done so since the first of the year.
I would like to ask the first panel, if they would, to come
forward. As you come forward, I will go ahead and make the
introductions.
The first panel: Richard Hobbie, Executive Director of the
National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA);
followed by Ms. Jolene Jefferies, Vice President of Strategic
Initiatives of the DirectEmployers Association (DEA); and Kevin
Schmiegel, who is the Vice President of Employment Programs for
the United States Chamber of Commerce. And, finally, we have
Henry Jackson, who is the Interim President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).
Thank you for being here today. We appreciate your
willingness to testify. We apologize for having to have already
postponed this hearing once. Thank you for making adjustments
to your schedule.
We would like to begin with Mr. Hobbie. You are recognized.
STATEMENTS OF RICHARD A. HOBBIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES; JOLENE JEFFERIES, VICE
PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, DIRECTEMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION;
KEVIN M. SCHMIEGEL, VICE PRESIDENT, VETERANS EMPLOYMENT
PROGRAMS, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; AND HENRY JACKSON, INTERIM
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SOCIETY FOR HUMAN
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
STATEMENT OF RICHARD A. HOBBIE
Mr. Hobbie. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and
Members of the Committee, on behalf of the National Association
of State Workforce Agencies, or NASWA, thank you for the
opportunity to discuss employment of veterans.
I am Rich Hobbie, Executive Director of NASWA. The members
of NASWA are State leaders of the publicly funded workforce
system and are committed to providing the highest quality of
service to our Nation's veterans, National Guard members, and
Reservists.
As unemployment remains high, helping veterans transition
from their military to civilian careers remains a significant
challenge. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, reported in
March 2011, the jobless rate among the Nation's 22 million
veterans ages 18 and older was 8.7 percent in 2010, compared to
9.4 percent for nonveterans. However, the 2.2 million veterans
who served in the military since September, 2001, had an
unemployment rate of 11.5 percent in 2010. For these same
veterans ages 18 to 24, the unemployment rate was 21 percent,
but this was not statistically different from nonveterans of
the same age.
NASWA members administer veterans programs funded through
the U.S. Department of Labor, or DoL. These programs are
offered to veterans through the Nation's nearly 3,000 One-Stop
Career Centers. State workforce agencies provide a wide range
of services for veterans, including the Disabled Veterans'
Outreach program, or DVOP, and Local Veterans' Employment
Representatives, or LVERs. However, veterans receive many more
services through programs such as unemployment compensation for
ex-servicemembers, the UCX program; labor market information;
labor exchange services; assessment of skill levels; and job
search assistance. All of these services are offered to
veterans under priority of service authorized by the Jobs for
Veterans Act, or JVA, enacted in 2002. It requires the
workforce system to make veterans a priority. States
implemented JVA under guidance from DoL.
There are three fundamental challenges to employing
veterans.
First, the economy. There are not enough jobs available for
all job seekers. Currently, the ratio of unemployed workers to
job openings is about four to one.
Second, funding. Funding for employment services is barely
half of what it was 30 years ago; and other workforce program
funding, excluding unemployment benefits, has remained
relatively constant for the past 20 years.
Third, difficulty connecting veterans to the workforce
system. Because of funding cuts and efforts to improve, the
workforce system has automated many of its services. While this
allows States to serve workers and employers, it has reduced
in-person consultation. While nearly all claimants, including
veterans, file for unemployment insurance via telephone or
Internet, there is often limited in-person contacts with One-
Stop Career Centers. NASWA is working with DoL to improve this
connection. With about 36,000 veterans collecting UCX per week,
this should be a high priority for veterans on UCX.
An additional way State workforce agencies have responded
to these challenges was the creation of the National Labor
Exchange, or NLX. The NLX aims to capture the greatest number
of valid job openings. Some 49 States are participating in the
NLX. Since 2007, the NLX has provided over 9 million jobs to
State workforce agencies and is operated in partnership with
DirectEmployers Association, a trade association of over 600
Fortune 1,000 companies.
More specific challenges unique to veterans include, first,
veterans are often unable to obtain civilian credentials
despite gaining related experience or training while in the
military. Second, many veterans have difficulty translating
military skills and experiences into civilian jobs. Third,
employers have difficulty identifying the location of veterans
with certain skills. And, fourth, the Office of Federal
Contract Compliance, or OFCCP, has proposed regulations that
would needlessly burden Federal contractors and State workforce
agencies by imposing unrealistic recordkeeping and reporting
requirements.
Mr. Chairman, NASWA looks forward to working with you and
the Committee on these challenges. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hobbie appears on p. 52.]
The Chairman. Thank you.
Ms. Jefferies.
STATEMENT OF JOLENE JEFFERIES
Ms. Jefferies. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and
Members of the Committee, on behalf of DirectEmployers
Association thank you for the opportunity to discuss our
Association's veteran outreach programs for employers.
My name is Jolene Jefferies, and I am Vice President of
Strategic Initiatives for DirectEmployers. Founded in 2001 and
headquartered in Indianapolis, DirectEmployers is a 501(c)(6)
trade association owned and managed by over 600 Fortune 1,000
human resource or H.R. executives. Our mission is to provide
employers an employment network that is cost-effective,
improves labor market efficiency, and reaches an ethnically
diverse national and international workforce.
Consistent with our mission, DirectEmployers partnered with
the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, or NASWA,
in 2007 to create the JobCentral National Labor Exchange, or
the NLX. The NLX replaced the previously federally funded
America's Job Bank and is a free job search engine to all
employers, regardless of size, in all industries. The NLX
relies on no Federal funds but instead this unique public/
private partnership leverages nonprofit-owned technology with
existing State workforce agency resources to enhance offerings
to veterans.
Through VetCentral, a feature of the NLX, employers' job
openings are automatically indexed or scraped directly from
their corporate career sites. These job openings are then
provided to the appropriate employment service delivery system
nationwide via e-mails to the disabled veteran outreach program
coordinators and local veteran employment representatives and
in many cases are also electronically fed directly into the
State job banks. DirectEmployers goes above and beyond minimum
regulatory compliance mandates and also feeds members' job
openings to many other related military related and government
Web sites.
Announced in April, the .Jobs universe military network is
also free to all employers and provides military personnel and
their dependents access to more than 880,000 employment
opportunities per month from over 90,000 employers nationwide.
Over 5,800 .Jobs domains serve all branches of the Armed Forces
and utilize the military occupational classification, or MOC,
to link military occupations to matching civilian occupations
such as www.42F.jobs. The .Jobs military family feature helps
military families and caregivers search for employment at their
assigned base, such as www.CampPendleton.jobs.
DirectEmployers also established a Recruitment Regulatory
Compliance Committee, or RRCC, to provide consultation and
guidance to employers on issues related to veterans employment.
In a recent survey, employers identified five barriers in
employing veterans.
One, just-in-time hiring process. Because employers utilize
a just-in-time time hiring process, employers would benefit
from Federal and State employment services that support this
model. Turnover in H.R. departments is dynamic, and utilization
of the Internet, social media platforms, and related
technologies are commonplace. Companies seek to leverage cost-
and time-effective resources that provide more immediate
recruiting solutions.
Two, skills and education translation. The military
workforce is challenged with the translation and transference
of their education and skills.
Three, military to civilian certification. Several
professions require special licenses or accreditations.
Transitioning military personnel are at a disadvantage without
such credentials. All levels of government need to implement
solutions that effectively balance current challenges with
educational system gaps, the accreditation of job seekers, and
the fiscal demands and resources of civilian employers.
Four, lack of data. There is no reliable data source that
takes into account the available pool of the military
workforce, making it difficult for employers to find qualified
veterans.
Five, OFCCP consistency. Federal contractors have
experienced challenges from the OFCCP, especially during
compliance evaluations that hampers collaboration. First, their
knowledge and appreciation of how State workforce agencies
operate is outdated; and, second, their standards and
procedures across national, regional, and district offices is
inconsistent.
To help all employers more effectively employ veterans,
DirectEmployers continues to work with NASWA to offer an
outstanding hiring and retaining veterans Webinar education and
training series for both employers and State workforce
agencies. This 16-module series and its resources help
employers expedite the learning curve in developing, sharing,
and implementing best practices and success strategies to
attract military candidates.
Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the opportunity to discuss the
employers' perspective and our initiatives to improve the
employment outcomes of veterans. We are happy to provide you
with any additional information. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Jefferies appears on p. 61.]
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Jefferies.
Mr. Schmiegel.
STATEMENT OF KEVIN M. SCHMIEGEL
Mr. Schmiegel. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and
Members of the Committee, my name is Kevin Schmiegel; and I am
the Vice President of Veterans Employment Programs at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for the opportunity to appear as
a witness before the Committee and to speak to you about what
the Chamber is doing to help our Nation's heroes find
meaningful employment in the private sector.
The reason the Chamber is focused on this issue is simple.
Many of our members want to hire veterans. Even with high
unemployment, we have a huge skills gap in America that is
hindering our recovery and undermining our global
competitiveness. Veterans can help fill that gap. They have
leadership experience and technical expertise. They are problem
solvers. And they are extremely reliable. Ninety percent of
military occupations are directly transferable to jobs in the
private sector. The Chamber's veterans programs will help raise
awareness across the business community of this great pool of
talented workers.
As a veteran myself, it is an honor and privilege to be
here. Two years ago today, I retired from the United States
Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel after 20 years of service.
My own transition from the military was full of good fortune. I
was lucky to have a mentor like former National Security
Advisor Jim Jones. I was lucky to be at the right place at the
right time. And I was lucky to be hired by an organization like
the Chamber that understands and appreciates the values of
hiring a veteran.
Not every veteran is that lucky. Of the 12 million veterans
in the civilian workforce last year, over 1 million of them
were unemployed. While the jobless rate for veterans in 2010
was comparable to the national average, there are some alarming
trends that may result in higher unemployment for veterans in
the near term.
For example, the average unemployment rate for Post-9/11-
era veterans last year was 11.5 percent, and nearly 27 percent
of veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently without
work. Members of the Guard and Reserve are experiencing
significantly higher unemployment rates at 14 percent.
With the potential drawdown of our Armed Forces and higher
rates of unemployment for returning Iraq and Afghanistan
veterans, the Chamber initiated several programs that will
enhance private-sector job opportunities.
In March, we started a year-long nationwide campaign called
Hiring Our Heroes. This initiative was launched in partnership
with Mr. Ray Jefferson, the Assistant Secretary for the
Department of Labor VETS, and Mr. Ron Young, Executive Director
of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
There are four pillars to Hiring Our Heroes. While our main
focus is on conducting 100 hiring fairs in local communities
across America, we have also created strategic partnerships in
three other areas to deal with specific populations of veterans
and their unique challenges. They include wounded warriors,
student veterans, and women veterans and military spouses.
Our aggressive agenda focuses is on one measure of success:
jobs for the 1 million unemployed veterans in America. In the
post-training year, we will host 100 hiring fairs with the help
of local Chambers of Commerce in all 50 States. The first of
100 took place in Chicago on March 24, and it was a huge
success, with 127 employers and 1,200 veterans and their
spouses participating. Roughly 150 of them are likely to get
jobs. Through this campaign we hope to connect 100,000 veterans
and spouses with over 1,000 different employers over the next
12 months.
Our program for wounded warriors is tailored to meet their
unique challenges and demands. In partnership with the USO and
Hire Heroes USA, we are hosting quarterly transition workshops
and career opportunity days in Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort
Belvoir, Virginia.
The Chamber is working with student veterans of America on
a jobs and internship program to help our Nation's youngest
generation of veterans. It will be launched this month at over
350 colleges and universities and will be available to over
40,000 student veterans seeking internships and job
opportunities across the
Nation.
Finally, we are partnering with Business and Professional
Women's Foundation and the Department of Defense to help women
veterans and military spouses find private-sector jobs at home
and abroad. The goal of the program is to significantly
decrease women veteran and military spouse unemployment by
establishing a network of 10,000 women mentors in the business
community by the end of 2012.
There are four principles that are critical to success:
First, local communities must be the cornerstone of any
national program to reduce veterans' unemployment. Second, we
must do a better job of coordinating public and private-sector
efforts. Third, we must look for innovative ways to assist
transitioning veterans. And, fourth, all programs, existing and
new, should be measured against clear objectives and
established metrics so we can focus on what is working and stop
funding programs that are not producing results.
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and distinguished
Members of the Committee, the Chamber is committed to helping
veterans and their spouses find and keep good jobs. Thank you
for this Committee's unwavering commitment and support of
veterans and their families. I appreciate this opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Schmiegel appears on p. 67.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Mr. Jackson, thank you for being with us today. You are
recognized.
STATEMENT OF HENRY JACKSON
Mr. Jackson. Thank you. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member
Filner, Members of the Committee, I am Henry Jackson, Interim
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human
Resource Management, or SHRM, as we are known. I thank you for
the opportunity to address an issue of great importance to the
human resource profession. We consider this one of our major
focuses: easing the transition of military veterans into the
civilian workforce.
First, as the world's largest association dedicated to
human resource management, our members appreciate that almost
half of our Nation's military strength resides in the National
Guard and Reserve. For this reason, SHRM formed a partnership
with the Department of Defense's Employer Support of the Guard
and Reserve (ESGR) early last year. Through this partnership,
SHRM is linking all 600 SHRM State councils and chapters with
their local ESGR offices. As of today, more than 300 SHRM
chapters and 31 SHRM State councils have signed a statement of
support for this program.
Soon after forging our partnership with ESGR, we
inaugurated a military hiring program as part of our 2010
annual conference. Building on the enthusiastic response we
received for last year's program, we are holding another
veterans workshop at our conference next month, offering it at
no charge to more than 12,000 H.R. professionals.
SHRM has also developed a deeper relationship with the
Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service,
or VETS. The core of our work with VETS is in helping the
agency to inform employers across the Nation about the
resources that are available to them to hire and engage
veterans.
In a related effort, the White House invited SHRM to
participate in Joining Forces, an initiative focused on the
needs of military families. SHRM is developing resources on
effective practices for recruiting and retaining military
spouses, maximizing workplace flexibility, and other policies
to support military families.
Through these efforts we have identified opportunities to
make these programs more effective for both the veterans and
the employers alike.
First, 71 percent of H.R. professionals are unaware of or
somewhat unsatisfied with the programs to help them find and
assimilate veterans into their workforces. Part of this problem
may lie in the number of Federal, as well as State, programs
devoted to veterans employment as well as the coordination of
those programs.
Second, it is clear that there are some misunderstandings
about how to address the workplace needs of veterans with
combat-related disabilities as well as the availability of
assistance.
Third, retention of veterans is also an issue. Last year,
Mymilitarytransition.com surveyed veterans and H.R. managers on
why job retention beyond 18 months is often difficult. Veterans
cited lack of cultural fit as the leading reason, while H.R.
managers described it as an inability to let go of the military
way of doing things.
Finally, many returning veterans face a unique challenge in
translating their specialized skills into a civilian job. Last
spring, a SHRM poll found that 60 percent of respondents said
translating military skills was the biggest hurdle for veterans
in the job search process.
At SHRM, we are committed to facing these challenges head
on to successfully bring together employers and veterans in a
manner that truly serves our heroes as well as the business
community. Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, SHRM and
its members will continue efforts to assist employers in
finding, recruiting, and retaining military veterans.
As we work together to improve employment outcomes for
transitioning servicemembers, we suggest the following to
foster greater employment opportunities and more effective
programs:
First, encourage continued partnerships between the
employer community and the relevant agencies.
Second, clarify and educate employers about the role of the
Federal agencies. Employers would greatly benefit from having a
more streamlined set of resources that they can consult to find
veteran talent, post their job openings, and find information
about hiring veterans and other transitioning servicemembers.
Finally, improve and increase uniformity in transition
assistance for servicemembers. As noted in our testimony,
guidance provided to individuals leaving the military should
prepare them for what employers need to hire, including
translation of military skills, interviewing techniques, and
job search advice. Having a more uniform system understood by
both employers and transitioning servicemembers would greatly
benefit both.
Thank you for this opportunity to come before you, and we
look forward to partnering with you in achieving a smooth
transition for every returning veteran. I welcome your
questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Jackson appears on p. 71.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Jackson.
Thanks to each of you for your testimony.
I think we have heard a common thread among a lot of what
you have had to say. There are a lot of programs out there and
a lot of information out there, a lot of ways that people can
get to it, but nobody knows it is there. How do we do it? We
already have the programs in place. The Web sites are out
there. VA has it. SHRM has it.
Who wants to start? I would be glad to hear from any one of
you on a simple way to fix the problem.
Mr. Jackson. I will take that, simply because SHRM, as a
human resource association, sort of takes this on as one of our
responsibilities.
I truly believe that education is what is sorely lacking.
When we go to our members--we surveyed our members last year--
53 percent of our members indicated that they were actually
attempting to hire veterans but were not sure about how to go
about it, how to target veterans.
We believe that through the programs with the Department of
Labor VETS that we are developing a toolkit for veterans and
employers that we hope to roll out sometime before the end of
the year in conjunction with the Department of Labor. We
believe that our members are truly committed to this cause. It
is a matter of giving them a succinct place to go to identify
how to address this issue.
Mr. Hobbie. Mr. Chairman, I agree that partnerships with
employers and Federal and State and local agencies is extremely
important. Of course, we have made great progress on that the
last 4 years with our partnership with DirectEmployers
Association, and we continue to make progress.
Ms. Jefferies. I can just say I kicked off--we did a
DirectEmployers Association hiring and retaining veterans
Webinar education series, and it has been keeping me incredibly
busy. There is definitely a strong interest in this.
To Mr. Jackson's point, there is a lot of turnover in these
human resource departments, and it does require continuous
education and communication. And we just can't stop that
effort. It has to be an ongoing initiative.
And so, in that spirit, we are providing this education
series, recording it, and it is open to the public, does not
cost anything. We have had State workforce agencies, DVOPs,
LVERs, the VA, the OFCCP, employers, all demanding this
training. And so there is a huge need for that.
The Chairman. Finally, Mr. Schmiegel.
Mr. Schmiegel. Thank you, sir.
I would like to make two points. The first point, which is
one of the principles we talked about, is that the effort has
to be focused on the local community.
In my last assignment as a Marine, I was the head of
enlisted assignment monitors. I managed 60 human resource
specialists in the Marine Corps that assigned 170,000 Marines
worldwide. One of our other primary responsibilities was to
retain Marines. We only retain about one out of every four
first-term Marines. So when we were doing our interviews to
talk to those Marines about their decision to leave, we often
asked them what they were going to do next. They never talked
about what they were going to do next. They always talked about
where they were going. The fact is veterans and their families
are returning to local communities every day.
So the second point, which talks to the local community, is
efforts have to be better coordinated between the public and
private sector in those local communities. Our approach is
simple. We are going to do 100 events, 100 hiring fairs in
those local communities, using the local Chambers of Commerce
and the relationships that we have formed nationally with the
Department of Labor VETS and with the Employer Support of the
Guard and Reserve. And Ray Jefferson's State Directors and Ron
Young's team of State Directors in the Guard and Reserve are
going to get together in those local communities and execute
events. If we focus on local communities and we better
coordinate public and private-sector efforts, we will be more
successful.
The Chairman. I salute the Chamber on the 100 job fairs
that you are talking about holding, but I think you just hit on
part of your problem. If they are all returning to their home
communities, you have tens of thousands of communities, which
we need to be penetrating and be able to communicate with them.
So how do we solve that problem? They all want to go home. I
certainly understand that. We have small cities of several
thousands to large cities of millions.
Mr. Schmiegel. I think there has to be several different
models, several different approaches to this. So we conducted
what Ray and I refer to as mega hiring fairs in cities like
Chicago, in cities like New York, in cities like Los Angeles.
That model may have over 100, 150 employers and a couple
thousand veterans and their spouses attend. We generally have
high-level speakers. We have transitional workshops to offer in
conjunction with that.
When we go to small areas--we will be in Great Falls,
Montana, on August 13--the model is different. You have to
focus on fewer number of employees, and you have to also take
into account that neighboring States from Montana may have
significantly lower rates of unemployment than Great Falls. So
you may ask a big employer like Halliburton, who has a
significant number of jobs in the eastern portion of the State
and in the neighboring State, to offer jobs to veterans and
their families to relocate either in Montana or to a
neighboring State.
So I think the answer to the question is the model is
different. You have to start somewhere. A hundred is a very
aggressive number. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has over 1,700
local Chambers of Commerce affiliated with us. Next year, if
this campaign is successful, we hope that the 100 becomes 500;
and the year after that we hope the 500 becomes 1,000.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Filner.
Mr. Filner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I thank you all for your testimony and for your efforts.
This is, obviously, a Congressional hearing and we have
oversight of the VA. I haven't heard any suggestions on what we
ought to be doing or what the VA ought to be doing. It looks
like the only guy doing anything in government is Mr. Jefferson
over here, from the testimony. I know you have false modesty.
What are we all doing here? This ought to be a top priority
for everybody. I can imagine--and you guys are the experts--but
if I just thought about it for a few seconds I could think of
what the VA could be doing.
Why isn't every regional office, for example, putting out a
list of veterans and their specialties and what jobs they are
seeking? You guys all said that we have trouble linking up with
the veterans. Well, the VA knows every veteran. Let's just put
out a list of everybody who is looking for a job. It just
doesn't seem difficult.
We hear about the transition of skills in the military and
how they are hard to translate. We could deem anybody who is in
electronics or a medic or a truck driver and give them a
certificate that says, for the purposes of hiring, this serves
as qualifications for entry-level employment. People can then
be trained further.
These servicemembers have incredible skills. We have been
working on this civilian certification for decades. Nobody can
seem to solve it. We have guys driving trucks all over Iraq and
Afghanistan. They come home and find out they have to take a 6-
month course to get a commercial driver's license. What do they
need that for? They get discouraged because they know how to do
it. They do it under the most difficult conditions you can
imagine. Let them have a certificate that starts with a job.
The same idea for our electronics people or medics.
I have watched these medics. They do things that no
civilian would ever think of doing, and yet they have to go
through some other certification, masters program and go to
this college or that college. They have the training. We could
just do it.
I would like you to give us some suggestions either in law,
or regulation, or Executive Order, that we can help you do the
kind of things you are doing every day. You are out there. We
ought to be helping you in every way we can. The VA's job is to
do that. Give us one thing we can do, if each of you could do
that?
Ms. Jefferies. I think, for starters, what would really
help employers--and we don't need a list of names necessarily--
but even just a simple heat map, for instance, that shows what
the talent pools of the veterans are, what their skills are,
and where in terms of geography where can we find certain
veterans with specific skills. That way we can at least hone
down our recruiting strategy.
Mr. Filner. Done. Let's do it.
Anybody from the VA here? Where is Ms. Fanning?
Heat map? Whatever a heat map is, let's do it. I can
imagine what it is, but I am sure it is easy.
Mr. Jackson. I would just like to follow on what Mr.
Schmiegel said, is that it is getting into the individual
communities. Although we have just started this project last
March, we have 600 chapters around the country. We are in small
towns, big towns. We are in towns where the veterans are going
back to. But what we are trying to do is make sure that we
connect all of the agencies, including the Labor Department,
including the Veterans Department, with the individuals. And
our members are the individuals that actually do the hiring.
Mr. Filner. Mr. Jackson, I understand what you are saying.
You gave us three very general ideas. Give me something
specific to do. You are talking about connections but what do
you need the VA to do, or DoL to do, or this Committee to do,
to provide you with that? Do you want a list of names of people
coming back to those communities? If so, let's just do it. Give
us something that apparently all our bureaucrats, hundreds of
thousands of them, aren't thinking of. Because this stuff isn't
difficult. We have all the information and resources as a VA to
do this. Just give us something specific.
Mr. Jackson. I think the one specific thing that I think we
are working on that I think will make a difference is bringing
the agencies together and having a single portal for people to
go through. Right now, it is up to an organization like SHRM to
go to DoL, to go to VA, to go to ESGR. If we had some single
point of contact--I think that is the biggest frustration with
our members, is they do not have that single point of contact
to go to. I think that would address 50 percent of it.
Mr. Filner. Mr. Jefferson is going to turn around to Ms.
Fanning, and we are going to do that tomorrow.
See, we got it done.
The Chairman. Mr. Schmiegel, real quickly.
Mr. Schmiegel. Firstly, I think we are doing it already. I
think if you look at this initiative to do the hundred hiring
fairs--it is in its nascent stages--we will see progress over
time.
If you could help in one area, it would be to measure. I
don't think we do a very good job of measuring whether or not
the programs are working. I think we need to look--the Chamber
is trying to do this, and it is extremely frustrating. After
the hiring fair for Chicago, we set up a survey for employers
and veterans, and you get a 20 percent reply rate. So if there
is a way for the government to figure out how to measure
whether or not the programs that we have in place are working,
i.e., when a veteran is placed we know that it was the result
of a specific program, that would be of the greatest benefit.
And that is how we will make a difference.
Mr. Filner. Thank you very much.
Mr. Hobbie. Mr. Filner, one of the suggestions we have is
to focus on the veterans that have recently left the military
and are claiming unemployment compensation for ex-
servicemembers. If we made a greater attempt to translate their
military occupations into civilian occupations and then
assessed their skills and determined whether they needed some
additional training or certification, which the system could
provide to them so that they can move from unemployment into a
suitable job faster than they might otherwise, we think that
would have a significant impact.
Now it is a small portion of the total program. We only
have about 36,000 veterans on unemployment compensation for ex-
servicemembers now. But it could have a significant impact for
those individuals.
Mr. Filner. Thank you.
The Chairman. Dr. Benishek.
Mr. Benishek. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Filner. I
thank the panel.
It seems interesting here to hear statements. Mr. Schmiegel
said like 90 percent of military jobs are directly transferable
to jobs in the private sector. Mr. Jackson didn't quite agree
with that. There are some questions about how your military
experience is translatable into a civilian job. That is
something I noticed here in the testimony.
The other thing I noticed is there seems to be a lack of a
clearinghouse of veterans that are available for jobs. It seems
to me to be something that the VA could provide, as Mr. Filner
has suggested. Do you have any advice as to how we might do
that or how that might work, Ms. Jefferies?
Ms. Jefferies. Yes. We have an MOC translator with the
.Jobs network that I mentioned as well as with the National
Labor Exchange site so that a candidate, a military job seeker,
can type in their MOC and it renders back matches to civilian
occupations. So it does do that work.
What we see, though, when we are reviewing resumes is the
military candidates themselves are not doing a good job
presenting their own skills and credentials. There is a big,
big issue with this issue of accreditation and licenses. And
that is an education issue in each of these States where there
is variances in what qualifies an EMT to have a State license
in State A versus State B. So there is inconsistencies across
the States.
So if we could at least have a consistent standard of a
military occupation and apply that to all the States, a huge
problem would be solved where we have that consistent standard
for, say, the top 10 occupations, top 25 occupations. And that
would be a really big start for employers in just cutting
through that barrier, and it would get these veterans back to
work much more quickly because they wouldn't be required to go
get reeducated in some areas that they already know very well.
Mr. Benishek. Well, it does seem surprising that the VA
doesn't offer some sort of Web site to go to for veterans as
sort of a clearinghouse so job seekers and potential employers
could go to at least get acquainted on the Internet.
Ms. Jefferies. There are several Web sites. You have
VetSuccess, which primarily focuses through the VR&E, the
vocational and rehabilitation needs of disabled veterans. And
that is a very good service.
And then you have services with all the States, for
example.
And to Mr. Schmiegel's point, doing this at the local level
is really important because that is where the rubber hits the
road. That is where the H.R. person is meeting with that
candidate, is in that local area. So it is very important to
establish partnerships locally, even when you have Web sites.
Web sites are just one component of a recruiting strategy, but
at some point you need that personal contact, and that comes
through developing partnerships at the local level.
Mr. Benishek. I agree. I applaud the Chamber's effort. It
seems like you are really doing something. But to try to
coordinate what you are doing with the population as a whole,
it seems maybe that is something that the VA could do better.
Is there any other advice you might want to give to me
here?
Ms. Jefferies. I do think those job fairs are especially
helpful. But, again, it is touching just a fraction of the
communities out there. So if you are hiring in Rawlins,
Wyoming, in the middle of Timbuktu, some of that is not going
to reach those pockets where a lot of employment happens in
smaller communities.
And so, again, that is one of the reasons why we have
implemented veteran outreach education program for employers to
bring them to those sources. There are some 8,000 Web sites
alone that are used for veterans employment, and it is
overwhelming for employers to sort through all of that. And so
we are trying to provide resources to kind of cut through that
and save them that research time. And that includes the NVTI
directory of DVOPs and LVERs. It includes the VA directory of
the regional managers, those kind of information.
Because to sit down and do a Google search, you get
overwhelmed; and right away it is just daunting to try to
figure that out on your own. So I think the education and
communication and training of employers is especially critical
and would definitely be very helpful.
Mr. Benishek. Mr. Schmiegel, did you have a comment?
Mr. Schmiegel. I would just like to add, I think as someone
who separated from the military 2 years ago and saw the vast
resources that were out there in the public and private sector
for veterans, I think it is a little bit confusing for them.
There are hundreds and hundreds of programs. So I am a huge
advocate of a single national portal that the public sector is
working on right now.
If you ask me as a veteran leaving the service if you could
do one thing, it would be to cut down on duplicative efforts,
to cut down on conflicting efforts, and to make things less
confusing for veterans and their families. So the notion of a
single national portal that all veterans and families can go to
look for jobs, to look at what is going on in local communities
to see what they have to do when they are reassimilating into
their hometowns after service, that makes the greatest sense.
We also have to focus on the issue of retention. I think
that Mr. Jackson's comments were spot on. But the only way to
keep veterans is for the business community to have more
internship opportunities and more mentoring opportunities. So
we have to build that network. Because, again--and it is not
because I am a product of the military myself--it isn't a
function of the inability of the servicemember to let go of the
military way of doing things. It is clearly the lack of
cultural fit that is affecting their transition. So the
government and the private sector need to work together to
improve internships, to improve apprenticeships, and to improve
our mentoring network in the business community.
Mr. Benishek. Yes, sir.
Mr. Hobbie. I would just like to add that States are also
innovating in this area. And the Chairman's own State of
Florida, for example, implemented a veterans portal similar to
what you are suggesting. I know the Federal Government is
working on that, too. So there is a good example at the State
level.
And, in addition, the State of Texas has a College Credit
for Heroes program which helps individuals who have left the
military gain some credit for their military training and
experience at the college level.
Mr. Benishek. Thank you, gentlemen.
I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Doctor.
Mr. Michaud.
Mr. Michaud. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking
Member, for having this hearing. I just have a few questions.
I listened to some of the answers. I think everyone pretty
much agrees that you have to have a central focus. With all the
different training programs out there, it is extremely
difficult, number one.
Number two, I think part of the problem, whether it is the
Department of Labor VETS program, or the One-Stop Career
Centers, they have been inadequately funded and the staff is
not there to actually help out the veterans that need their
jobs. So there is that issue that is problematic. Then it
becomes a problem.
If you look at our servicemembers, I heard several
discussions about large metropolitan areas doing these
programs. However, 40 percent of the servicemembers coming back
live in rural areas; and there is no way I can see where,
regardless of what effort might be out there, for the Chamber
to get the Chambers to focus in real rural areas. It is just
not going to happen.
So the question is: How are you going to be able to do
this? I am just wondering, for any of the panels, have you
focused on--and I will give you an example. For instance, when
they closed the mills down in my hometown, both Senator Snowe
and I knew the big issue was going to be health care. We also
knew the drug companies offer different programs for either
low- or no-cost prescription drugs. What we didn't know is
there are over 375 different programs. You have to fill out
about 14 pages of paperwork. And if you are unemployed, you are
not going to do it. I see the same problem with veterans.
However, we were able to get them to actually narrow that
down to four questions that they would answer and then that
would actually let them know what was available as far as
prescription drugs.
And I don't see where this is any different, when you look
at trying to find a program, if you can actually have a program
that is very simplistic for them to answer that actually might
pair them up--I would like to have you comment on that.
The second issue I would like to have you comment on is, if
you look at one of the problems with soldiers leaving the
military, whether it is active duty or National Guard or
Reserves, they are anxious to get home and they are not going
to take time to look at a lot of different issues. Do you think
it actually might be wise for the Department of Defense
actually in preparing them while they are still in service to
fill out these questionnaires as far as jobs so at least they
will be able to have that ready so when they leave service they
will actually have opportunities?
Because once they leave, they are going to get into other
issues, whether it is back in the community, whether it is
family problems, or what have you. So I think the time to
really focus on the bulk of it is while they are currently in
the military.
So I don't know if anyone wants to comment on those two
different areas.
Mr. Jackson. I would say that you have to have both. Our
experience has been that it can't be a single contact, it can't
be a 30-day contact, it has to be an ongoing contact with the
veterans and with the Veterans Affairs and with the vets. And
part of our program is to set up a facility for Veterans
Affairs or the VETS program to have constant contact with the
individuals, the 600 chapters that we have across the Nation in
the U.S.
The challenge I still think is that, and with my
colleague's comments, is that there has to be some guidance,
some more guidance. And I think a single toolkit, which is what
we are working on, a single toolkit to say--to essentially say
these are the options that you have, this is the information
you need, we think that is a first step. We think the bigger
step is for the private sector and the government to come
together and have that single toolkit. But, right now, we
believe that, as SHRM, we are going to develop that single
toolkit for the individuals.
Mr. Hobbie. The State workforce agencies are working
closely with the Department of Labor on this particular issue
in the area of attempting to help re-employ unemployment
insurance claimants in particular. It is called the
Connectivity Project, and one of the aspects of that project is
to create an integrated application system that would be
available on the Internet so that when an individual applies
for programs the information would be entered once and then
could be used for these other programs that might be available
to the individual. Also in that effort are concerted attempts
to try to assess the skills of the personnel leaving the
military and to try to match them with jobs. And, also, we are
looking at the various social media to try to facilitate
communication among job seekers and also employers.
Ms. Jefferies. The Marines is the only service branch that
requires TAP, and I think that if all of the branches could
require that at a minimum at least veterans transitioning out
of the military would be aware of the employment services
offered through the public workforce system and would have a
better opportunity in establishing these linkages and learning
what their local employment office can do to help them.
The other thing is that employers more and more utilize the
Just-in-Time Hiring process. When I was human resources
director of employment for Union Pacific we often had
candidates contact us ahead of time and apply for jobs as they
were transitioning out. They are coached through TAP to do that
about 3 to 6 months before they actually completed their
service. And what we ran into were conflicts that we wanted to
offer them a job but we needed them to start now, and so that
they almost started too early in the process.
So there is some education that is required with the
veterans and job seekers coming out of the military regarding
how employers hire and the fact that when we make that job
offer it is immediate. And so we implemented a program that was
a delayed entry program and extended job offers further out.
But that is not always easy for employers to manage, either.
But I really think that that education on the front end is very
critical, and it is all about the timing.
Mr. Schmiegel. Can I just add one comment?
I think you have to look at this in phases. I think the
whole notion of hiring fairs in every community across America
is not realistic. I understand that. But, again, I think in
order to create a movement across the United States that you
have to start with something.
When Ray Jefferson and I first started talking about this,
we broke it down into phases. This is a high-touch approach.
But as the high-tech approach comes online and you have a
portal, the high touch does not go away. You still have to
welcome veterans and their families home.
So if you look at this in phases and you focus on creating
this national portal, you continue to create this movement
across America with these hiring fairs in local communities, I
think you will have the infrastructure in place, you will also
have the spirit and the momentum in place to really make a
difference in this space.
In regards to reaching out to rural areas, there is a focus
on rural areas. It is just that when you look at 100 cities,
you want to have the biggest impact in the first year so you
can show other communities that you are having that impact.
In Iowa, there are 3,200 Guard and Reservists coming back
in September. We have nine local chambers of commerce in nine
separate cities in Iowa ready to do hiring fairs a month after
those Guard and Reservists get back. That is how you create a
movement Statewide. And those are all rural cities right in the
heart of
America.
Thanks.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Huelskamp.
Mr. Huelskamp. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
comments and the folks appearing here before the Committee.
I have a follow-up question for Mr. Schmiegel, if I might.
You had mentioned the single national portal. Can you
describe that in a little more detail what you are envisioning
and where it is at in the process? Is that something being put
in place now? If you could describe it a little further, I
would appreciate it.
Mr. Schmiegel. This is a public-sector initiative for all
the government agencies. They are working together to create a
national portal for veterans and their families to use as they
are transitioning from the military to civilian workforce.
Mr. Huelskamp. Any other folks here, can they describe that
a little bit more?
Mr. Jackson. We are participating in the development effort
of that portal. And, again, it is mainly to have a one-stop
shop for veterans and employers to come. And although every
answer may not be at that portal, there will be links to other
sites. For instance, there may be a job posting site at SHRM
that links off of that portal that will help veterans find jobs
as well as employers find veterans.
Mr. Huelskamp. Mr. Schmiegel, you think this works for the
employers as well as--I mean, we have talked a lot about,
obviously, the potential employer-employees. My question is on
the employer side. And you think this works in that the
employers actually would use this particular system in a manner
that would be helpful to them?
Mr. Schmiegel. I have talked to several big companies in
America. I think that Ray has also spoken to several big
employers that are waiting for the portal to come online and
they would use it.
I mean, right now we have band-aid fixes throughout the
private sector to do this. You have private-sector companies
that do this. The private sector will continue to adapt and
continue to come up with its own means to hire veterans. The
fact is, if you talk to employers across the country, they want
to hire veterans. So I think a national portal will be widely
used by small business, by medium-size business and by big
business.
Mr. Huelskamp. I appreciate that.
In visiting with employers in my district they have never
mentioned a portal. What they have mentioned is we would like
to hire more veterans; we would like to hire more folks. If we
could actually just improve the job climate, it would solve a
lot of our problems. And I am sure you hear that at Chamber.
Would you have three top things you all would suggest
broadly so we could just improve the job climate so there are
actually jobs out there for veterans to apply for.
Mr. Schmiegel. I think a reasonable tax structure would be
one thing that needs to be addressed. I think the regulatory
environment in terms of businesses being able to hire in an
environment where it makes sense to hire. And then there is an
overriding issue of uncertainty.
So if you look at taxes and regulations, if business
owners, small, medium, and large, have certainty in those two
main areas, they will start to hire.
Mr. Huelskamp. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my
time, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Mr. McNerney.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We all want the same thing here. We want to figure out how
to hook up the veterans that are out there with the jobs that
are out there.
Ms. Jefferies, I would like to ask you a little bit more on
the other side of this, rather than encouraging all these
agencies and all these contractors, have there been any
penalties assessed lately against contractors that have not met
Federal regulations in terms of hiring veterans?
Ms. Jefferies. In our survey that we did, there were a
handful of companies that did report they are under some
conciliation agreements to improve the hiring of veterans in
their organizations. So, yes, there have been some cases where
employers could do a better job.
And at the end of the day it boils down to those H.R.
people being so new they are just not aware of many of the
programs that exist and how to go about doing this. And so,
again, this education is, to me, a number one priority. And
employers are hungry for it. And I think if we can just keep in
mind that companies have a lot of turnover, we can't just go
once and be done, it is a constant effort that needs to be a
constant initiative that will never, ever be done.
Mr. McNerney. But, I mean, as long as they just get their
little wrists slapped they are going to say, well, we will get
to it when we get to it. If there are assessments made, then
they will be more likely to think about that as a priority.
Ms. Jefferies. Absolutely. I mean, when you are audited by
the OFCCP that is always a very challenging process to get
through. But if you end up with a conciliation agreement, that
can be serious. And so if they want to maintain their Federal
contracts they will respond to that. And I still say at the end
of the day it all ties back to communication and education.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you.
Mr. Hobbie, one of the things you said kind of struck me in
your testimony, is that there is one-half the funding for local
and State employment agencies as there was 30 years ago, I
think you said.
Mr. Hobbie. Right.
Mr. McNerney. What is the source of that funding that has
been diminished by 50 percent?
Mr. Hobbie. The source for appropriations for Wagner-Peyser
Act labor exchange services is the Federal unemployment tax
paid by employers into the Federal-State unemployment insurance
system.
Mr. McNerney. So what you are saying then is there is a 50
percent reduction in Federal contribution to these agencies
that could make a difference in terms of hiring veterans?
Mr. Hobbie. That is right.
Mr. McNerney. Okay. All right. Thank you.
Mr. Schmiegel--and I am going to follow up on a comment
from Mr. Benishek--you said that there were 90 percent skills
that are transferrable from veterans to civilian employees. In
an ideal world where the veterans had qualifications and the
employers knew what those qualifications meant and so on, do
you think that we could employ 90 percent? Could you explain
that number a little bit better?
Mr. Schmiegel. I don't think we could employ 90 percent.
Maybe that is a little bit misleading, that figure, because
some occupational specialties in the military have huge
numbers.
So let's just take infantrymen. Some would argue that that
is not a skill set that is directly transferrable to the
civilian workforce. If you look at the Army and the Marine
Corps, there are a large number of infantrymen serving. So that
90 percent does not directly translate into 90 percent of
veterans being able to transition into the workforce.
I think you need programs to help other occupational
specialties in the military transfer to the civilian workforce.
I mean, we are firm proponents of that. You can easily do that
with better certification and licensing. You can do that with
apprenticeship programs. You can do that with mentoring.
I think some of these young men and women that don't have
occupations in the military that are directly transferrable are
good leaders and can easily transfer to the civilian workforce.
Mr. McNerney. Does the VA have a Web site that veterans can
go to and put their resumes on that are accessible? That sounds
like something that is easy--would be easy to implement in the
VA.
Okay, I guess that is all I have, and I am just about out
of time. I yield back.
The Chairman. I think one of the things we probably also
need to--while we are focusing on trying to make sure that
whatever skill set that they have while they are in the
military is important to bring it forward, but the other thing
that we need to focus on as well is I was speaking with a home
builder the other day. He said, I can teach somebody to frame a
house, I can teach somebody to put a roof on, but these men and
women that are coming out of the service have skill sets that
other people don't have, honesty, integrity, the ability to get
up and work many, many hours at a time. So let's not lose that
focus as well.
Mr. Schmiegel.
Mr. Schmiegel. Just a little anecdote for that. When we
were in Chicago the day of the hiring fair, a small local
builder hired six veterans on the spot because he has seen that
in practice. It is as simple as that.
The Chairman. Mr. Barrow.
Now Mr. Braley.
Mr. Braley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And, Mr. Schmiegel, I understand before I was able to
arrive you spoke about the Iowa National Guard, specifically
the fact that 3,200 of them will be demobilizing soon and that
that will create an enormous challenge in our State, given the
size of our State and the fact that, even though we have been
fortunate our unemployment rate State-wide has been below the
national average, it is still a tight job market.
When 60 Minutes featured Medal of Honor winner Sal Giunta
Sunday night from Hiawatha, Iowa, you know, somebody like that
has the type of notoriety that he is probably going to have a
lot of potential job offers. But the sad reality for the 3,200
members of the Iowa National Guard is they went, they did their
job, and now they are coming home to a dramatically different
workplace environment than when they left a year ago.
One of the frustrating challenges often in dealing with the
Guard and Reserve is they don't have some of the same
institutional support that you get when you are on active-duty
service and there are a lot of base-related assistance
available to you. They go off into their home communities. Many
of them are from smaller towns in rural areas, and the
availability of assistance close at hand isn't what it is in a
larger urban area.
So could you just talk a little bit about what the game
plan is at these different--I can't remember what specifically
you describe them as--these nine centers that are going to be
set up and how that is going to work.
Mr. Schmiegel. Yes, sir. One of the strengths of the
program that the Chamber is implementing is, again, at the
local community level. Local Chambers of Commerce generally
don't have big companies as members. They have small companies.
So the strength of a program in Iowa specifically that we
address in those nine communities, the local Chambers of
Commerce will reach out to their individual business
communities and ask them to support this demobilization.
We are working with the employer support of the Guard and
Reserve who also has a network of employers, medium--mostly
medium and large businesses.
So, again, if you look at the Chamber as a private-sector
organization and the businesses affiliated with us, the 3
million across America through our local chambers, and you look
at the employer support of the Guard and Reserve and our access
to National Guard and Reserve units, we can easily look at the
Yellow Ribbon events that they have going on throughout the
country in small communities across America and coordinate our
efforts. It is as simple as that.
If you have a unit coming back in September, you plan for a
hiring fair with the local Chamber of Commerce in October or
November. I guarantee you if you go back to some local
communities, some cities across the country, you will see
hiring fairs right now or events in August and you have a Guard
and Reserve unit coming back in September.
So the very essence of coordinating is looking at when you
have those folks coming back and trying to do something that
will help them find employment a month or two after they do get
back.
Mr. Braley. One of the big challenges and frustrations is
the obstacles that the DoD sometimes presents in terms of
making sure that these demobilizing soldiers are getting the
type of benefits that they are entitled to under the GI Bill.
We ran into this when the Iowa Guard came home from Iraq after
the longest combat deployment of any unit several years ago and
were denied additional GI Bill benefits, which many of them use
in order to increase their employability by getting further
education or job skills.
So I would just encourage you to take that message back to
the Chamber and encourage them to maintain open lines of
communication at the DoD. Even though it is not directly
related to what you are talking about, it can sometimes serve
as an impediment to young people trying to restart their
careers when they come home.
But I do want to thank you for the Chamber's efforts, and I
yield back.
The Chairman. Mr. Filner.
Mr. Filner. Just briefly.
We have talked a lot about connections and communicating
information. How about incentives? Have the tax credits worked?
What if we paid a year's salary or 5 years' salary for
businesses that hire veterans? We bailed out everybody in the
country. Why don't we bail out our veterans? We talk about
trying to hook up the veterans with employers. What if an
employer knew that the salary was going to be paid? They would
seek out the veterans. What is your sense of if that will work?
Mr. Hobbie. Well, I am not an expert on the research
evidence. But what I am aware of on employment tax credits is
that they are not particularly effective. However, such
programs, not only tax expenditures or tax credits or direct
spending to subsidize employment, can work better if the
programs are targeted on those who are unlikely to find jobs
otherwise. Now, that is easy to say and hard to do.
Mr. Filner. So like the 18- to 24-year-olds who came out of
special--like infantry, you could target those, right?
Mr. Hobbie. Correct.
Mr. Filner. Any other comment?
Yes, sir.
Mr. Schmiegel. I think that if the tax credits are focused
on skills training for individuals, I think it will be much
more successful. And I think it goes to Ms. Jefferies' points
about educating employers.
I think if you look at what we are trying to do with the
Chamber, with DoL VETS, with ESGR, part of this is education.
So we are working on, prior to the hiring fairs, to talk to
employers about why it makes sense for their business to hire a
veteran.
I think you need to go one step further and really have an
education campaign for employers on the tax credits that are
out there. But, again, they must be targeted, and I think they
should be focused on individuals that may be lacking specific
skill sets to make the transition to the civilian workforce.
Mr. Jackson. And I would agree that tax credits would add
some incentive. But I would caution that what is available now
is not being used because people just are not aware of many of
the benefits that are available for engaging in hiring
veterans. So I think a tax credit would require an information
project along with it to make sure that everyone is aware of it
as well.
The Chairman. Thank you very much for your comments today.
If any other Members have comments, they can submit them
for the record.
I also ask unanimous consent that all Members would have 5
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
Thank you very much for being here.
And while they are leaving the table I would ask the second
panel to come forward.
The panel consists of Mr. George Ondick, the Executive
Director of AMVETS for the Department of Ohio; followed by
Captain Marshall Hanson, the Director of Legislative and
Military Policy at the Reserve Officers Association (ROA); and,
finally, Ms. Heather Ansley, the Co-Chair, Veterans Task Force
of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD).
Thank you all for being here, and we will begin with Mr.
Ondick. You are recognized.
STATEMENTS OF GEORGE ONDICK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF
OHIO, AMERICAN VETERANS (AMVETS); CAPTAIN MARSHALL HANSON, USNR
(RET.), DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE AND MILITARY POLICY, RESERVE
OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND ALSO ON BEHALF
OF RESERVE ENLISTED ASSOCIATION; AND HEATHER L. ANSLEY, ESQ.,
MSW, CO-CHAIR, VETERANS TASK FORCE, CONSORTIUM FOR CITIZENS
WITH DISABILITIES
STATEMENT OF GEORGE ONDICK
Mr. Ondick. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, on behalf of the AMVETS
Department of Ohio I would like to thank you for inviting me
here today to share with you our views and recommendations
regarding employment within the veterans community.
AMVETS was founded in order to enhance and safeguard the
entitlements of all American veterans who have served
honorably, as well as to improve their quality of life and that
of their families and the communities in which they live in. We
do this through leadership, advocacy, and service.
Today, I will be discussing one of the services AMVETS has
to offer, the AMVETS Career Center. The first AMVETS Career
Center opened in 2000, and subsequently in 2003 AMVETS Career
Centers became an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable
corporation incorporated in Ohio to provide career training
employment-related services to Ohio's veterans.
AMVETS Career Center was initially funded by a $100,000
grant from the State of Ohio. The grant was used to establish
the first AMVETS Career Center at Department of Ohio AMVETS
headquarters in Columbus. Further funding for the Ohio AMVETS
Career Center has been provided through the sale of Charitable
Instant Bingo. These tickets under State law requires that a
portion of the sales be donated to a 501(c)(3) organization,
and in this instance the AMVETS Career Center. So far, we have
been self-sustaining and have not yet received any Federal
funding to run our program.
The initial concept for the AMVETS Career Center was to
provide training and assistance to returning veterans as they
applied for their license and/or certification for the training
that they had received in the military. We soon discovered that
our veterans also needed stopgap training, resume development,
interviewing skills, basic computer skills, and assistance in
other vital areas of the overall employment process.
Moreover, the AMVETS Career Center originally provided this
training through the use of CD-based programs which quickly
proved to be cumbersome and inefficient. We then entered into
an agreement with Mindleaders, then the largest provider of
online courses in the United States, to provide AMVETS Career
Center with the necessary courses to assist our veterans. The
AMVETS Career Center paid Mindleaders for their online service
platform, thus resulting in our veterans having offsite
Internet access to their desired courses through a Web-based
log-in and password to receive their desired course of study.
Currently, the veterans utilizing the AMVETS Career Center
have access to over 300 online Mindleaders courses. Once
registered, students may study at a local career center or any
other place that broadband Internet service is available,
including the comfort of their own homes. Veterans pay no out-
of-pocket expense for the courses we offer, since the AMVETS
Career Centers feel
that the veteran has already paid the price in service to his co
untry.
The AMVETS Career Center not only provides career services
to veterans but also provides free services to the spouses and
children of military personnel who are deployed outside of
Ohio.
We also recognize a very high unemployment rate among the
National Guard and Reserve. So, in response, the AMVETS Career
Center chose to initiate the Ohio Veterans Career Assistance
Network, or Vets CAN.
The Ohio Vets CAN is a partnership between the AMVETS
Department of Ohio and the Ohio National Guard. Ohio Vets CAN
was created as an online jobs bank where veterans and members
of the National Guard and Reserve can link up with employers
who value and support military service to America.
The average cost to the State of Ohio to provide similar
services through the DoL grant is about $1,500 per veteran.
This is a sharp contrast to the cost of services AMVETS Career
Centers can deliver for only $250. We believe this is due to
the broad network of volunteers and the partnership and
resources uniquely available to the veteran service community.
And although we have been successful, we do not advertise
our program. If we did, our current funding stream would end
very quickly. It would be depleted.
With all of the recent discussion of fiscal responsibility
and the large success rate of our participating veterans, the
AMVETS Career Center just makes sense.
Chairman Miller, distinguished Members of the Committee,
this concludes my testimony. I would like to again thank you
for inviting me to participate in this very important hearing,
and I stand ready to answer any questions you may have. Thank
you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Ondick appears on p. 76.]
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Ondick.
Captain Hanson, you are next; and thank you very much for
attending our roundtable discussion last week. We appreciate
your comments.
STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN MARSHALL HANSON, USNR (RET.)
Captain Hanson. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Filner, Members of the
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on
employment challenges facing today's veterans.
While April brought improvement to veteran unemployment
rates, the 18- to 24-year-old bracket remains high at 26.8
percent, which is about 10 percent higher than that population
as a whole. This group is first-tour veterans returning from
active duty. Many remain in the Reserve components rather than
leave the military. These are unique veterans who can be
ordered back to active duty.
Three surveys show that between 60 and 70 percent of
employers won't hire new employees who are affiliated with the
Guard and Reserve, which is an upward trend. The risk of a
future 1-year call-up discourages many potential employers.
This is a violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act, but it can be difficult to prove.
Unemployment rates are even higher for returning units in
the Army National Guard, with the Guard Bureau reporting rates
as high as 35 to 45 percent. Florida is a case study of
corrections taken by proactive leadership.
The Guard numbers are high because many returning veterans
don't want to go back to the type of work that they did prior
to deployment. Newly acquired skills and combat experiences can
change career ambitions. The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides an
opportunity for veterans to seek new employment paths.
Even though the United States will be winding down its
overseas contingency operations, the Reserve Officers
Association sees a trend of veteran unemployment as an ongoing
problem. With plans to keep the Guard and Reserve as an
operational force, employers will continue to be hesitant to
lose key employees without positive incentives.
Employers view USERRA as a negative incentive and would
like to see positive encouragement to hire veterans. As
employers look to the bottom line, tax credits or financial
grants for hiring veterans are just examples of incentives.
Small businesses are more likely to hire Guard and Reserve
veterans if they can afford to hire temporary replacements
during deployments.
The Reserve Officers Association established the Service
Members Law Center with Navy Captain Sam Wright as its
Director. This service is provided to all members of the
uniformed services, including active, Reserve, and separated
veterans. Sam receives 500 calls a month from veterans facing
legal problems, 80 percent of which are about employment or
reemployment rights. This calculates to about 4,800 calls a
year on USERRA issues.
There is no fee service charged to the veteran and demand
is growing, but Captain Wright has reached his personal
capacity. ROA would like to expand the law center, but ROA can
only do so much because self-funding is what is maintaining
this endeavor.
Even the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve
Committee and the Department of Labor can't handle the number
of requests they receive as cases. So most reemployment cases
are being handled by private lawsuit. ROA finds that many
veteran employers do not know their rights of what the law is,
as illustrated by the number of calls that ROA receives. Many
veterans do not even know what resources are available through
the ESGR or DoL. So they quietly surrender, simply seeking work
elsewhere.
ROA would like to thank the Committee and its staff for its
attention to this critical issue and looks forward to working
with this Committee on improving USERRA and helping veterans
with employment challenges.
I am ready for questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Captain Hanson appears on p.
79.]
The Chairman. Thank you.
Ms. Ansley.
STATEMENT OF HEATHER L. ANSLEY, ESQ., MSW
Ms. Ansley. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and
distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting
the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, or CCD, Veterans
Task Force to share our views regarding ways to improve
employment opportunities for veterans who are severely
disabled.
CCD is a coalition of over 100 national consumer service
provider and professional organizations, which advocates on
behalf of people with disabilities and chronic conditions and
their families. The CCD Veterans Task Force works to bring
together the disability and veterans' communities to address
the issues that affect veterans with disabilities as people
with disabilities.
Because of the intersection of the disability and veterans'
communities that occurs when a veteran acquires a significant
disability, the CCD Veterans Task Force is uniquely suited to
bring both perspectives to issues that cut across programmatic
and policy lines.
The CCD Veterans Task Force believes that meaningful
employment represents one of the best opportunities for
veterans with significant disabilities to reintegrate
successfully into their communities. In the most recent study
by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on employment for
veterans with service-connected disabilities, 114,000 veterans
of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reported having a service-
connected disability rated at 60 percent or higher.
Unfortunately, 41,000 of these veterans are not participating
in the labor force. Among veterans of all eras with a service-
connected disability rated at least 60 percent, workforce
participation was 27.9 percent.
Typically, discussions about veterans' employment center on
veteran-specific programs operated by the Department of
Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration, or Department
of Labor. Veterans with disabilities as people with
disabilities who need employment assistance are also able to
turn to programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act
or, in the case of veterans with significant disabilities,
State vocational rehabilitation agencies and Ticket to Work
under Social Security.
Veterans with the highest service-connected disability
ratings and veterans on VA disability pension will likely
qualify for State vocational rehabilitation services.
Strengthening the connection between VA's Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program and State vocation
rehabilitation services through the Department of Education's
Rehabilitation Services Administration is critical to ensuring
that veterans with disabilities receive the services that they
need in order to remain in or return to the workforce.
Veterans with significant disabilities are often
beneficiaries of Social Security disability insurance. As
Social Security disability beneficiaries, veterans are able to
participate in Social Security employment programs such as
Ticket to Work, which allows beneficiaries to purchase
vocational rehabilitation services from an array of providers.
Some veterans are dually eligible for Social Security
disability benefits and VA pensions. If these individuals
attempt to use Social Security's work incentives to increase
their income, however, not only will their Social Security
disability benefits be terminated but their VA pension benefits
are reduced dollar for dollar.
The CCD Veterans Task Force believes that work incentives
for the VA pension program should be reexamined.
The Workforce Investment Act covers most of the Nation's
major employment and training programs operated through the
Department of Labor. Several sections of the Workforce
Investment Act incorporate veterans' employment into its
overall mission. The Workforce Investment Act has been slated
for reauthorization since 2003. While progress has been made,
additional changes, as outlined in our written testimony, are
needed to focus on the performance of the entire system.
Although many veterans with disabilities have the skills
needed to qualify for employment opportunities and advance in
their careers, barriers to employment continue to prevent these
veterans from receiving opportunities. Veterans with
disabilities, like other people with disabilities, face
barriers to employment that include misinformation about
disability and misperceptions about required accommodations.
These barriers must addressed. Otherwise, training
opportunities alone will not address the needs of those
veterans who have the most significant disabilities to allow
them to reintegrate into the workforce and contribute to their
communities.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to share the CCD
Veterans Task Force's views on improving employment
opportunities for severely disabled veterans. This concludes my
testimony, and I would be pleased to answer any questions you
may have.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Ansley appears on p. 86.]
The Chairman. Thank you all for your testimony this
morning.
Mr. Hanson, you mentioned that the Reserve Officers
Association established the Service Members Law Centers whose
goals are generally to improve understanding of the law as it
relates to veterans and USERRA and the Servicemembers Civil
Relief Act. Would you agree that the need for a center is an
indication of a shortage of attorneys qualified in veterans'
law and the need for law schools to provide courses--more
courses in veteran law?
Captain Hanson. Most definitely, sir. What we are finding
out there is the community as a whole is very hungry to learn
more about the USERRA law and the Servicemembers Civil Relief
Act. There is basically a lack of proper education out there.
According to Captain Sam Wright, who has helped write some
of this legislation, the demand is growing. He is actually
going to seminars, oftentimes being sponsored by the American
or State Bar Associations, and teaching more about this to the
lawyers directly. And this is one of the purposes of the Law
Center, is to help educate, as well as provide information to
the servicemembers themselves.
The Chairman. Mr. Ondick, you had said that the Career
center system had expanded to several other States. I am
interested in knowing what major impediments may be there to
further expansion beyond those States that have already
expanded.
Mr. Ondick. Mr. Chairman, the AMVETS Career Centers, as you
mentioned, are in New York, Tennessee, and Illinois at this
time. Some of the impediments are dollars. We provide courses
at no cost to our veterans. However, we have to pay for those
courses. We set up a program through Mindleaders, and it can be
quite expensive. So some of the determinants are the cost that
is involved with providing the courses.
The Chairman. Mr. Filner.
Mr. Filner. Can I yield to Mr. McNerney?
The Chairman. Mr. McNerney.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
You know, first, I just want to make a plug for a bill that
we dropped last week, Hire a Hero Act. I think Mr. Filner is a
co-author. And it has several provisions. One of them is that
it is a pilot project to help between the Veterans
Administration, the DoD, and the Department of Labor to
identify the barriers to veterans' employment. It does several
other things as well. So I would ask the Chairman to consider
becoming co-sponsor of that.
Speaking of barriers to employment, Captain Hanson and Ms.
Ansley, what do you think are the biggest barriers that our
veterans are facing out there in terms of getting a job after
they get released?
Captain Hanson. Well, I think one thing that this hearing,
Congressman, is demonstrating is the fact that there are a lot
of people out there trying to help, which in the process I
think is almost providing an overload of information. And I
notice the Chamber of Commerce in the recommendation for job
fairs said they wanted to do it 30 days after the individuals
return from deployment. The challenge here is that a lot of
Guard and Reserve members are not ready to think about future
careers at 30 days after returning from overseas.
Mr. McNerney. So even 30 days is not enough? I mean, he was
saying 30 days after, as opposed to 30 days before they get
back?
Captain Hanson. Well, if you look at the Yellow Ribbon
Reintegration Program that a lot of States have set up--and I
give credit to the National Guard for starting the programs--
they actually bring the people in on 30, 60, and 90-day
schedules and also include the families to participate in these
programs. And I think you can't afford the information
overload.
So if an individual is coming back, as was pointed out
earlier, they want to get home quickly. So, oftentimes, they
are fatigued, they are not perceptive to a lot of the
information that is being provided. In fact, that is one of the
complaints about TAPS, is that there is almost too much
information in too short a time that is there.
So I think partnering locally in groups is the advisable
thing to do but to also do it at such a time when the member is
more receptive to this information.
Mr. McNerney. Would veteran service organizations (VSOs) be
qualified or the right contact, do you think, for that?
Captain Hanson. Well, I think you will find it varies from
location to location. In Ohio, obviously, you see the advantage
of AMVETS and what they are working on. If you go to
California, you might find other groups that are the resources
to go to. And it varies depending on membership and who the
spark plugs are in informal leadership within those groups.
Many States have an informal military veteran coalition that
meets Statewide, and that is perhaps a level to work at.
But I think it is a partnership between the Department of
Veterans Affairs, the VSOs, the military service organizations,
the local offices for Department of Labor that should all get
together and kind of coordinate and optimize rather than
duplicate the efforts.
Ms. Ansley. Thank you for the question.
I think one of the biggest barriers that we see
specifically looking at veterans with significant disabilities
is not only do they have everything that all other veterans are
dealing with when they come back, but they have now acquired
perhaps a significant disability, which is quite a paradigm
shift as now you are beginning to learn what it is like to live
with a disability and to look at yourself possibly as a person
with a disability.
People with disabilities in general have very low
employment rates. And some of those barriers do relate to
employers not knowing what type of accommodations they need to
provide, would this person be gone a lot because of medical
appointments. There is a whole new layer of issues that have to
be dealt with.
We also see the need for more connections between the
programs within VA and making sure we are connecting to
programs that are set up for people with disabilities to make
those connections. Because a lot of people do want to reach out
to the veteran who now has a disability, and we have to make
that connection easy.
Mr. McNerney. So it is probably a matter of education and
training for the employers?
Ms. Ansley. Right. That is always something that comes up
with employers, is that?
Mr. McNerney. That is the thing we are hearing a lot this
morning.
Ms. Ansley. Yes. Helping the veteran to know what his or
her rights are now as a person with a disability. Because they
also have the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, they
have other services that are available to them, and to making
sure that they are able to benefit from all of those services
and that people are working together.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you.
One more question. Captain Hanson, you mentioned that
USERRA employers view USERRA as a negative incentive. How would
we turn that around and make it into a positive incentive?
Captain Hanson. Well, from our discussions with employers,
I think it is a balancing act. The structure of USERRA
basically says, if you fail to do this, you will be penalized.
And, unfortunately, one thing we are also seeing with USERRA is
the fact that in industry the violation of USERRA is most
oftentimes not overt but more subtle, which is one of the
things that through the Law Center we are trying to teach some
of the differences to the people out there and advise the
veterans themselves on when appropriate action can be taken and
when something is perhaps not documented well enough on their
side.
But it should also be remembered that the employers have
rights as well as the employee and that this can be one area
you can work on and help educate. Because, as mentioned in our
testimony, more times than not it is ignorance that we are
facing on both the part of the employer and the employee,
rather than intentional violation of it. But at the same time
they would just like to see some type of incentives that can be
put in place.
I saw last night in your activities, for example, a bill
was passed to present an award to employers who hire veterans.
And I think this is a good move because, like the employers,
the part of the Guard and Reserve that have similar awards for
employers that support the Guard and Reserve if you do the
positive for the behavior that is improving it as well as
having that negative incentive.
Mr. McNerney. Well, the bill that I was plugging earlier
does that. So just thank you for the plug--additional plug on
that.
I am going to yield back.
The Chairman. Mr. Filner.
Mr. Filner. Thank you very much for being here today. We
appreciate your testimony.
Mr. Ondick, did you have a comment?
Mr. Ondick. Yes, I do.
One of the problems that we have is with the United States
Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training, the
DVOPs/LVER program, where they are tasked for intensive
services only. And in Ohio that meant they serviced about 5,000
veterans. Back in 2009--we have the figures from 2009--they
serviced 5,000 veterans. What happened to the other 100,000
veterans that were unemployed? So that is where we step in as
veterans' organizations.
And in an earlier comment by Ranking Member Filner when he
talked about the truck driving, we can get an individual that
comes out of the military, we can get him into--get a CD out
and get him a job in 5 days. If we can do it, why can't others?
Five days. We did it in 1 day for an individual, but Jupiter
had to align with Mars for that to happen.
There are avenues out there, and we can make things happen
with the veterans organizations that are grassroots. In Ohio,
in the AMVETS alone, we have 140 veterans, AMVETS post in that
State.
If you are looking for a network, I think that utilization
of the veterans service organizations that are all over this
country in every community, big and small, would probably be
the best way to tackle something and to get to every part of a
State across this country.
The Chairman. Thank you very much. We appreciate your
testimony. You are excused. Thank you.
I want to welcome our third and final panel this morning to
the table.
Major General James Tyre is the Assistant Adjutant General
for the Army National Guard in my home State of Florida.
General Tyre has a long, distinguished career in the National
Guard and served 10 years as a noncommissioned officer. Next,
we have Ms. Ruth Fanning, the Director of the Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment Service of the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and, finally, the Honorable Raymond
Jefferson, the Assistant Secretary of the Veterans' Employment
and Training Service of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Thank you all for being here. Thank you for your patience.
General Tyre, we will begin with you. You are recognized.
STATEMENTS OF MAJOR GENERAL JAMES D. TYRE, ARNG, ASSISTANT
ADJUTANT GENERAL, FLORIDA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD; RUTH A. FANNING,
DIRECTOR, VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICE,
VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS;
AND HON. RAYMOND M. JEFFERSON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, VETERANS'
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL JAMES D. TYRE, ARNG
General Tyre. Good morning, sir.
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, distinguished
Members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before you
today on behalf of the Adjutant General of Florida, Major
General Emmett Titshaw, and the 12,000 members of the Florida
National Guard. I welcome the opportunity to illustrate through
our story a picture that is common across most of our States
and territories.
Our units are continuing to return home after some of the
largest mobilizations since World War II. These Guardsmen have
proudly answered the call but have returned home to face a
different threat, unemployment. Closing businesses, fewer jobs,
and an overall economic decline have contributed to the
struggles associated with redeployment of our forces.
A number of great Federal, State, and private programs
exist to assist Guardsmen transitioning back to civilian life.
However, the challenge that remains is finding or creating a
link that joins our unemployed Guardsmen with existing
resources and programs that will result in a viable career.
Unemployment in the Florida National Guard ranges from
roughly 14 to 38 percent across redeploying units. Our surveys
have identified over 1,700 soldiers who are unemployed. This
represents 17 percent of the Army National Guard force which
largely redeployed since July of 2010.
One example is the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, our
largest redeploying unit, with locations from Miami to
Pensacola that redeployed from Iraq and from Kuwait this past
December with more than 30 percent expressing civilian
employment challenges.
We have also learned that the greatest challenges to
employment emerge months or years after the servicemember
returns home. Currently, there is no enduring program at the
local level to address this need.
The Florida National Guard has partnered for many years
with large corporations as well as public and private
organizations and programs to address employment issues. In the
fall of 2010, the Adjutant General established the Florida
National Guard Family Career Connection, which joined with
Employer Partnership for Armed Services and Florida's Agency
for Workforce Innovation to assist our soldiers and our airmen.
Together, we have registered over 450 redeploying soldiers with
these agencies and provided classes on job search, techniques,
resume development, and interview preparation. However, despite
these efforts, our Guardsmen continue to experience employment
challenges, and we anticipate more to materialize as we move
into the 6- to 24-month post-deployment window.
While we are proud of the progress that we have made in
linking our soldiers and airmen to employers, there are still
some measures that can be taken to improve our current
programs. Developing incentives for employers to seek out and
hire Guardsmen would be an effective enabler for business that
currently support the National Guard as well as those that
would like to support but cannot afford to during these tough
economic times. Individual State programs in Texas and
Washington State have demonstrated value but may be at risk for
future funding and not available to all States, including
Florida.
We are doing everything we can with other online sources
which are available to assist with translating military
experience into civilian skills in connecting our soldiers and
airmen to employers. However, without sustained resourcing,
simple centralized planning, decentralized delivery, and an
individually tailored plan, servicemembers may miss
opportunities just for the lack of knowing where to go.
In Florida, we believe a one-stop shop is needed for our
soldiers and airmen, one that integrates these complementary
systems and locally ties them to employers. This one-stop shop
would offer transition services to Guardsmen in an environment
that eases the navigation through the numerous resources that
already exist. Our facilities are well suited to house this
type of enterprise because of their local ties to the
communities.
Now what I have described all requires resourcing but in
the end will pay dividends through other matrixes. Reserve
component servicemembers who are employed are easier to retain
in their respective units and services. We are at the peak of
our readiness, and the cost to replace and train even one
servicemember is immeasurable, particularly because of the
institutional knowledge and the experience gained through a
decade of conflict.
As servicemembers redeploy and transition back to civilian
life, we want to embrace them and provide support for full
simulation. Addressing the issues of unemployment is just one
means to tackle what has become an issue of resiliency not just
for the National Guard but also for other components and
services. A locally embedded resource that is postured to
integrate employers, Guardsmen, and available resources to
eliminate unemployment amongst the servicemembers is critical.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to be here today
to tell our story; and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Tyre appears on p. 93.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much, General.
Ms. Fanning, you are recognized.
STATEMENT OF RUTH A. FANNING
Ms. Fanning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and distinguished
Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today
to discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment, or VetSuccess, program. I am
pleased to appear before you to discuss the vitally important
topic of veterans' employment.
I also want to note that I appreciated the opportunity to
hear the dialogue from the other panels with many of our
partners. We are partnering with everyone who has spoken thus
far, except for two associations; and I will be getting in
touch with them right after this hearing.
I wanted to give you an overview of the vocational
rehabilitation and employment program. Over the past 2 years,
we have worked to rebrand and market our services as VetSuccess
and to stand up tools for veterans that lead to career success.
The primary mission of our program is to assist veterans
with service-connected disabilities to prepare for and obtain
suitable and sustainable careers through the provision of
services that are individually tailored to each veteran's
needs. But, as you will hear throughout my testimony, we have
greatly expanded our services; and we are now providing
benefits to veterans who are not disabled who are utilizing
Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
The services that we provide are broad in range and include
a comprehensive Web site designed to connect veterans with
employers and to provide that one-stop Web site that everyone
has been talking about this morning. This is a model that can
either become or lead to the national portal, and we are
working collaboratively with the Department of Labor and a
number of Federal organizations to look at VetSuccess.gov and
its success, if you will. Also,
what else would we need to translate this or form a national por
tal?
On the Web site is a military skills translator that
assists servicemembers and veterans to translate their military
occupational specialties to civilian careers so that they can
build on their transferrable skills for employment.
We provide direct job placement assistance, short-term
training to augment their skills to increase employability,
long-term training including on-the-job training,
apprenticeships, college training, or services that support
self-employment; and for those veterans unable to work because
of the severity of their disabilities, independent living
services to maximize their independence in their communities.
We provide ongoing case management assistance throughout
the rehabilitation programs to assist with any needs that would
interfere with retention and completion to the point of
employment.
Our program begins with a comprehensive evaluation to help
veterans identify and understand their interests, aptitudes,
and transferrable skills. Next, we move to focusing veterans on
potential career goals in line with labor market demands, and
we also provide extensive outreach and early intervention
services through our Coming Home to Work Program.
Recently, VR&E Service VetSuccess has launched a
transformation project geared to make our program the premier
21st Century vocational rehabilitation program. This effort
focuses on modernizing and streamlining services using a
veteran-centric approach. Transformation changes include
allowing veterans more choice in their appointment scheduling
through automated scheduling, expediting a veteran's entry into
a rehabilitation program by streamlining the front-end process,
reducing paperwork for our counselors so they can spend more
one-on-one time with veterans, and we are also releasing a
knowledge management portal which will be a one-stop tool for
our staff around the country so that they have all the
resources at their ready to do their jobs effectively.
Working in collaboration with the VA Secretary's innovation
initiative, called VAi2, Vet Success has engaged in innovative
initiatives to build self-employment incubators and tools,
leading to more veteran-owned businesses in a project of self-
management that will allow the most seriously disabled veterans
to work in the career of their choosing and live as
independently as possible.
We are also conducting a VA employee innovation competition
to allow the staff working every day with our veterans to
identify additional program enhancements. We have received 732
ideas from a staff of voc rehab around the country of around
1,100, and we are currently evaluating these to begin
implementing the most promising in August.
In addition to the employment initiatives I have just
mentioned, I would like to highlight other initiatives that we
have ongoing.
Veteran employment is the fundamental mission of our
program. In fiscal year 2010, we rehabilitated just over 8,000
veterans in suitable employment and an additional approximately
2,000 in independent living. Of these, 51 percent were hired in
the private sector and 79 percent were hired in professional,
managerial, and technical programs, earning, on average,
$42,000 a year to begin.
Specific initiatives focused on assisting veterans who
obtain and maintain suitable employment consistent with their
interests, including employer education, which has been
mentioned and is so important to help the employment community
understand this is a smart business decision; implementation of
executive order 1351(a), which includes working with other
government agencies to maximize veteran employment within
government--and about a third of the veterans we place in jobs
are in the Federal Government; and working with the public- and
private-sector employers to assist them to have a better
understanding of tax credits, special employer incentives, and
on-the-job training programs available when hiring veterans.
Of course, with the VetSuccess program, which is not only a
job board in coordination with NASWA and DirectEmployers, we
have incorporated not only the Job Central job-board of over 8
million active jobs, but also a job board for employers who
want to hire veterans. As of June, that will be linked with our
e-portal, which means veterans, when they come into our program
and are registered through e-portal, employers will know that
they are hiring veterans. It will also allow veterans to have a
lot more self-service options.
Recently, we have ventured into the world of virtual career
fairs in addition to brick-and-mortar career fairs. A partner
advertised an upcoming veteran career fair on the Jumbotron in
Times Square. We were really glad to see that kind of marketing
for our program and for this very important career fair.
We have developed the Troops to Counselors initiative, and
we plan by 2014 that 60 percent of our counselors will be
veteran hires. And we are using the Student Career Experience
Program to bring veterans in and train them while they are in
college toward VA careers.
About 42 percent of our employees around the country are
veterans. We are very committed to hiring veterans; and we are
the largest employer of veterans, aside from DoD. So we are the
largest nondefense organization employer of veterans, I should
say.
The VetSuccess.gov Web site has been completely redesigned.
It is a one-step resource for both disabled and able-bodied
veterans and family members. The Web site includes a job board
for employers desiring to hire veterans, resume builders,
upload tools that allow veterans to utilize resumes already
developed, complete resources for transition, employer
families, success in college, and drill-down maps so that a
veteran can go in and click on his or her city and find the
resources they need in their area.
In conclusion, I would like to say that VA continues to
seek new and innovative ways to assist veterans in achieving
their goals for full, productive, and meaningful lives and
careers. We will continue to work with all sectors of
government and public and private employment communities to
assist veterans in reaching their highest potential during this
challenging economy.
This concludes my remarks. I appreciate the opportunity to
testify before you, and I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be
happy to respond to any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Fanning appears on p. 96.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Mr. Jefferson, good to see you.
STATEMENT OF HON. RAYMOND M. JEFFERSON
Mr. Jefferson. Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner,
thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to be a part
of this hearing. I ask my full written testimony be included as
part of the record.
The Chairman. Without objection.
Mr. Jefferson. VETS has the privilege of being the
Congressionally mandated lead agency for veterans' employment.
But we can only accomplish this mission by working with our
partners, our partners in government, like VA and Ruth Fanning,
Defense, Office of Personnel Management, and the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, our partners in
the nonprofit sectors, many of whom are here today, the veteran
services organizations, NASWA, the Society for Human Resources
Management, and our partners in the private sector,
specifically, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business
Executives for National Security, and the relationship that we
are developing with the Business Roundtable.
We have three primary responsibilities: preparing
servicemembers for meaningful and successful careers, providing
access to them, and protecting their employment rights.
We are going to have a major hearing on TAP tomorrow. Here
is what I would like to leave the Committee with: We have
identified the six major problems in TAP, developed solutions
for those, and we are on track to implement the new, completely
redesigned and transformed Transition Assistance Program
Employment Workshop by Veterans Day of this year. That is my
goal.
We are also working to link with the Military Spouse
Employment Program at DoD so spouses for the first time will
greatly increase their participation in TAP and their
preparedness. There is also going to be a significant element
in there on entrepreneurship.
Providing access, the second major responsibility to
meaningful and successful careers. A lot is happening here. In
partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and ESGR, we are
rolling out 100 mega hiring fairs around the country.
What is a mega hiring fair? It is a hiring fair where there
is generally over 100 employers and over 1,000 veterans. We
have worked with ESGR to identify where are those major
demobilizations occurring and then doing hiring fairs after the
units have returned. We are also developing a replica model so
not only can we have the hundred mega hiring fairs, but it also
can be cascaded into rural America.
We are developing a partnership with SHRM, the Society for
Human Resource Management, where for the first time we will be
briefing rooms full of hundreds of H.R. executives on why to
hire a veteran and how to hire a veteran. They have over
250,000 members who are doing hiring around the country, and we
are going to be getting in front of them for the first time.
We have our State grants program. Let me acknowledge that
we need to improve this program. So for the first time, I
believe, in the last decade we have gone out to solicit
feedback on how we can improve, and we are processing that
feedback right now.
This year, one of my goals is to implement a community of
practice. This is one of the 10 leadership breakthrough ideas
of 2006. Bottom line, it allows us to have best practices
shared from Florida to California, all around the country.
There is no way for us to do that right now.
The Federal Hiring Initiative. From fiscal year 2009 to
2010, Federal Government hiring went down by 11,000 people. In
the same period of time, veterans hiring went up by 2,000, from
70,000 to over 72,000. So the Federal Hiring Initiative, which
we are working in partnership with VA, is working.
For those young veterans 20- to 24-years-old, we have the
Job Corps pilot. We are getting very good feedback on that from
the young veterans. We have 300 slots. Once we do proof of
concept, we can have more slots allocated; and we are going to
be sending out videos that the young veterans and Job Corps
have made talking about how this is a life-changer. It provides
residential, all-expense paid training, housing, leading to a
credential, a job, and 21 months of post-deployment support.
We have our green jobs training through Veterans Workforce
Investment Program where we serve 4,600 veterans; our Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program. We have over 14,000 veterans
being served there, with over 8,000 being put into employment.
And there is much more.
In terms of protecting veterans' employment rights, I
respectfully disagree with Captain Hanson. We actually feel
that we have enough human capital resources on the ground to
handle our load of investigations. We have also done a lean Six
Sigma assessment of what are the best practices relating to
timeliness and quality, and we are implementing those best
practices. Basically, a major one is to eliminate the paper-
centric process and automate it, going to electronic case
management.
Finally, I will say that none of the great, important
things that we are doing will have the impact that it should
unless we engage the media as partners. So, last year, we
worked with Forbes and Fortune Magazine and had articles out on
the value of hiring a veteran. This year, we are working with
the entertainment industry, with the Bob Woodruff Foundation. I
was recently told that Businessweek this week has an article
called, ``Ready, Aim, Hire,'' talking about the value of hiring
veterans and how to hire veterans.
We stand enthusiastic to work with this Committee and our
other partners to make progress on this very important, noble
errand in getting veterans and servicemembers back into
meaningful and successful careers.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Jefferson appears on p.
100.]
The Chairman. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Mr. Jefferson, you talked about requests for proposals to
re-engineer TAP. You indicated that vendors--in your comments--
must use certain books by certain authors; and if a vendor
proposed to use an alternative, the explanation must be given
as to why. What I would be interested in knowing is why or how
did you select the books and did DoL's General Counsel approve
of who implicitly, if not explicitly, endorses these books?
Mr. Jefferson. Yes, sir.
First, let me say the actual language I said is content-
related to this--either these books or do a crosswalk to the
content.
Prior to being confirmed as an Assistant Secretary here, I
have spent the majority of my life in the leadership
development domain. And so what I am asking in the Request for
Proposal (RFP) is we have identified the best practices related
to career transition. That is not just my opinion. That is from
identifying who is the best in the Nation, working with Harvard
Business School's Office of Career Transition, working with
West Point's leadership department, working with other key
leaders in this area.
So in the TAP RFP, we have identified what the best
practices are, and we have made those the standard. For
example, we have often heard in Congressional hearings that
servicemembers don't know how to transition from the military
to a civilian work environment. How are we going to solve that
riddle once and for all? We have specified in very specific
detail what are the elements of that cultural transition. And
so that is an example of what is in the new TAP.
Sir, we have made the standards high. We are hoping we will
award that as soon as possible, and we are on track to have it
done by Veterans Day.
The Chairman. For you and VA both, DoD spends a tremendous
amount of money in recruiting servicemembers. I would be
interested in knowing how much money, if you know, VA and the
Department of Labor spend on radio, TV ads to highlight the
positive aspects of hiring veterans and the qualities that they
bring to the Federal workforce or in the private sector.
Ms. Fanning. I don't have the dollar amounts for you today,
but I can get those for you.
[The VA subsequently provided the following information:]
During Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, Vocational Rehabilitation and
Employment Service (VR&E) spent $533,672 on outreach,
promotional materials, and to attend outreach events such as
the Society of Human Resource Management Conference, American
Legion Job Fair, and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,
Inc. In addition, VR&E Service spent $103,828 on branded
promotional items to provide to veterans and servicemembers
during outreach events (total: $637,500).
In addition, VRE expended $495,000 for maintenance of, and
enhancements to, the VetSuccess.gov Web site. VetSucess.gov is
an important marketing tool that VR&E uses to target veterans
seeking employment and provides resource information for
servicemembers throughout their transition, preparation for
employment, and post employment.
So far in FY 2011, approximately $1.13 million has been
expended for outreach materials, events, and the VetSuccess.gov
Web site. These outreach and marketing tools assist veterans
with entering programs or services leading to employment,
developing employer relationships resulting in job
opportunities for veterans, and assisting servicemembers and
veterans with all services leading to career employment.
Also, in FY 2011, VA's Office of Human Resources and
Administration expended funds for marketing, outreach, and
advertising to veterans that totaled $128,102 and included the
following:
Promotional Materials for Regional Recruiters for
distribution: $22,774
Veterans Acquisition Intern Program (Joint program with OPM
to recruit veterans in the acquisition career field): $35,000
OPM/VA Veterans Symposium to provide a learning forum to
discuss strategies and issues concerning veterans employment:
$50,000
Advertising Materials: $1,015
Outreach (Career Fairs): $19,313
Ms. Fanning. But I can say that we have invested in
marketing the program--the Vocational Rehabilitation and
Employment Program--as VetSuccess through a grassroots campaign
at job fairs, at Yellow Ribbon events, at welcome home events
anywhere where veterans and servicemembers are.
We have permanently stationed 13 full-time counselors at
primary military treatment facilities. They are reaching out to
these young men and women while they are still active duty on
medical hold.
We are doing everything that we can to get the word out. In
our budget request next year, we have a full marketing package
that we have requested to put into place.
First of all, we needed to get VetSuccess.gov up to the
point that it was viable across the security hurdles, across
the e-portal hurdles. And we are there. We went from having
66,000 hits in 2008 to 28 million hits last year and so far
this year over 22 million hits to the site. So veterans
recognize our brand. They are coming to the site.
And we are standing it up and enhancing it as rapidly as we
can. I think if you go to the site today, you will see a
different site than was up there 2 weeks ago. We have uploaded
a huge amount of content just in the last 2 weeks.
Mr. Jefferson. Sir, I will take that question for the
record.
But our strategy has been primarily not to pay for
advertising. We have been going out doing major public speaking
engagements, one, for example, with 10,000 H.R. executives at
the Society for Human Resource Management. That led to a
conversation personally with Steve Forbes where he said he
would like to do something in Forbes Magazine. And he did.
We developed a relationship with the publisher of Fortune
Magazine, who expressed their desire to promote veterans
employment. They went ahead and also did coverage there.
We did not pay for any of those coverages. But I will take
it for the record so I can ensure that I am capturing anything
else happening within the Department of Labor.
But I will say there is tremendous goodwill and interest in
the media right now, and so we are working to leverage that
with stories on the value that veterans bring to the workforce
and how employers can access this source of talent.
[The DoL subsequently provided the following information:]
DoL continues to highlight the positive aspects of hiring
VETS through departmental news releases, speeches, testimony,
appearances and other outreach efforts at the local and
national level. However, at this time the agency does not have
any direct budget line item for advertising to promote the
hiring of veterans.
The Chairman. How about national electronic media or the
new social media that is available out there? Neither one of
you even mentioned that.
Mr. Jefferson. Sir, I would love to comment on that.
We just brought in an expert for the summer who is working
on how we can leverage new media and social media. We do have
some constraints within the Department of Labor, but we are
looking at how we can push this out as far as possible while
staying within all appropriate guidelines.
Ms. Fanning. VA is on Facebook. We are blogging. We are
tweeting. I think that is the correct term. We are looking at
maximizing social media.
In addition, as we move forward with the e-portal and have
the assurance of secure connections over the Internet, in
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment specifically, as well
as in our work with the GI Bill through the VetSuccess on
Campus program, we are looking at doing counseling over the
Internet through secure methods using e-chat.
We already are in the process of implementing a program
across the country where we are using technology so that we can
provide counseling to veterans using technology rather than
having a veteran drive 100 miles to our office or having a
counselor drive 100 miles to their home when maybe that day
they could have seen five veterans instead of one during that
travel time. We are maximizing the use of technology as much as
possible.
Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Chairman, I will also acknowledge we are
getting tremendous assistance from NASWA's social media team
and the Department of Defense's social media team. A specific
example is we are pushing out videos we have created for young
veterans on the value of our Job Corps pilot, and they are
helping us to disseminate that as well.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Mr. Filner.
Mr. Filner. Thank you.
Do we now have any mandates for Federal hiring or Federal
contracting of veterans?
Mr. Jefferson. For Federal hiring, we have the Federal
Hiring Initiative, where each agency has developed goals. As an
initiative, it is succeeding, and we are achieving those goals,
and we have hired more veterans than we have the previous year.
So the Federal Hiring Initiative is very successful.
Because the contracting comes under OFCCP, I would like to
take that for the record and involve that agency in answering
that question.
Ms. Fanning. And I would just like to say that with the
Presidential Executive Order 13-518, each agency and department
has goals for increased veteran hiring.
In regard to the use of contracting with small disabled
veteran-owned businesses or veteran-owned businesses, I know
that VA has goals. But I will take it for the record to
determine what kind of laws are in place governing specific
mandates.
[The VA subsequently provided the following information:]
There are no laws requiring the hiring of veterans for
contracts. The existing laws (Veterans' Readjustment Assistance
Act of 1972 (38 U.S.C. 4211 and 4212) and the Veterans
Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, Public Law 105-339), as
implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulations in Subpart
22.13, encourage the hiring of veterans and require contractors
who are subject to the reporting requirements to file annual
reports on the number of veterans employed.
38 U.S.C. 8127(d) does require VA to set aside contracts for
award to small businesses verified as owned and controlled by
veterans if there is an expectation that at least two such
offerors will submit offers and the award can be made at a
reasonable price. However, those conditions must be met before
a contract is required to be set-aside for a veteran-owned and
controlled small business. See also 38 CFR 74.
Mr. Filner. Everywhere I go--I go up to Camp Pendleton in
San Diego, and they have a $6 billion construction program. You
go downtown, there is a $250 million court project. You go down
to the border, there is a $600 million building.
I talk to the general contractors, and they don't seem to
know about any of these goals to hire veterans. Oh, yes, we
have outreach, but I don't see any number. I don't see any
results. I don't see any tangible proof that they are doing
anything. Yet here we have enormous power, the Federal
Government, to do the hiring; and I am not sure we are doing
what we can.
I would like some suggestions on what we should do. I would
mandate, rather than set goals.
You talk to the agency and they say, well, the general
contractor has it, and we have goals in our RFPs. But they are
never translated into the actual contract, and the general
contractors don't seem to have any sense--well, I retract that.
It depends on the individuals and their own sensitivities and
their own sensibilities and their own senses. But nothing
mandated that they feel they have to respond to.
Ms. Fanning. Well, having just participated in a large
acquisition for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
program, I can say that I was witness to the Office of
Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction in VA during the pre-
proposal conference for all interested bidders. And there were
a number of set-aside regions throughout the country for
veteran-owned and small veteran-owned businesses. They also
very thoroughly reviewed with the group partnering and
subcontracting arrangements that could be made and encouraged
interested vendors to work with small veteran-owned businesses.
Are we completely there? I don't know.
Mr. Filner. But they are all voluntary, aren't they? Is
anybody ever penalized for not meeting them and not giving the
next contract? I mean, I don't hear?
Mr. Jefferson. First, there are two things which we are
talking about.
The first is the Federal Government hiring. On that, we are
tracking for the people who are being brought in as civil
servants. So we are tracking that. That one is succeeding, and
all that information is available very transparently. We have a
new director at the Department of Labor at OFCCP, Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Policy, and she is doing a lot to
bring a lot more teeth into this effort.
So I would like to take that for the record, because I know
she is taking a lot of actions to make this a much more
effective and relevant policy.
Mr. Filner. The last testimony I have seen said they
haven't penalized anyone for the last 5 years.
Mr. Jefferson. Sir, I would like to make sure that we have
a fact basis for that. Her name is Pat Shiu. I have met with
her.
Mr. Filner. If they haven't done anything in terms of
penalties, then nobody takes them seriously.
Mr. Jefferson. I actually know that she is putting
penalties out. But what I would like to do is give you the
facts so----
Mr. Filner. Again, penalties against--what are the laws
that they are required to follow? Or what efforts? Again, it
seems all voluntary. It seems it's just all goals to meet.
There is a difference that's almost based on personality or the
company itself in what they are really doing.
Mr. Jefferson. Yes, sir.
[The DoL subsequently provided the following information:]
QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD
Patricia A. Shiu, Director
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
U.S. Department of Labor
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and distinguished Members
of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to present additional
information on behalf of the Department of Labor (DoL or Department).
On June 1, 2011, U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and
Training Service (VETS) testified before the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs. In the course of that hearing, Rep. Filner asked several
questions about programs that were not within the purview of VETS, but
of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), also in
DoL. I am pleased to provide these responses to your questions
pertaining to OFCCP.
Rep. Filner: Do we now have any mandates for Federal hiring or
Federal contracting of veterans?
Response: Yes. Your question raises two issues: hiring by the
Federal Government, and hiring by entities that have contracts with the
Federal Government.
With regard to hiring by the Federal Government, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 2108
provides veterans who are disabled or who serve on active duty in the
Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military
campaigns a preference (10 points for disabled veterans, 5 points for
non-disabled veterans) over non-veterans both in Federal hiring
practices and in retention during reductions in force (RIF).
The requirements for hiring of veterans by Federal contractors \1\
(as opposed to by the Federal Government) are set forth in the Vietnam
Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), 38 U.S.C.
4212. OFCCP enforces Section 4212(a)(1) of VEVRAA, which prohibits
Federal contractors and subcontractors (hereafter, ``contractors'')
from discriminating against specified categories of veterans and
requires contractors to take affirmative action to employ, and advance
in employment, those veterans. Contractors must develop written
programs detailing the actions that they are taking for this purpose
and make the plans available when requested in a compliance evaluation
or complaint investigation. OFCCP also enforces VEVRAA Section
4212(a)(2)(A), which requires that contractors list their job openings
with the appropriate employment service. Additionally, while VEVRAA
does not include a hiring preference for veterans as there is in
Federal Government hiring, VEVRAA does require that covered veterans
receive priority in referral from the employment services to Federal
contractors for the openings they list.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Coverage of contractors and veterans varies according to when
the contract was entered into. For contracts entered into before
December 1, 2003, the contract dollar threshold is $25,000, and the
veterans covered are: (1) special disabled veterans; (2) veterans of
the Vietnam era; (3) veterans who served on active duty in the Armed
Forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign
badge has been authorized; and (4) veterans separated from the service
within the previous year. For contracts entered into on or after
December 1, 2003, the contract dollar threshold is $100,000, and the
veterans covered are: (1) disabled veterans; (2) veterans who served on
active duty in the Armed Forces during a war or in a campaign or
expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; (3) veterans
who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in
a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service
medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order No. 12985; and (4)
veterans separated from the service within the previous 3 years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rep. Filner: But, they are all voluntary, aren't they?
Response: No, the VEVRAA requirements are not voluntary; they are
required of covered Federal contractors.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Other VEVRAA provisions (not enforced by OFCCP) establish
certain priority job referrals for veterans seeking employment and
require Federal contractors to report the number of employees who are
covered veterans on annual VETS-100 and VETS-100A reports. In addition,
the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994
(USERRA) generally requires all covered employers, including Federal
contractors and subcontractors, to reinstate veterans whose cumulative
period of military service does not exceed 5 years, to the job that
they would have attained had they not been absent for military service.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rep. Filner: Is anybody ever penalized for not meeting them and not
giving the next contract?
Response: Yes, contractors are penalized for not meeting VEVRAA
requirements. VEVRAA provides a range of options for such situations,
from remedying the violations all the way to debarring contractors from
future contracts. At a minimum, when there is a finding of
discrimination against a protected veteran, the contractor is required
to provide back-pay and other make-whole remedies and to change its
practices going forward. In the vast majority of cases, it is not
necessary to take contractors to administrative enforcement
proceedings; our efforts to conciliate the issues are generally
sufficient.
Rep. Filner: The last testimony I have said [OFCCP] hadn't
penalized anyone for the last 5 years.
Response: OFCCP conducts compliance evaluations of an average of
approximately 4,000 neutrally selected contractors each year. Under the
Obama administration so far, OFCCP has recovered $25 million in back
wages and nearly 4,200 job opportunities on behalf of more than 42,000
victims of discrimination. The agency has evaluated almost 12,000
businesses that, collectively, employ over 4.2 million workers. We
review VEVRAA compliance in every evaluation in which a contractor met
the VEVRAA minimum coverage requirements.
I was delighted that these reviews did not uncover many VEVRAA
violations. In FY 2009, after OFCCP conducted on-site reviews of their
establishments, 54 contractors were cited for recruitment violations
impacting veterans, including failure to comply with mandatory
obligations to post job listings, conduct outreach, and fulfill other
requirements. In FY 2010, that number rose to 92 contractors that were
cited for recruitment violations pertaining to protected veterans.
OFCCP negotiated conciliation agreements in all these cases to correct
the violations. Many, if not most, of these settlement agreements
included linkage provisions in which contractors commit to partner with
specified local job training programs, veterans' organizations, and
other community groups, in order to identify and recruit covered
veterans and people with disabilities better.
OFCCP also investigates complaints of discrimination filed by
veterans. In FY 2009 and FY 2010 (combined), OFCCP investigated 76
veterans' complaints, which accounted for 50 percent of the 179
complaints investigated in those years. VEVRAA violations were found in
14 percent of these investigations.\3\ In all but one of those in which
a violation was found, OFCCP reached a financial agreement with the
contractor that resulted in compensation for the veterans involved.
(The case in which no financial agreement was reached involved
recordkeeping and recruitment violations that did not affect employees'
compensation).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Violations were not found for a number of reasons, including
untimeliness of the complaint, lack of a Federal contract or
subcontract that would confer jurisdiction on OFCCP, the fact that the
complainant did not fall within the classes of veterans protected under
VEVRAA, and a (not uncommon) misapprehension among veterans that the
Federal Government's ``veterans' preference'' guarantees veterans jobs
in private companies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rather than simply accepting contractors' self-reporting (as has
been done too often in the past), we are now requiring our compliance
officers, when conducting an on-site review, to verify how contractors
are treating protected veterans and people with disabilities and
whether they are providing reasonable accommodations to their workers
as required by law, as well as to confirm the existence and
implementation of required affirmative action programs. Our
investigative procedures during on-site investigations also include
verification that the contractor is listing job openings with the
appropriate employment service delivery system(s) so that veterans may
be given priority in referral. I have made it very clear to our
compliance officers that they must verify compliance with these posting
requirements during their evaluations of contracting establishments.
Rep. Filner: Again, penalties against--what are the laws that they
are required followed, or what efforts? Again it seems all voluntary.
It seems it's just all goals to meet. There is a difference that's
almost based on personality or the company itself in what they are
really doing.
Response: This question appears directed at how contractors'
efforts to employ more veterans are measured and enforced. As noted
above, the primary OFCCP enforcement mechanisms are compliance
evaluations and complaints. The framework articulating a contractor's
responsibilities with respect to affirmative action, recruitment, and
placement, and the measures by which its compliance will be assessed,
are set forth in our regulations (41 CFR Parts 60-250 and 60-300).
OFCCP's VEVRAA regulations have remained unchanged since the
implementing rules were first published in 1976. Meanwhile, increasing
numbers of veterans are returning from tours of duty in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and other places around the world, and many are faced with
substantial obstacles in finding employment upon leaving the service.
To make our VEVRAA program more effective in increasing employment
opportunities for returning veterans, in April of this year we
published proposed revisions to the regulations that go directly to
your concerns about measurement and accountability. The proposed rule
would increase the responsibilities of Federal contractors and
subcontractors by, inter alia:
Requiring contractors to establish linkage agreements
with at least three veterans employment service organizations, to
bolster contractors' recruitment efforts and increase the number of
veterans who are aware of, and subsequently apply for, openings with
Federal contractors.
Requiring contractors to conduct more substantive
analyses of recruitment and placement actions taken under VEVRAA.
Revising recordkeeping requirements to help contractors
evaluate and tailor their recruitment and outreach efforts, and
establish the hiring benchmarks proposed in the NPRM.
Requiring contractors, for the first time, to establish
annual hiring benchmarks. These benchmarks are expressed as the
percentage of total hires who are protected veterans that a contractor
will seek to hire the following year. By using benchmarks, contractors
have a quantifiable measure for gauging their success in recruiting and
employing protected veterans.
Requiring contractors to invite applicants to self-
identify at both the pre-offer and post-offer stages of the hiring
process. As proposed, prior to an offer of employment, the contractor
is required to invite all applicants for employment to self-identify as
a ``protected veteran.'' This allows the contractor and OFCCP to
identify and monitor the contractor's employment practices with respect
to protected veterans.
The comment period for this proposed regulation closed on July 11,
2011, and we are in the process of reviewing the comments in
preparation for issuing a final rule.
Mr. Filner. It is very frustrating for a Marine base to
have $6 billion worth of contracts and my veterans community
goes up there and they don't find any of their comrades
working. That is very frustrating when it is your own
government that is doing this.
Ms. Fanning. Mr. Filner, I will also take that back to our
Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Contracting.
But I did want to mention, as I briefly did in my opening
remarks, that Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment as well
as the GI Bill, encourages entrepreneurship. And we are working
to help more veterans start and own their own businesses. We
know that small business is the backbone of our American
economy. I was just in Chicago last week speaking to a group of
small business owners, and I was inundated after my talk, which
was about the benefits of hiring veterans and the incentives to
hire veterans, with employers wanting to know more about how to
advertise their jobs on VetSuccess.gov. One particular employer
told me, give me 50 veterans with bachelors degrees, and I will
train them to do the work that I need them to do.
So we are working aggressively to get the word out. And I
think that is one of our biggest challenges, as many have
mentioned this morning--
Mr. Filner. If I may ask the Adjutant General, we have
heard testimony today--and, of course, we know about the
reluctance of many employers to even follow the law in terms of
your own men and women, so what do we do about that? It was
suggested that we have some incentives there.
General Tyre. Number one, we utilize ESGR to follow through
with those complaints. I will tell you in Florida over the last
year, we have been able to resolve 77 of those issues, and we
still have three remaining. But utilize that.
We also use other things to where we don't get into that
issue. We will do boss lifts with these employers. We invite
them to pre-deployment training right there at Camp Blanding or
at one of the other power projection platforms.
But just take a proactive approach with their employers and
let them know right up front that our soldiers are going to be
downrange for 12 months, 13 months before they get back to
them. But, again, just taking a proactive approach seems to
work for us.
The Chairman. Mr. Stutzman.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for being here today. It is good to see you. I
appreciate what you are doing and trying to accomplish, and I
know we all have our veterans at heart here and want to make
sure that especially those that are unemployed and are wanting
to find work can. We can be as helpful as we can.
I guess my question would be to Secretary Jefferson. Are
you happy with the level of performance for the Jobs for
Veterans State Grant program? If you could comment about that
and what you are seeing as far as the success and where we can
do better.
Mr. Jefferson. Sir, I think my staff would tell you I am
rarely satisfied with the performance and always wanting to do
better. Let me drill down specifically on the Jobs for Veterans
State Grants (JVSG) program.
Since being confirmed, one of the first questions I had is
how can this program be improved. As I looked around, there was
no real data, there was no real feedback in recent years that
we can use to make evidence-based decisions. So at the last
HVAC hearing that we had, I initiated a structured dialogue
with all the veterans employment coordinators around the Nation
to get feedback on what is working, what is not, what are the
employment opportunities. We are going ahead and analyzing that
feedback right now.
Simultaneously, without waiting, we are implementing a best
practice called the Community of Practice. This came out of
Iraq and Afghanistan in the Army, something called
CompanyCommand
.com. We are using that model. Basically, it is for a community
of practitioners to share best practices over large
geographical areas. So we are working to implement that this
year.
On the so-what factor, it will make sure that a DVOP or
LVER who is highly performing in one State can share those
practices and approaches that he or she has all throughout the
Nation. And then, once we get the feedback from the veterans'
coordinators, I will be taking other actions to improve that
program.
It is very valuable to have 2,000 employment
representatives around the Nation, but I want to make sure we
are continuing to up-skill them and ensure that they have the
latest approaches and techniques to be as effective as
possibly.
Mr. Stutzman. Could you share just some of the best
practices that you are talking about, just to give us a better
idea and a sense of what--
Mr. Jefferson. I would say we take three major questions
that you may ask a local veterans' employment representative:
What are you doing to mobilize your local community of
employers? What types of outreach are you engaging in? Or let's
take a DVOP. You have a veteran who is very physically
challenged, and you have some employers who are interested in
giving that veteran an opportunity but he or she maybe has
questions or concerns on traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-
traumatic stress (PTS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How do you deal with that?
Well, one solution that we have is the American Heroes at
Work program that educates employers on the accommodations that
veterans with PTS, PTSD, or TBI have. A very highly regarded
program. Are all employment representatives using it? Are they
all aware of it? Also, mentoring and coaching. So a new DVOP or
LVER in one part of the country can work with someone who may
be in a different locale but who is known as being a thought
leader, a very effective employment representative.
So we want to get that community of practice, of mentoring,
coaching, and sharing techniques. And the questions actually
come from the participants. So they put up what they need help
with and their peers provide answers. It was one of the top 10
breakthrough ideas out of 2006 Harvard Business Review, came
out of the Army and combat, and now they are using it for the
four-star General officers. They are creating a community of
practice for them, and that individual is going to be advising
us on our community of practice--Nate Allen.
Mr. Stutzman. General Tyre, do you have any comments
regarding the programs?
General Tyre. We have talked about leveraging technology
and all the programs that are out there. It is difficult for a
soldier, airman to look at all those programs and figure out
which one is going to benefit him, which one is going to get
him a job. They are all great programs, and they all add value
to the issue. But unless we get someone to follow along with
that soldier, to be there with him until he gets a job, that
one-on-one personal contact until he gets a job, we are not
following through with meeting the requirements of our
soldiers. It takes that personal contact, that counseling, that
is going to get a soldier to a job and to a career.
Mr. Stutzman. Go ahead.
Mr. Jefferson. So there is the high-touch approach for
those veterans who are already out in the community. And then
with the new transformed, redesigned TAP we have peer support
techniques in there. We have entrepreneurship content in there.
And we have connectivity to employer representatives in there
as well. So we want to streamline that information flow.
I know when I was coming out it was frustrating and
annoying, frankly. But we are taking action, and my goal is to
have a lot of these initiatives done by Veterans' Day this
year.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
General, you had talked about a 30 percent unemployment
rate among Guardsmen with the 53rd Infantry Brigade and 17
percent, I think it was, among all members of the Florida
National Guard. In your conversation with other leaders of
other Guards from other States, do you think Florida's rates
are unique or are they consistent with those other States?
General Tyre. Sir, they are fairly consistent with other
States. We will find some brigades like Iowa that are coming
back and redeploying from downrange that might be a little bit
higher. I know in Washington State when they brought the 81st
back, they were a little bit higher than ours, but not much
higher. The normal is somewhere between 30 and 35 percent from
the BCTs, the brigade combat teams, that we have talked with.
The Chairman. For the record, because I don't think you are
going to be able to answer the question--you may be able to--
but it is my understanding the Midwestern Governors Association
gave a proposal for the Employment and Training Administration
for $170,000 to work on the issue of licensing and
credentialing that we have discussed here today, but Labor
refused to fund it because they don't do sole source contracts.
Are you aware of that? If not--
Mr. Jefferson. Sir, I will take it for the record.
Let me give the high-level overview. We have that
unsolicited proposal. I know it is being reviewed. We care very
deeply about making progress on the issue of credentialing and
licensing. The American Legion is going to be having a summit
later this year. We are going to be participating at that. I
understand that that planning has just begun to get under way,
and I am sure many partners who are in the room today will be
associated with that. But I would take the actual details of
your question for the record.
[The DoL subsequently provided the following information:]
U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Washington, DC.
March 21, 2011
Mr. Jesse Heier
Midwestern Governors Association
2025 M Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
Dear Mr. Heier:
Thank you for your proposal to the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA), entitled Veterans Credentialing Initiative, which
was forwarded to the Office of Policy Development and Research for
review. ETA appreciates the importance of the transferability of
training standards and credentials, and how it affects servicemembers
as they transfer out of the military into the civilian workforce. We
have carefully reviewed your proposal to increase the number of States
in the Midwest that have reciprocity agreements for endorsing
occupational licensing among States and with the military branches.
The vast majority of grants for activities such as this one
proposed by the Midwestern Governors Association, are awarded on a
competitive basis in response to a solicitation for grant application.
Since many aspects of the Midwestern Governors Association proposal are
not unique and do not offer new and exceptional techniques, but rather
propose to support discussions of interstate credentialing, there is no
basis to support a non-competitive funding decision.
Although ETA is not in a position to fund this proposal, we would
invite you to closely monitor the ETA Web site (www.doleta.gov/grants)
and www.grants.gov for future grant funding opportunities.
While we receive many unsolicited proposals, very few obtain
funding, Our budgetary resources are rather limited and are primarily
used to support the competitive procurements mentioned above.
Thank you for your interest in the public workforce system.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Jones
Acting Administrator
Office of Policy Development and Research
__________
The Chairman. Very well.
Any other comments?
We thank you very much for your testimony and, again, your
patience.
Again, this Committee is fully committed to helping those
veterans who want jobs, who need jobs, find jobs and have
gainful employment. Because, after all, they have serviced and
sacrificed for this country. Jobs is number one. This Committee
is committed to working in that direction.
All Members will have 5 legislative days to revise and
extend their remarks and submit questions for the record.
With no further comments, this hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:31 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jeff Miller,
Chairman, Full Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here. Our hearing today,
``Putting America's Veterans Back to Work,'' is one of the most
important ones we'll have this Congress and that is why I have decided
to proceed with this hearing even though many of the Members on our
side of the aisle are meeting with President Obama this morning. Just
last week I, and other Committee Members, met with dozens of veterans'
organizations who were nearly unanimous in making jobs for veterans
their number one priority. I couldn't agree more.
Lengthy unemployment can cause an unbelievable amount of strain.
Bills don't get paid, savings can be exhausted, and family needs have
to be put on hold. The financial strain of not having meaningful
employment has a cascading effect for many--family problems, declining
mental health, homelessness--we've got to get the economy going again
to put Americans back to work, especially those who have protected our
freedom to work in the first place.
Growing the economy starts with the fundamentals: keeping taxes on
small businesses low, which necessarily means holding Federal spending
down; reducing burdensome and unnecessary regulations that increase
costs to small businesses; and ensuring we have a trained, skilled
workforce ready for 21st Century jobs in a 21st Century economy.
It is this third area--ensuring a trained, skilled workforce--that
the Veterans' Affairs Committee is primed to lead. There are a number
of programs run by VA and the Department of Labor that have the
potential to help. Our task is to see if those programs, as designed,
are effective.
Our responsibility is to modernize them to respond to the specific
needs that exist for unemployed or underemployed veterans in our
economy.
Let me highlight a few areas where I think we need improvement.
First, the unemployment rate among all veterans of the Global War
on Terror has been reported to be as high as 13.1 percent. This high
rate exists despite the fact that Transition Assistance Programs for
separating servicemembers looking for work are available, as are
Federally-funded veterans employment specialists within every State. We
need to look at these programs anew to see how they can be improved.
Second, training and education benefits through the new Post-9/11
GI Bill and other programs are valuable tools for veterans. However, as
currently designed, they do little good for middle-aged veterans far
removed from military service who may need new skills to break out of
unemployment. To highlight the point I'm making, on May 2, the
Conference Board released its data showing there are nearly 4.5 million
jobs advertised on the Internet. The Board's data also show the top 10
career fields with a heavy presence of jobs requiring hard skills.
To me, this shows that good jobs are out there, we just need to
retool the programs we have to help our veterans compete for them.
Finally, there are legal protections for Guardsmen and Reservists
who left work to fight for our country. By law, they are entitled to
have or go back to their jobs when they come home. We need to be
aggressive in enforcement of this law.
And just one more thing, we need to have a better understanding of
the demographics of unemployed veterans. Things like education levels,
lengths of unemployment, skills learned in the military, just to name a
few. We will hear some of that from our witness from BLS but I believe
it is time to expand the facts we know about unemployed veterans.
As a beginning, I hope that today's witnesses can provide some
insight into what we can do to help veterans get the jobs they want and
deserve.
I have some ideas of my own, so, to get the ball rolling, I will
soon introduce a new jobs bill for veterans. The principles of my bill
are simple:
1. We need to provide a meaningful retraining program for our
older veterans who make up two-thirds of all unemployed veterans;
2. We need to ensure Transition Assistance Programs for our
younger veterans are effective and, just as important, utilized when
they separate from the military;
3. We need to add flexibility and accountability to Federally-
funded job training programs; and
4. We need to ensure we have updated legal protections for
veterans who want their jobs back on their return from active duty, and
we must do better enforcing those protections.
I know Members will have other ideas as we go forward, but--keeping
in line with the theme of this hearing--I'm anxious to roll up my
sleeves and get to work. As with any work, we need to set goals and let
me tell you what my goal is.
I believe that an unemployment rate of between four and 5 percent
is generally accepted to be full employment. So, I want to begin
today's hearing by setting a goal to reduce unemployment among veterans
from its current level of 7.7 percent down to about 4.5 percent. That
means, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' April data, we need to
reduce the number of unemployed veterans from April's 873,000 down to
around 470,000 or a reduction of about 400,000 veterans. I think we can
do that and I invite every Member of the Committee to join me in
achieving that goal; not overnight, but over the next year or 2 at the
outside.
I now recognize the Ranking Member for his opening remarks.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Bob Filner,
Ranking Democratic Member, Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The need to increase opportunities for
veterans is now more important than ever. A growing number of
servicemembers are returning home to find that securing and retaining
their employment has become difficult.
With their civilian counterparts facing the same struggles in
today's economy, it can become difficult and frustrating for
servicemembers who have been away for months to compete with their
civilian counterparts.
I remain concerned for our returning servicemembers that economic
problems they face may lead to depression and other problems.
For veterans 18-24 years old, this struggle is greater as many of
them join the military right out of high school with little to no work
experience.
Since the 110th Congress we have reviewed barriers to employment,
discussed hiring authorities, and learned about possible causes to high
unemployment rates among younger veterans and female veterans.
However, the common feedback that we get is that veterans lack
transferable skills, employers violate the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and employer's
misperceptions that returning servicemembers have mental health
problems.
Our veterans are the most loyal and dedicated individuals. They
have leadership experience, and a track record of working well under
pressure and punctuality. Any employer should be proud to have such
hard working employees.
In May 2010 I held an employment roundtable that included employers
from the civilian sector, private sector, Federal agencies, and veteran
service organizations. The roundtable helped us understand why
potential employers were not hiring veterans. Some highlighted simple
problems such as resume deficiencies, or in extreme cases--a lack of
transferable skills. This was an invaluable roundtable in which I felt
we made progress in better understanding the problem.
I look forward to the testimony from all of our witnesses here
today.
Thank you Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Gus M. Bilirakis
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, thank you for calling this
timely hearing on putting our veterans back to work. Our Nation's
veterans have made great sacrifices to keep us safe. During their
service in the military they have been trained with important skills.
In addition to dedication, hard work, and loyalty, many have gained
technical and leadership skills that are transferrable and beneficial
to the civilian workforce. I am particularly concerned that a stigma
exists in the private sector that is contrary to the qualities these
men and women have to offer to the civilian workforce.
The Federal Government has made significant investments in our
servicemembers' training, and it is critical that these men and women
have the resources they need to successfully transfer their skill sets
and continue contributing to society. We must ensure that warriors are
not discriminated upon because of the wounds they suffer--be they
physical or psychological--as a result of our Nation's wars. I look
forward to using this hearing as a building block to develop ways to
break down barriers to veterans' employment and foster their
opportunities.
Prepared Statement of Hon. John Barrow
Thank you Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Filner for holding
this hearing.
The employment challenges facing veterans are very real. The call
to service does not always fit into a convenient schedule of job
training. Often our servicemembers halt education and training
opportunities to serve in combat. Today, they return as veterans to a
daunting job market. This can be especially difficult for wounded
warriors, who have additional challenges in every aspect of life.
During the last district work week I had the opportunity to tour a
facility in Vidalia, GA called the HARP Foundation. The HARP Foundation
offers transitional housing and resources for homeless veterans. In
particular, they help veterans find sustainable employment
opportunities. Their goal is to provide mental health counseling and
job training to the veterans in their own area. When veterans do find
jobs, the HARP Foundation tries to help them find adequate
transportation so they can keep their jobs in their local community.
I look forward to hearing about ways the Department of Veterans
Affairs and the Department of Labor can work to make the systemic
changes to lower unemployment for veterans across the country. But I
also would like to hear practical ways the Federal Government can work
with and help grass roots organizations, like the HARP Foundation, to
help veterans find good jobs in our local communities.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Russ Carnahan
Chairman Miller, Chairman Murray, Ranking Member Filner, thank you
for hosting this hearing to discuss the important issue of putting
America's veterans back to work.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that in March and April
of this year about 27 percent of veterans between 20 to 24 years of age
were unemployed. Other sources show it to even be higher. These are
truly disheartening numbers. After fighting to protect our country, we
must make certain that our brave veterans are able to obtain a
livelihood after returning from service.
In this tough economy, jobs are hard to come by, particularly for
newly returned veterans. Our young returning combat soldiers, and those
severely injured during military service have the hardest time securing
employment following military service.
It is vitally important to ensure that our returning veterans are
able to secure and maintain employment after returning to civilian
life. Not only does employment offer salary and benefits, employment
also provides an important sense of purpose and aides in the transition
from military to civilian life. We in Congress must work with relevant
stakeholders to guarantee that opportunities exist for our veterans to
obtain gainful and meaningful employment.
Today's hearing provides a dialogue between Congress and those with
intimate knowledge of what needs to be done to get our veterans back to
work upon their return from military service. Whether it is through job
training or career counseling, we must allow access to services that
prepare our veterans for careers outside of the military, and assist
them as they transition to a world that is increasingly unfamiliar with
the ways of the military. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses
on ways we can begin to reduced unemployment and underemployment
amongst our veterans.
Prepared Statement of Richard A. Hobbie,
Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
NASWA is pleased to respond to the request for comments by the
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on the issue of ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work.'' The members of our Association are
State leaders of the publicly-funded workforce development system vital
to meeting the employment needs of veterans. This is accomplished
through the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program and the Local Veterans'
Employment Representatives programs, and other programs and initiatives
offered through the broader workforce development system. Our testimony
includes the following points:
The workforce development system provides services to all
unemployed workers and jobseekers and maintains a substantial focus on
serving the needs of veterans. The system, because of limited funding,
serves as many individuals as possible by providing tools for customers
to help themselves without significant staff assistance.
A vital component of our member's service to veterans is
to ensure a viable labor exchange exists and is readily available to
veterans, employers and those who will help them in their efforts.
NASWA does this in partnership with DirectEmployers Association (DE)
through the National Labor Exchange (NLX).
The NLX is an automated initiative operating on the
Internet. It aims to collect all verifiable job openings in the country
and share those job openings at no cost with State workforce agencies
and job seekers. The jobs are verified to help job seekers avoid scams,
such as identify theft schemes or false promises of high earnings for
working at home.
Providing sufficient services to veterans, while a
priority of our system, is a challenge. Unemployment remains high, and
nominal resources available to our members have been reduced recently
and in the case of the Employment Service (ES) have been unchanged for
almost 30 years.
Beyond decreasing real funding as an obstacle in serving
veterans, there are many other critical obstacles affecting veterans'
employment opportunities including: (1) Credentialing--the inability
for veterans to provide formal civilian credentials and certifications,
even though they might have received equivalent training while in the
military; (2) Inability to identify where veterans with certain skills
are located--there is no reliable nationwide information source
identifying where employers with specific needs should focus veteran
recruitment efforts; (3) Identifying the right online resource for
veterans hiring--Employers say there is confusion over the
proliferation of Web sites and services aiming to facilitate veterans'
employment; (4) Translating Military Occupational Classification to
civilian jobs--many veterans have difficulty ``translating'' military
skills and experiences into the civilian world; (5) UI Reemployment and
Connectivity--The advent of remote claims taking technology has enabled
States to offer UI claims services either online or via telephone,
disrupting the connection of the UI claimant from the workforce system;
and, (6) USDoL Regulations--OFFCP has proposed regulations that will
make Federal contractors' connection and recruitment of veterans erode
further.
__________
Chairman Miller, Representative Filner and Members of the
Committee, on behalf of the National Association of State Workforce
Agencies (NASWA), I thank you for the opportunity to submit written
testimony and to appear before you today to discuss the efforts of our
members to promote and create jobs for veterans.
The members of our Association are State leaders of the publicly-
funded workforce development system vital to meeting the employment
needs of veterans. This is accomplished through the Disabled Veterans'
Outreach Program (DVOP) and the Local Veterans' Employment
Representatives (LVER) programs, as well as other programs and
initiatives offered through the publicly-funded workforce system.
NASWA serves as an advocate for State workforce programs and
policies, a liaison to Federal workforce system partners, and a forum
for the exchange of information and practices. Our organization was
founded in 1937. Since 1973, it has been a private, non-profit
corporation, financed primarily by annual dues from member State
agencies.
Helping veterans make a successful transition from their service in
the military to successful civilian careers remains a significant
challenge. In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the
jobless rate for veterans of all eras combined was 8.7 percent,
compared with 9.4 percent for nonveterans. However, the unemployment
rate for veterans who served in the military at any time since
September 2001 --a group referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans -- was
11.5 percent in 2010. Further, about 25 percent of Gulf War-era II
veterans reported having a service-connected disability in July 2010,
compared with about 13 percent of all veterans.
I would like to emphasize NASWA and our members seek the same
outcomes for veterans that the Committee does, to help our
servicemembers quickly find meaningful employment opportunities that
lead to successful careers when they leave the service of our country.
A Snapshot of Today's Workforce Development System
While the workforce development system provides services to all
unemployed workers and jobseekers it maintains a substantial focus on
serving the needs of veterans. Today's workforce system provides
customers with assistance either to gain immediate entry to employment
or to receive a range of services (including training) for successful
entry into jobs and careers. The Unemployment Insurance (UI) program
provides temporary wage replacement for individuals with a civilian or
military work history. The Employment Service (ES) provides labor
exchange services and information to help individuals find and compete
for jobs, while services provided through the Workforce Investment Act
(WIA) supports various activities through local One-Stop Career Centers
including:
1. Core Services. These services include labor market information,
initial assessment of skill levels, and job search and placement
assistance. Most core services can be described as self-services and
include: resource rooms, computers, internet access, job listings,
resume writing, workshops on interviewing skills, etc. WIA core
services are sometimes called labor exchange services.
2. Intensive Services. These services are for individuals needing
more than core services to obtain or keep employment leading to self-
sufficiency. These services are designed to prepare the individual for
employment and include: comprehensive and specialized assessments of
skill levels; development of individual employment plans; group
counseling; individual counseling and career planning; case management;
and, short-term prevocational services.
3. Training Services. Access to training programs may be available
to individuals who have met the eligibility requirements for intensive
services but are unable to obtain or retain employment. Through One-
Stop Career Centers, individuals are evaluated to determine whether or
not they are in need of training and if they possess the skills and
qualifications needed to participate successfully in the training
program in which they express an interest. Training services must be
directly linked to occupations in demand.
The workforce system is designed to help individuals assess their
skills and interests and receive vital information about current labor
market demands for new and existing employees. The system, because of
limited funding has focused on serving as many individuals as possible
and providing the tools for customers to help themselves as much as
possible without significant staff assistance.
The performance measures metrics for the system reflect this `self-
help' approach, and include: (1) entered employment, (2) employment
retention, and (3) average earnings in subsequent employment. While
``job placement'' might be a desired activity, the realities of a high
volume of customers and limited funding force States to rely
substantially on self-help approaches and the myriad of ways workers
find jobs on their own besides placement by an employment agency or
one-stop career center.
The organizational structure of the workforce system varies across
States. However, veterans may access all available workforce services
under a Priority of Service (POS) mandate set forth by the U.S.
Department of Labor (USDoL). So, while LVERs and DVOPs deal exclusively
with job-seeking veterans, the entire workforce development system is
geared to give priority of service to veterans.
While the majority of individuals receiving WIA services receive
lower-cost core and intensive services, these services have been found
to be beneficial as well as highly cost-effective. For example, it is
estimated by Louis Jacobson in a Brookings Institution paper through
the Hamilton Project that job search assistance-related services
provide $4.5 dollars of benefit for every $1 spent. This type of return
on investment, coupled with the dire state of the economy and the need
to support returning veterans and other Americans striving to get a
foothold in the workplace brings to focus the value of the workforce
system's services
In terms of income support, veterans upon separation from the
military are eligible for the Unemployment Compensation Program for Ex-
Servicemembers (UCX) and are expected to be able to work, be available
for work and to actively seek work with the help of reemployment
services provided through the workforce system.
My testimony will review the activities our members have underway
to assist veterans and provide some illustrative information from three
States: Minnesota, Florida and Texas. You also requested data on eight
identified variables concerning veterans. I will provide some
information from our existing reporting systems (Table 1), but some of
the data requested are not available. NASWA will follow-up with your
Committee to see if there might be other ways to capture the
information.
Special Workforce System Efforts to Serve Veterans: Examples from Three
States
Mr. Chairman, first I would like to describe two activities
currently underway in my own State of Minnesota.
1. Our Featured Employer Pipeline/Qualified Applicant List.
Because many Minnesota employers call us looking to hire veterans, we
started a pilot project directing job-ready, highly-skilled veterans to
jobs in these companies. Our LVERS and Business Services
Representatives have established working relationships with key H.R.
personnel and hiring managers to create a direct ``pipeline'' of
veteran referrals to actual hiring managers within these ``featured
employers.'' Short-term results are very positive, and we look forward
to continued success.
2. Our Statewide Veterans ``Beyond the Yellow Ribbon'' Career
Fair. This event attracts about 1,000 of ``Minnesota's Finest''
veterans who are looking for career opportunities and educational
options. Each year 80 to 90 of Minnesota's best employers register for
this event aimed at putting job seeking veterans together with
Minnesota business anxious to hire veterans. May 3, 2011 marked our 5th
year for this event, which, according to businesses and veterans alike
``just keeps getting better.''
In Florida the State's Office of Workforce Services has:
1. Created a Veteran's Portal which serves as a gateway to
information and resource links that assist veterans, their families and
employers help veterans achieve their employment goals. The portal has
been accessed from virtually every theater of deployment where U.S.
veterans are stationed.
2. Aggressively sought additional resources to assist the Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program receiving grants totaling $925,178, to
assist Homeless Female Veteran and Veterans with Families grants
receiving grants totaling $437,974: and
3. At the Regional workforce level has instituted a number of
focused activities including:
Providing direct employment services to local
veterans;
Working closely with the local Chambers of Commerce;
Establishing direct contact with local employers;
Working with related Federal programs administered by
the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), such as the Work Opportunity
Tax Credit (WOTC) and Federal Bonding program; and
Conducting a series of local Job fairs for veterans.
In Texas, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has:
1. Created special features to serve veterans on its free public
labor exchange system, WorkInTexas.com, including:
Flags to identify veterans to employers and staff;
A two-day hold on all newly created job postings, to
ensure veterans get first review;
Ability for employers to designate job postings as
``Veteran Applicants Only'';
Numerous job search options for veterans, including
viewing ``Veteran Applicant Only'' and Federal Contractor job postings;
and
Notification of Priority of Service (and
identification) to all veterans upon entry into the system and at
certain subsequent reentry points.
2. The TWC also is developing a statewide comprehensive veteran's
initiative (College Credit for Heroes) to maximize the military
experience of veterans for college credit and employment. Last April,
the Commission agreed to move forward on this $3 million statewide
initiative that will award veterans college credit through testing and
evaluation of prior learning. In addition, TWC will create a
partnership between the State's community colleges and the Military
Education Training Center (METC) in San Antonio to provide current
active duty servicemembers with an accelerated degree plan to attain a
associate's and bachelor's degrees in conjunction with military
training.
The National Labor Exchange
Background
A vital component of the process to help our servicemembers find
meaningful employment opportunities when they leave the service of our
country is to ensure a viable labor exchange exists and is readily
available to veterans and those who will help them in their quest. To
this end, NASWA in partnership with DirectEmployers Association (DE)
has created a National Labor Exchange (NLX).
The NLX allows NASWA and its State and business partners to have a
direct involvement in making job connections for our Nation's veterans.
Beginning in 2007, NASWA began offering the NLX to its State workforce
agency members as a free electronic labor exchange service. The NLX is
an automated initiative aiming to collect all verifiable job openings
in the country and share those job openings with State workforce
agencies and, ultimately, jobseekers.
The NLX differs from other major internet job aggregators in that:
(1) job postings are unduplicated and current, helping jobseekers
connect to real openings, (2) employers are verified to avoid risky
scams, such as identify theft or false promises of high earnings
working from home; and (3) it is a unique public-private initiative
offered at no cost to the Federal Government, to State workforce
agencies, and to their employer and jobseeker customers.
NLX's technical operations are led by DirectEmployers Association
(DE). DE is a trade association of over 660 Fortune 1000 companies
represented by their human resource directors. DE's mission is to
provide a cost-effective national employment system that improves labor
market efficiency and reflects our Nation's diverse workforce. Since
2000, its flagship service has been running a sophisticated job search
and ``spidering'' engine that captures employer job openings and
provides the content to many Web sites and aggregators.
In March 2007, NASWA endorsed JobCentral as the successor to
America's Job Bank (AJB) that was funded by the U.S. Department of
Labor (USDoL). AJB was a national public job-bank defunded and shut-
down by the USDoL in June 2007. After an intensive evaluation process,
NASWA and its members endorsed JobCentral as the means to create the
NLX.
Status and Benefits
Since March 2007, the NLX has collected delivered over 9 million
unique and verified job postings to State workforce agency staff and
customers. Of the 9 million job postings, over 4 million came from
Federal contractors--a group of employers that has special obligations
to demonstrate it is recruiting and hiring veterans. Also, since 2007,
over 150,000 employers of all sizes have used this system, entering the
system either through the national site (www.jobcentral.org) or via
State job banks. Today, 49 State workforce agencies, plus the District
of Columbia, have signed participation agreements, sharing their own
job posting content and transforming JobCentral into the NLX. Talks are
underway with the remaining State and one territory to join the
alliance.
The NLX has allowed participating State job-banks to receive
thousands of job postings via electronic download from: (1) employers
typically not listing with the public workforce system, (2) the U.S.
government (USAjobs.gov), and (3) from neighboring State workforce
agencies. NLX job postings are updated daily, avoiding duplication and
ensuring real job opportunities are made available, conditions key to
offering jobseekers a better experience and making real job
connections.
In addition, the NLX has allowed State workforce agencies to
transmit job postings--and links to other valuable services--to
government sites such as the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces
involving all branches of the Reserves and the National Guard
(www.employerpartnership.org), the Veterans Administration's (VA)
www.Vetsuccess.org site (targeting disabled veterans), and DoL's
mySkillsmyFuture.org site.
The NLX also provides State workforce agencies and employers access
to an online free tool called ``Analytics.'' This allows workforce
agencies and employers to view traffic information about jobseekers'
click-throughs from State job banks to employers' corporate job
application systems. Since the rollout of Analytics, State job banks
have consistently ranked among the top ten sites providing employers
with traffic to their corporate job application systems. In addition,
the analytics platform demonstrates the types of jobs of interest to
jobseekers within specific geographic areas. This information, in
combination with the list of NLX jobs existing within an area, can be
powerful in determining future labor demand, available supply, and
needed training programs, all of which help States offer better
services to veterans and all citizens.
Creating and Leveraging a Compliance Service for Employers
The NLX offers a compliance mechanism for Federal contractors
called VetCentral. The VetCentral service was designed to provide DE
members compliance with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment
Assistance Act (VEVRAA) as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA).
Beyond simply meeting the letter of the law, VetCentral strives to meet
the spirit of the law, by bringing job openings directly to the hands
of the State staff working with veterans.
Per current regulations, VetCentral sends daily emails of Federal
Contractor Job Listing (FCJL) jobs to the ``appropriate local
employment service delivery system.'' The emails are directed to LVERs
and DVOPs along with other staff as designated by the State workforce
agencies. The user-friendly emails contain links to the FCJL job
postings and a ``how to apply'' link. The NLX has received positive
responses from field staff who use these emails every day in referring
veterans. While State workforce agencies designate who receives emails,
there is also a process to review and correct current email addresses
used by VetCentral. All FCJL jobs, sent via email to produce a tangible
audit trail, are also available for direct download into States' job
banks through the broader NLX initiative.
We believe current regulations published in Federal Register 41 CFR
Part 60-300 have been vital in encouraging the creation of the NLX.
While they have prompted the creation of a VetCentral process that
delivers FCJL job postings, they also have created the opportunity for
the NLX to flourish, bringing in a large number of other job
opportunities to State job banks. Since the workforce development
system offers many core self-services via priority of service to
veterans, enhanced job bank content helps benefit veterans' employment.
Expanding NLX Jobs Content
This year, in an effort to increase the number of verified and
unduplicated job postings, NLX partners are focusing on expanding the
use of the NLX's free indexing (an automated, daily service that
``scrapes'' job postings from individual employer Web sites and other
resources). State workforce agency staff is invited to make connections
with employers who currently do not list with the public workforce
system and offer to collect job openings residing on corporate Web
sites through an indexing process. The NLX would then function as the
free technology collecting job postings from such corporate Web sites
via indexing and adding them to this national job exchange system.
The successful continued operation of the NLX and improvements
discussed above are extremely valuable in helping veterans navigate a
diverse, complex labor market. NASWA asks for your support in raising
awareness of this effort, which will increase the number of job
postings and expand employers' awareness of the services available
through the workforce development system.
Challenges
Providing sufficient services to veterans is a priority of our
workforce system, yet presents several challenges. Unemployment remains
high, the ratio of job seekers to available jobs is still much higher
than we would like (reported in February of this year as 5.9 seekers
for every job vacancy compared to a ratio of 1.7 in December 2007) and
the skills required for the jobs that are available are different than
those required even a few years ago. Nominal resources available to our
members have been reduced recently, and in the case of the ES have been
unchanged for almost 30 years.
Beyond the system's concerns with ever decreasing real funding as
an obstacle in serving veterans, there are many other critical areas
affecting veterans' employment rates:
1. Credentialing. Through our NLX employer partners we learned one
of the most critical obstacles to the employment of veterans is the
inability to secure formal credentials and certifications, even though
they have received equivalent training while in the military. Veterans
must spend resources including valuable time to acquire formal civilian
credentials when many already possess the skills.
2. Inability to identify where veterans with certain skills are
located. Again through our NLX employer partners we learned there is no
reliable nationwide information source identifying where employers with
specific needs should be focusing their veteran recruitment efforts.
The workforce system also has minimal access to this type of
information.
3. Identifying the right online resources for veterans hiring:
Employers have indicated there are many sites and services aiming to
facilitate veterans' employment. Employers must dedicate resources and
staff to wade through a great amount of well-meaning sites to identify
qualified veteran talent. While this is a real concern, how today's
jobseekers and younger veterans search for jobs will continue to be
multi-faceted, from personal contacts to exploring and applying on many
online sites.
One solution is to create ``super'' employment portals
seeking to channel jobseekers and veterans' behavior, and influence
employers' recruitment strategies. However, this often results in Web
sites with frustrating multiple links to other sites, duplicate jobs,
closed jobs, and difficult navigation in finding pertinent information
(such as assessments, where to go for in-person help, etc.). We believe
jobseekers and employers will continue to use multiple approaches in
searching for jobs and the fluid nature of the online world will
continue to be a reality. Our focus, as a public workforce system, is
to continue nurturing the NLX as the resource providing verified job
postings to relevant outlets involved in connecting job-seeking
veterans with either the State workforce agency or the recruiting
employer.
4. Inability to translate Military Occupational Classification
(MOC) to civilian jobs: A common issue identified by employers is
veterans' inability to ``translate'' their skills and experiences into
the civilian world. An MOC crosswalk to the Occupational Network
(O*NET, the officially accepted ``language'' used to describe
occupational skills) has been completed by USDoL and can be used quite
successfully. Unfortunately, spreading the word of its existence and
increasing its use are dependent on limited funding and an overburdened
workforce development system staff. NASWA's NLX partner,
DirectEmployers Association, has used this crosswalk, building the
ability for veterans to enter MOCs online and receive back NLX jobs
relevant to the entered MOC.
5. UI Reemployment and Connectivity: The recent recession has
brought a renewed focus on connecting UI claimants with reemployment
services. As I noted earlier, veterans upon separation from the
military are eligible for the Unemployment Compensation Program for Ex-
Servicemembers (UCX). The advent of remote claims-taking technology has
enabled States to take UI claims online or via telephone. This has
disrupted the connection of veterans and other UI claimants to
workforce system services to differing degrees in the States.
NASWA through its Information Technology Support Center
(ITSC) has undertaken a project to support States in developing new
strategies to connect unemployment insurance claimants to the workforce
system. In partnership with USDoL, ITSC has developed a national vision
and implementation plan for better connecting unemployment insurance
claimants to the workforce system both electronically and in person.
Currently we are working on the development of systems to implement the
plan which include integrated UI-workforce customer registration,
transferability of skills analysis, and use of social networking.
6. Obstacles Created by USDoL Regulations: Recently the Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP), USDoL, has released a
Notice for Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to govern the procedures Federal
contractors must follow to demonstrate their efforts to recruit and
hire qualified veterans. While OFCCP said it consulted with State
officials, the proposed regulations appear to have been developed
without formal input from State workforce agencies' leadership.
As a result, the proposed regulations make certain
assumptions about the nature of the workforce development system
activities which are inaccurate. For example, the proposed regulations
assume the bulk of workforce system dollars are focused on out-dated
referral or placement processes and reinterpret the system's mandate
for ``priority of service'' to veterans as ``priority referrals.'' The
reality is, declining funding and increasing demand, and a requirement
to be a universal system, has led most State activities to focus on the
provision of core self-services, not referrals or placements. While
States continue to provide intensive and training services, the extent
to which these can be provided has been curtailed substantially.
Based on this unrealistic framework, OFCCP's new reporting
requirements for Federal contractors asks employers to document job
referrals of veterans that are received from State workforce agencies
(outside the LVER and DVOP programs). The proposed regulations ask
Federal contractors for a 5-year collection of data on direct
``referrals'' received from State workforce agencies (this does not
include veterans applying for jobs on their own that they saw posted on
the State job bank), applicant status (veteran and disability, and
hires from ``referrals'' received from State workforce agencies.
By programmatic design and fiscal necessity, the workforce
system functions as a provider of information and tools for jobseekers
and employers. Focusing on ``referrals'' is an out-dated approach in a
system expected to meet entered employment, employment retention, and
wage level goals. Some LVERs and DVOPs might still work on a limited
number of referrals. However, the ES and WIA workforce development
programs have the same three performance measures toward which ETA and
VETS expects States to work. In fact, the notion of ``referrals'' has
been abandoned by USDoL and the States consciously as it reflects an
increasingly out-dated way of thinking about how jobseekers search for
and find jobs.
While Federal contractors will comment on the virtue and
burden of those new requirements to the employer community and the
resulting further obstacles in hiring veterans, NASWA also is concerned
about the unfunded reporting burden these regulations will create for
States workforce agencies, who will be asked to confirm information
employers offer during OFCCP audits, further splintering dollars and
resources meant to serve veterans.
Finally, there is a concern the proposed regulations will
have the unintended effect of decreasing the number of job openings
currently found within State job banks. This stems from language in the
NPRM eliminating the ability of Federal contractors to list
simultaneously within multiple State job banks. Instead, the NPRM
appears to require Federal contractors to provide jobs to States by
manually posting them within each State job bank for the purposes of
tracking limited referrals. This is an excessive burden on employers.
It will lead to some employers posting jobs in fewer States. State
workforce agencies who receive thousands of job listings on a daily
basis via direct downloads will ultimately see their offerings to
veterans reduced.
NASWA and its members remain dedicated to improving the efficiency
of the labor market and its labor exchange function, and improving the
employment opportunities of our Nation's veterans. We are willing to
assist the Committee and the U.S. Department of Labor in any way
possible.
Thank you for the opportunity to address these important issues.
__________
SELECTED DATA
Level of education of Veterans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Educational Attainment by Veteran Status Percent distribution
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than a High school Some college
Veteran status high school graduate, no or associate College
diploma college degree graduate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonveterans 14.3 30.8 27.6 27.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterans 7.4 32.7 32.8 27.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era II veterans 1.5 29.2 45.9 23.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era I veterans 1.5 28.0 41.4 29.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWII, Korean War and Vietnam-era veterans 10.2 32.3 28.9 28.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009, at: www.bls.gov/spotlight/
2010/veterans.
Length of Unemployment after leaving Service
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labor Market Activity of Young Veterans Percent of veterans ages 18 to 24 in 1998-2008
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of months since separation from the Not in the labor
Armed Forces Employed Unemployed force
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 42.2 23.8 34.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 51.0 21.6 27.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 58.4 18.6 23.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 60.5 15.9 23.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 65.4 14.9 19.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 65.1 12.5 22.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 69.9 11.2 18.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 68.6 11.3 20.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 69.5 11.9 18.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 71.7 11.2 17.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 74.8 10.0 15.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 78.6 8.7 12.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 79.4 7.5 13.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 78.4 7.5 14.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 75.8 7.2 17.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 78.3 7.6 14.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 75.5 8.1 16.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 79.0 6.0 15.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19 76.6 9.9 13.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 80.9 6.4 12.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 82.0 7.1 10.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 80.8 7.0 12.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 82.5 4.9 12.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 84.0 5.6 10.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1998-2008 at: www.bls.gov/spotlight/
2010/veterans.
Age of Veterans Served by the Workforce Investment System
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age of veterans served in WIA Age at Participation (# in 000's)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 to 21 22 to 29 30-44 45-54 55 +
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veteran 3.9 8.2 6.3 9.2 5.7
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disable 0.5 1.1 0.9 1.2 0.9
d
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Campaig 1.0 1.8 1.2 2.0 1.6
n Vet
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recentl 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.1
y
separa
ted
vetera
n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2
eligib
le
person
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: DoL Employment and Training: PY 2009WIASRD Data Book.
Entered Employment Rate and Salary: 3rd Quarter after exit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterans Programs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exiters from Oct 2008 to Sept 2009 Exiters from April 2008 to March 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entered Credential Retention
Number of Exiters Employment Attainment Rate Number of 2nd and 3rd Average
Rate (%) (%) Exiters Quarters (%) Earnings ($)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26,469 54.7 42.8 24,434 76.4 14,932
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: DoL Employment and Training: PY 2009WIASRD Data Book.
Prepared Statement of Jolene Jefferies,
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, DirectEmployers Association
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana,
DirectEmployers Association (DirectEmployers.org) is owned and managed
by over 600 leading U.S. corporations through a 501(c)(6) non-profit
employer consortium. The Association's mission is to provide employers
an employment network that is cost-effective, improves labor market
efficiency and reaches an ethnically diverse national and international
workforce.
Primary issues and obstacles our member employers say they face in
recruiting veterans are:
Clarification--While a majority of employers believe
VEVRAA regulations are effective, it was noted that further
clarifications are needed (e.g., the OFCCP's standards to evaluate Good
Faith Efforts (GFE) by Federal contractors is inconsistent between 60-
2(AA for Women and Minorities) and 60-250 (AA for Veterans).
Skills/Education Translation--The military workforce is
challenged with the translation and transference of their education and
skills to demonstrate their possession of the minimum and preferred job
qualifications and/or requirements for which civilian employers seek.
Military/Civilian Certification--Several professions
require accredited specialization that involves learned knowledge,
certification and/or testing by a job seeker. Transitioning military
workforce may be at a disadvantage without such accreditations. All
levels of government need to implement solutions that effectively
balance current challenges with educational system gaps, the
accreditation of job seekers, and the fiscal demands and resources of
civilian employers.
Lack of Data--There is no reliable data source that takes
into account the available pool of the military workforce that
demonstrates the correlation of standardized job, industry, and
geographic classification codes that are consistent with other reported
Federal labor, employment, economic, and census data.
OFCCP Consistency--Federal contractors have experienced
challenges from the OFCCP, especially during compliance evaluations,
two concurrent phenomena that hampers collaboration: 1) their knowledge
and appreciation of how State workforce agencies operate, and 2) their
dissemination of communications, staff training, and application of
standards and procedures across and between their national, regional
and district offices consistently.
__________
Chairman Miller, Representative Filner, and Members of the
Committee, on behalf of DirectEmployers Association, I thank you for
the opportunity to submit written testimony addressing our
Association's Veterans' education, employment, and job search programs
for employers. DirectEmployers Association and its members are strong
proponents of activities benefiting the employment of qualified
veterans through programs such as those under the Committee's
jurisdiction.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana,
DirectEmployers Association (DirectEmployers.org) is owned and managed
by over 600 leading U.S. corporation executives through a 501(c)(6)
non-profit employer consortium. The Association's mission is to provide
employers an employment network that is cost-effective, improves labor
market efficiency and reaches an ethnically diverse national and
international workforce.
Consistent with our mission, we partnered with The National
Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) in 2007 to create the
JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX). The NLX replaced the
previously federally-funded America's Job Bank and provides employers
an OFCCP compliance vehicle for providing job listings to veterans as
well as access to our Nation's State workforce system. It is available
free-of-charge to all employers, regardless of size, in all industries.
For most employers, OFCCP compliance is not the driving force. We
are seeing more and more companies establishing programs to pro-
actively recruit veterans because they provide such an outstanding
talent-pool resource. The Association assists employers' efforts in
many ways. We provide an outstanding Hiring & Retaining Veterans
webinar education and training series, job search programs, and job
distribution services to help member companies recruit our Nation's
servicemembers and their dependents. The focus of these programs is on
helping transitioning servicemembers, veterans and their families find
and maintain meaningful employment.
In a recent in-house survey, some of the issues and obstacles our
member employers say they face in recruiting veterans are:
While a majority of employers believe VEVRAA regulations
are effective, it was noted that further clarifications are needed
(e.g., the OFCCP's standards to evaluate Good Faith Efforts (GFE) by
Federal contractors is inconsistent between 60-2(AA for Women and
Minorities) and 60-250 (AA for Veterans).
Because employers utilize a ``just-in-time'' hiring
process, employers would benefit from learning about DoL, DoD, and
related Federal and State employment services that support this model
(e.g., recognizing that turnover in H.R./Recruiting departments is
dynamic and sometimes involves knowledge transfer gaps; as well as
utilizing the Internet, social media platforms and related technologies
are becoming commonplace; the impact of this is that companies are
seeking to leverage cost/time-effective resources that provide
immediate recruiting solutions).
The military workforce is challenged with the translation
and transference of their education and skills to demonstrate their
possession of the minimum and preferred job qualifications and/or
requirements for which civilian employers seek.
Several professions require accredited specialization
that involves learned knowledge, certification and/or testing by a job
seeker. Transitioning military workforce may be at a disadvantage
without such accreditations. All levels of government need to implement
solutions that effectively balance current challenges with educational
system gaps, the accreditation of job seekers, and the fiscal demands
and resources of civilian employers.
There is no reliable data source that takes into account
the available pool of the military workforce that demonstrates the
correlation of standardized job, industry, and geographic
classification codes that are consistent with other reported Federal
labor, employment, economic, and census data.
In order for civilian employers to improve the
recruitment of the military workforce, such data sources are needed. To
create a standardized data source/report will require data surveys,
validation and analyses that may take several years to complete, akin
to other Federal employment and labor-related data sets (e.g. census,
EEO special file, et. al).
Federal contractors have experienced challenges from the
OFCCP, especially during compliance evaluations, two concurrent
phenomena that hampers collaboration: 1) their knowledge and
appreciation of how State workforce agencies operate, and 2) their
dissemination of communications, staff training, and application of
standards and procedures across and between their national, regional
and district offices consistently.
OFCCP should engage in town hall meetings, open forums,
and other bridge-building dialogue with private-sector Federal
contractors to demonstrate that the agency values the contributions of
this subset, especially with regard to key agency developments that
impact these relationships (e.g., regulatory changes, directives, and/
or procedures).
The pre-employment voluntary self-identification of
disability status by job seekers (including disabled veterans) is
prohibited by the ADA. Thus, there must exist between the OFCCP and
EEOC mutually-agreed upon interagency standards, guidance, permission
and employer indemnity permitting employers to collect, evaluate and
make employment selection decisions based on these data.
The letter and the spirit of key employment and Federal
contractor regulations and laws require that employers make objective
employment-related selection decisions. Enacting a mandatory procedure
that mirrors the combination of the ``priority of service'' process and
a ``veterans preference'' policy (akin to U.S. State One-Stop Centers)
raises a regulatory tension with these laws, including rendering a
result of unintentional adverse impact among other protected classes
(i.e., E.O. 11246, Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment and Assistance
Act, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended, Uniform
Guidelines on Employment Selection Procedures, Title VII, et. al).
DirectEmployers Association continues to work with NASWA in
multiple ways, including veterans employment webinars for both
employers and State workforce agencies, to help all employers
effectively recruit veterans:
JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX)
A key service of the NLX is a comprehensive suite of programs and
services to assist employers (e.g., Federal Government contractors) in
complying with the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act
(VEVRAA) regulations, as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA) and
developing Affirmative Action Programs to attract veterans. Direct
Compliance is the most comprehensive 4212 VEVRAA/JVA compliance
assistance program and is offered to employers who are members of
DirectEmployers Association. Members can have their job openings
automatically indexed (scraped) directly from their corporate career
sites and made available to veterans through the NLX and VetCentral,
which assists participating members in complying with JVA regulations.
VetCentral is a unique feature of the NLX which feeds job listings
to State Employment Services offices nationwide. VetCentral is fully
integrated into the NLX. Member's job openings are sent to the
appropriate (Wagner-Peyser) employment service delivery system via
email or, in many cases, entered into the State job bank and records
are maintained for each transaction. In the event of an Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) audit, employers can
easily show these records to the auditor to demonstrate compliance
requirements.
DirectEmployers Association surpasses the minimum requirements to
distribute jobs to appropriate employment delivery systems in two ways:
through the JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX) that
provides an automated job listing feed to State job banks; and,
through VetCentral--a unique service of the NLX which
feeds jobs to State Employment Services offices nationwide.
The comprehensive NLX program includes an automated, efficient and
very cost-effective resource for employers to ensure their company's
job openings are delivered accurately and reliably to the State
workforce system--the appropriate (Wagner-Peyser) local employment
service office(s)--including the Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program
(DVOP) coordinators and Local Veterans' Employment Representatives
(LVER) program. The DVOP/LVER staff is trained to meet the specific
needs of veterans and they can be very instrumental in referring
veteran applicants to an organization, so it's helpful for employers to
develop local relationships with DVOPs and LVERs. Employers can locate
the DVOPs and LVERs in the States they operate in by visiting the
National Veterans' Training Institute's (NVTI's) DVOP/LVER Locator. The
DVOP/LVER staff is also very familiar with the complete range of
employment services and training programs available for veterans at the
State Workforce Agency CareerOneStop Centers and the Department of
Veterans' Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program
locations.
In addition to working with the CareerOneStops Centers and the
Department of Veterans' Affairs, the DVOPs and LVERs also work closely
with Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs). VSOs can also help
employers get the word out to veterans about an organization's job
opportunities. Through the NLX and its partnership with NASWA,
DirectEmployers Association offers assistance to its members in
reaching out to these State and local partners to establish their
employer's own direct relationships and partnerships at the local
level..
NLX also receives a download of jobs from USAJOBS and distributing
them to State job banks. Sponsored by the Federal Office of Personnel
Management, USAJOBS is a job bank containing Federal Government
positions. This download of Federal job openings is available to States
for inclusion in their States job banks. To date, the following States
have requested the USAJOBs be included in their State job bank:
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington,
and Wisconsin.
DirectEmployers Association is proud to be the provider of jobs
data for ``MySkillsMyFuture'', a valuable U.S. Department of Labor's
Employment and Training Administration Web site which was launched last
September. It is designed to connect workers with high quality training
and local employment opportunities. DirectEmployers Association's jobs,
including job listings from State Workforce Agencies, are now included
in the U.S. Department of Labor's MySkillsMyFuture, MyNextMove, and
CareerOneStop employment sites.
Military-specific organizations receiving NLX job listings include:
JobCentral National Labor Exchange, or ``NLX''
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Coordinators (DVOPs)
Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs)
The .Jobs Universe Military Network
Armed Forces Employer Partnership (operated by the U.S.
Army Reserve for all Reserve Components)
HirePatriots.com
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN)
National Marine Corps Business Network (NMCBN)
RecruitMilitary.com
Save Our Veterans
Veterans Enterprise
VetSuccess.gov (operated by the Department of Veterans
Affairs)
The .Jobs Universe Military Network
Earlier this year, DirectEmployers Association announced an
extensive online program to assist transitioning military personnel in
all branches of our armed forces, their spouses, dependents, and
caregivers in quickly and efficiently finding employment. The program
is available free-of-charge to all employers and will provide military
personnel and their dependents access to more than 880,000 employment
opportunities from over 90,000 employers nationwide.
The Association announced that over 5,800 dot-jobs (.jobs) domains
have been added to the .Jobs Universe (www.universe.jobs) to create
employment services for returning veterans (www.veterans.jobs) and
their families. The domains use the Military Occupational
Classification (MOC) Crosswalk to assist military personnel in
transitioning from active duty to employment opportunities in the
civilian workforce. Transitioning military personnel can enter their
MOC plus.jobs into their browser to locate civilian occupations
requiring the same or similar skills as their previous military job
(e.g.www.42F.jobs, www.25B.jobs, www.2891.jobs).
The .Jobs Universe also provides a Military family
(www.militaryfamily.jobs) feature. This is designed to help military
spouses, dependents and caregivers quickly locate employment while
their loved ones are serving our country. Military families can enter
the name of their military installation plus the intuitive .jobs suffix
into their browser and receive a list of employment opportunities on
their assigned base or in
surrounding cities (e.g. www.CampPendleton.jobs, www.NewportNewsShipyard
. jobs, www.FtKnox.jobs).
This new effort to assist our veterans and their families is
further demonstration of the value and benefit of the .jobs platform.
It is free for employers, veterans, and their families and it is
organized to fit the way people use the Internet to search for jobs and
the way companies go about attracting specific skills and experience
with no artificial barriers in between. With the extra steps taken to
ensure that only legitimate job listings from real companies are
included, veterans and their families can have confidence in using this
service to submit their background information over the Internet..
``This is a great program for the entire human resource community
as well as our transitioning military and their families. I am very
proud to be a part of this exciting initiative in support of those who
have unselfishly given so much for our Nation,'' states Rhonda
Stickley, a 6-year U.S. Army veteran and current human resource
executive at Seattle-based Providence Health & Services.
DirectEmployers' new military .jobs initiative expands the
potential of an already established and robust partnership with the
public sector, the National Labor Exchange (NLX). Offered in
partnership with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies
(NASWA), the NLX is a free, job-search engine feeding job openings into
50 publicly-funded State job banks. This has substantially increased
offerings to all jobseekers, and especially veterans. Since March 2007,
the NLX has provided over 9 million, unduplicated, current jobs to
State workforce agency staff dedicated to serving veterans. The NLX
uses no Federal funds for operations, research, or development. Rather,
this unique public-private partnership leverages private, non-profit-
owned technology with existing State workforce agency resources to
enhance offerings to veterans.
The NLX partners are looking forward to continuing their work with
the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans
Employment and Training Service (VETS) to offer comprehensive,
coordinated services to returning servicemembers and military families.
DirectEmployers shares VETS' vision and commitment to expand career
opportunities for veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and their
families.
Alicia Wallace, EEO Program Consultant for WellPoint and a military
veteran whose husband is a retired infantry officer says, ``I salute
all companies supporting these outstanding military programs. As a
Nation, we should do all we can for the gallant men and women who serve
in our armed forces. These individuals and their families have made
great sacrifices for our country and deserve all the gratitude and
support we can provide.''
Recruitment Regulatory Compliance Committee
DirectEmployers Association has established a Recruitment
Regulatory Compliance Committee (RRCC) to provide consultation and
guidance for our Association and member companies on issues related to
veterans' employment and all regulatory matters, especially those
relating to the employment of veterans.
The RRCC is chaired by Jason Capili, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, co-
chaired by Jolene Jefferies, DirectEmployers Association, and consists
of two National Industry Liaison Group (NILG) members, a NASWA
representative and an external consultant in addition to twenty
DirectEmployers Association member company representatives.
The primary purpose of the RRCC is to assist the Board in
overseeing DirectEmployers' recruitment compliance services and related
programs as follows:
The RRCC will help to educate, inform, and update
employer members about government contracting compliance and
employment-related laws and regulations affecting recruitment and
sourcing practices.
The RRCC will serve as the primary liaison to educate and
communicate DirectEmployers' member companies' needs and perspectives
to the various regulatory authorities.
The RRCC will assist in tracking proposed changes in
compliance legislation, and will alert and advise the Board concerning
the possible effects of impending changes in government contract
compliance laws and employment regulations and the potential impact on
DirectEmployers' member companies to recruit and source effectively.
The RRCC will make recommendations to the Board regarding
the compliance services and related programs offered by DirectEmployers
Association to help us remain on the cutting-edge as the leading
provider of said services.
The RRCC will research and share information about
speaking opportunities at various conferences and events to further
educate all employers, regulatory authorities, State workforce
agencies, the military and other stakeholders about DirectEmployers'
compliance services and related programs.
Hiring & Retaining Veterans_a Webinar Education Series
The intent of the veteran employment webinar education series,
Hiring & Retaining Veterans, developed by Jolene Jefferies, SPHR and VP
Strategic Initiatives of DirectEmployers Association, is to offer
employers comprehensive training and resources to expedite the learning
curve in developing, sharing and implementing best practices and
success strategies to attract, select, onboard and retain America's
military candidates.
The Hiring & Retaining Veterans series was originally developed for
employers so they could develop active, meaningful relationships with
local referral sources that allowed regular communication and feedback.
It was quickly determined that it could be utilized by a much broader
community. Employers wanting to engage in a more robust veteran
outreach effort were invited to join this series to:
Map a strategy to expand your company's local veteran
outreach activities.
Learn how to leverage DirectEmployers Association's
military partnerships as your own, at the local level.
Receive tips, resources and contact information of
various veteran organizations to target and identify local partnership
opportunities.
Discover ways to document veteran outreach and
communications with veteran partners and referral sources.
Use analytics to identify specific employment practices
that are verifiably effective in the recruitment of veterans.
Effectively demonstrate a history of compliant veteran
outreach efforts.
Worthwhile to note, there has been a very strong interest in the
resources, templates and toolkits provided with the Veteran Outreach
webinar. These resources are estimated to save employers well over 250
hours of research and planning time.
Veteran Outreach PowerPoint Slide Deck (includes step-by-
step strategic implementation plan)
Guide to Key Military Partnerships of DirectEmployers
Association
Labor Market Assessment Template
Veteran Outreach and Partnership Sources for Employers
State Veterans Program Coordinators
Marines Wounded Warrior District Injured Support Cell
(DISC) Coordinator Roster
Veteran Partner Levels and Definitions
Local Veteran Recruiting Action Plan (RAP) Template
Attendees have included anyone interested in learning how to
develop partnerships at the local level and to advance outreach efforts
to help employers find, attract, hire and retain more veterans,
including employers, recruiters, H.R. Compliance Experts, Hiring
Managers, Human Resource Professionals, Workforce Development
Professionals, Economic Developers, Community Representatives and
Regulatory Agency Representatives.
An outline of the webinar content is included as Table 1 to this
testimony. DirectEmployers Association intends to continue offering
these worthwhile sessions on a regular basis.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the
employers' perspective and our activities in this area. We are
dedicated to doing our utmost toward the employment of our Nation's
deserving veterans. We would be glad to provide you with any additional
information. DirectEmployers Association stands ready to work with this
Committee on the issues of veterans' employment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hiring & Retaining Veterans
Webinar Education Series for Employers
Developed and Delivered by: Jolene Jefferies, SPHR,
VP Strategic Initiatives, DirectEmployers Association
The Hiring & Retaining Veterans webinar education series is designed to
help employers explore how to create, develop and implement a
successful award-winning military recruiting and retention program as
part of their company's overall talent acquisition and employee
retention strategy. The Hiring & Retaining Veterans series, consisting
of 16 webinars, saves employers time and provides them with invaluable
templates, tools and resources to target veteran and military
candidates to the organization and retain them once they've been hired.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic Planning, Development and Implementation----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Making the Case for Hiring Veterans: A Win-Win
Business Strategy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hiring Veterans
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Veteran Outreach: Partnering at the Local Level
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Hiring Veterans: Important Laws & Military-
Friendly H.R. Policies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Hiring Veterans: Creating Brand Awareness in
the Military Community
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Hiring Veterans: Sourcing Strategies to Attract
Military Talent--Part I
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Hiring Veterans: Sourcing Strategies to Attract
Military Talent--Part II
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Hiring and Accommodating Disabled Veterans:
Strategies for Success
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Hiring Veterans: Training Your Recruiters &
Hiring Managers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9 Hiring Veterans: The DD-214 & Background
Investigations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Hiring Veterans: Understanding the Military to
Improve Employment Practices & Outcomes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 Hiring Veterans: Recruitment Compliance
Strategies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Onboarding New Veteran Employees: Strategies
for Success
------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Hiring Veterans: Employer Best Practices
Showcase
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retaining Veterans
------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Retaining Veterans and Disabled Veterans:
Strategies for Success
------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 Retaining Veterans: Training Your Recruiters,
Hiring Managers and Key Leaders
------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Retaining Veterans: Employer Best Practices
Showcase
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared Statement of Kevin M. Schmiegel,
Vice President, Veterans Employment Program, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and Members of the
Committee, my name is Kevin Schmiegel, and I am the vice president of
veterans' employment programs at the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear as a witness before the
Committee and speak to you about veterans' employment and what the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce is doing to help our Nation's heroes find
meaningful employment in the private
sector.
As you know, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest
business federation representing the interests of three million members
and organizations of every size, sector, and region.
The reason the Chamber is interested in our Nation's veterans is
simply that many of our members, which include thousands of small,
medium, and large businesses, want to hire veterans. Even with high
unemployment, we have a huge skills gap in America that is hindering
our recovery and undermining our global competitiveness. Veterans can
help to fill that gap, because they have unique leadership experience
and incredible technical expertise. They are excellent problem-solvers
and they are extremely reliable, and let's not forget that 90 percent
of military occupations are directly transferrable to jobs in the
private sector. The Chamber's veterans programs will help raise
awareness across the business community of this great pool of potential
workers who can help fill our Nation's skills gap.
As a veteran myself, it is an honor and a privilege to be here
today. Two years ago, I retired from the United States Marine Corps as
a lieutenant colonel after 20 years of active duty service.
My own transition from the military to the civilian workforce was
full of good fortune. I was lucky to have a mentor like former National
Security Advisor, General Jim Jones, who took a very special interest
in my search for a second career. I was lucky to be at the right place
at the right time. And I was lucky to be hired by an organization like
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce whose President and CEO Tom Donohue
understands and appreciates the value of hiring a veteran. Not every
veteran is that lucky.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the ``Employment Situation
of Veterans in 2010'' shows that on average there were over one million
unemployed veterans in America during 2010. With an overall population
of 22 million veterans and a total of just over 12 million veterans in
the civilian work-force, veterans had a jobless rate of 8.7 percent
last year. While this was comparable to the national average
unemployment rate of 9.4 percent, there are some alarming trends that
may result in higher unemployment for veterans in the short term. For
example, the unemployment rate for post 9-11 era veterans was 11.5
percent with younger veterans (those ages 18 to 24) suffering from an
average unemployment rate above 20 percent in 2010. For that age
category, the unemployment rate among veterans currently stands at a
staggering 26.9 percent. Additionally, current or past members of the
Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate of 14.0 percent in
July 2010.
Data for these cohorts are even more concerning given all
additional 155,000 veterans will be leaving active duty and 100,000
guard and reservists will be demobilized and returning to the workforce
in 2011.
With the potential draw down of our armed forces and significantly
higher rates of unemployment for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and
returning guard and reservists on the horizon, the Chamber has started
several initiatives that will enhance private sector job opportunities
for veterans and their spouses.
The U.S. Chamber's Hiring our Heroes Program
In March of 2011, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched its Hiring
our Heroes program, a year-long nationwide effort to help veterans and
their spouses find meaningful employment. The Chamber started the
program in partnership with Mr. Ray Jefferson, the Assistant Secretary
for the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service
(DoL VETS) and Mr. Ron Young, Executive Director National Committee for
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), to improve public-
private sector coordination in local communities, where veterans and
their families are returning every day.
With our federation of business leaders, State and local chambers,
and industry associations spanning nearly every State and city, the
Chamber has the infrastructure to lead a nationwide campaign to connect
veterans and military spouses with employers. Working with our
extensive network of State and local chambers, DoL VETS, ESGR,
veterans' services organizations, and businesses of all sizes
representing all sectors, we are coordinating public and private
sectors to better match veteran talent with career opportunities in
local communities across the country.
There are four pillars of the Chamber's Hiring our Heroes program.
While the main focus of effort is on connecting all veterans and
military spouses with second careers in the private sector, we have
also created strategic partnerships in three other areas to deal with
specific populations of veterans and their unique challenges. They
include: a Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Program, a Student
Veterans Internship and Employment Program, and a Women Veteran and
Military Spouse Employment Program. Our aggressive agenda focuses on
one measure of success-jobs for the one million unemployed veterans in
America.
100 Hiring Fairs for Veterans and Military Spouses
In the coming year, the Chamber will host 100 hiring fairs with
local chambers of commerce-across the country. The first of these
hiring fairs took place in Chicago on March 24, 2011 and was a huge
success with 127 employers and 1,200 veterans and their spouses
participating. Initial feedback from the veterans and employers
indicates that approximately 150 of the veterans and military spouses
who attended are likely to get jobs.
To make our hiring fairs more meaningful for veterans and military
spouses and to gain traction in local communities, we have enlisted
high level public and private sector speakers to keynote our hiring
fair events and have employed an aggressive media and public relations
campaign, which has earned the attention of news outlets across the
country. The Chamber's Hiring our Heroes program was recently
highlighted in several national media outlets as part of Joining
Forces, a campaign backed by First Lady Michelle Obama, to educate,
employ and mentor U.S. servicemembers and their families.
We are also offering transitional workshops in conjunction with
many of our hiring fairs and have created an information technology
system to track a number of important metrics to include job placements
for veterans and their spouses-an area where our Nation has fallen
woefully short in the past. By hosting these 100 hiring fairs, we hope
to connect 100,000 veterans and spouses with over 1,000 different
employers over a 12-month period.
Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Program
Our program for Wounded Warriors is tailored to meet the unique
challenges and demands for wounded warriors, spouses and caregivers. In
partnership with the USA, Hire Heroes USA, and wounded warrior
transition units in Fort Carson, Colorado and Fort Belvoir, Virginia,
we are hosting quarterly transition workshops and career opportunity
days with the potential to scale to several additional locations in
2012. Our goal is to build a wounded warrior pipeline that directly
connects these talented young men and women who have honorably served
our country with companies that are dedicated to their successful
transition to the private sector.
To prepare wounded warriors for career opportunities, wounded
warrior transitional workshops teach participants necessary skills such
as resume writing, interviewing, goal setting and basic financial
planning for effective job searching. Career opportunity days provide
wounded, ill, and injured troops and their spouses with an opportunity
to conduct mock interviews and network with prospective employers in a
more intimate environment than traditional career fairs. We have
established this format because wounded, ill, and injured
servicemembers are often overwhelmed by the magnitude of career fairs
and choose not to participate, resulting in employers losing the
opportunity to hire these high-potential employees.
Career opportunity days are limited to no more than 20 dedicated
employers and 100 wounded warriors who are making the transition to a
civilian career. Employers are connected directly with 10 prospective
employees based on a mutual interest in either the employer's industry
or the wounded warrior's military background.
We have also started discussions with Mr. John Campbell, the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care and Transition
Policy, to offer innovative private sector solutions to help wounded,
ill, injured and transitioning servicemembers transition seamlessly to
civilian life.
Student Veterans Internship and Employment Program
The U.S. Chamber is partnering with Student Veterans of America
(SVA) on several new initiatives to enhance the ability of student
veterans to find meaningful employment in the private sector upon
graduation. Our jobs and internship program will be launched in early
June 2011 at over 350 colleges and universities and will initially be
available to over 40,000 student veterans seeking internships and job
opportunities across the Nation. In addition to conducting tailored
hiring fairs for student veterans at SVA's National Conference in
December 2011 and their Annual Leadership Summit in 2012, we have
elicited the support of several Fortune 100 companies to establish
campus recruiting programs and to work with SVA chapters to develop a
nationwide internship program for student veterans from campuses in all
50 States.
Women Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Program
The Chamber is working with Business and Professional Women's (BPW)
Foundation and have started discussions with Mr. Robert Gordon, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family
Policy, in an effort to help women veterans and military spouses find
meaningful employment in the private sector. In addition to
collaborating with the White House on its Joining Forces initiative and
connecting the business community with the Department of Defense on
nationwide efforts to employ active duty spouses in the private sector,
we will enlist the support of American Chambers of Commerce abroad and
global companies to help place military spouses in jobs overseas.
While women veterans and military spouses will be the beneficiaries
of many of our other programs, we will also host tailored events and
champion specific forums to address some of their unique challenges in
finding employment. One of the primary goals of this program is to
significantly decrease women veteran and military spouse unemployment
by establishing a network of 10,000 women mentors in the business
community to connect with women veterans and military wives by the end
of 2012.
Principles for Success
Before closing I'd like to outline five fundamental principles that
we believe are critically important to the success of our programs.
First, local communities must be the cornerstone of any national
program to reduce veterans' unemployment. I say this with confidence
based on professional experience. In my final few years as a Marine, I
served as the head of enlisted monitors managing 60 human resources
specialists who were responsible for the assignment and retention of
170,000 Marines worldwide. Over a 2-year period, our department
interviewed tens of thousands of Marines about their decision to stay
or leave active duty. Of those who were leaving the service, an
overwhelming majority were more concerned about where they were going
rather than what they were going to do for a second career.
Additionally, exit surveys from all service components reinforce that
geographic preference is an important consideration when veterans are
entering the civilian workforce. While the U.S. Chamber can have some
effect talking to public and private sector leaders in Washington DC,
it pales in comparison to the impact we can have with the help of
chambers of commerce, business leaders and government officials in
local communities where veterans are returning every day.
Second, we must do a better job of coordinating public and private
sector efforts in local communities. While there are no shortages of
hiring programs for veterans, it is clear those programs are not
working well enough. The fact is there are hundreds and hundreds of
private sector companies, non-profits, NGOs, veteran services
organizations and government agencies that have individual programs to
help veterans find jobs. However, most of these individual programs are
not yielding results, and collectively, they are falling woefully
short. Because they are duplicative, they compete with one another,
they cause unnecessary confusion for veterans and their families, and
they are not well coordinated. We believe that the U.S. and local
chambers of commerce are uniquely positioned to better coordinate
public and private sector efforts in hundreds of cities across America.
Third, we must look for other innovative ways to help transitioning
veterans, including helping them start or grow a small business;
improving certification, licensing, and vocational education for
veterans and their spouses; and enhancing the availability of
internships and mentoring programs within the business community. With
our strong federation of business leaders, State and local chambers,
and industry associations spanning nearly every State and city, the
Chamber can play a massive role in establishing private sector programs
that assist military families in their transition to civilian life.
Fourth, all programs-existing and new-should be measured against
clear objectives and established metrics, so we can focus on what is
working and stop funding programs that are not producing results. When
the Chamber completes the last of our 100 hiring fairs we will host a
summit with all of stakeholders to analyze outcomes and discuss best
practices.
And finally, we need to build on the incredible momentum that has
brought veterans issues to the forefront of America's psyche and take
advantage of what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral
Mullen, has called a ``sea of goodwill.'' As Martin Luther King Jr.
once said, ``The time is always right to do what is right.'' It is
clear that now is the time to positively affect veterans unemployment
and to do it right.
Conclusion
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and distinguished Members
of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is
committed to helping better coordinate public and private sector
efforts to find meaningful employment for veterans and their spouses in
local communities where they are returning every day. Our success will
be measured by the impact our programs have on helping our veterans
find and keep good jobs in the private sector.
Thank you for this Committee's unwavering commitment and support of
veterans and their families.
I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today and look
forward to answering your questions.
Prepared Statement of Henry Jackson, Interim President and Chief
Executive Officer, Society for Human Resource Management
Executive Summary
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), with 260,000
members, is the world's largest association devoted to serving the
needs of human resource professionals and to advancing the H.R.
profession.
SHRM and its members have adopted the transition of military
veterans into the civilian workforce as a key issue. With successful
transitions, our heroes receive the welcome they deserve; employers
gain workers legendary for their commitment to mission; and our
Nation's productivity and status in the global marketplace is enhanced.
Within the last 2 years, SHRM has forged partnerships with Employer
Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and the Department of Labor's
Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). The organization is
also about to enter a similar collaboration with the Department of
Veterans Affairs. In all instances, the goal is to ensure that
employers have what's needed to create a transition program, identify
and hire veterans, and retain those veterans, including building a
workplace supportive of our military forces.
Ultimately, SHRM wants every one of its members--plus other H.R.
professionals--to know who to call to find veteran talent, and who to
call to get assistance in easing the transition of that veteran into
the civilian workforce.
Many of the hurdles facing employers and veterans alike can be
described as culture clashes. Veterans need help translating their
specialized skills, along with their respect for discipline and chain
of command, into civilian vocabulary, and a job. They are not
accustomed to self-promotion. Nor, given their combat experience, are
they accustomed to a business concept of a ``life or death'' situation;
or to ``seeking input'' from a team; or a managerial style that is not
centered on command and control.
On the employer side, more communication with H.R. professionals is
needed. SHRM research (available to the Committee) found that most
talent managers are unaware of the many resources available to them,
from both government agencies and non-profit organizations, to assist
them in finding, hiring, and retaining the right veterans for their
jobs. SHRM pledges to help close that communication gap, and to help
employers see veterans as loyal, dedicated, and highly trainable
potential employees. Many local SHRM chapters and councils are already
conducting employer-education programs focused on the benefits of
hiring veterans, and on how to make their transition successful.
The Society has dedicated a section of its Web site to the
transition issue, and another on disability employment. It offered a
military program at its annual conference last year and will do so
again this month, making the educational event available to more than
12,000 conference attendees. Similar programs are met by a receptive
audience--SHRM describes its members as professionals who understand
that it makes sense to hire veterans, and that it's a moral obligation
to help those veterans after all they have sacrificed.
__________
Introduction
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and distinguished Members
of the Committee, my name is Hank Jackson. I am the Interim President
and Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Human Resource
Management (SHRM). SHRM is the world's largest association devoted to
human resource management. The Society serves the needs of H.R.
professionals and advances the interests of the H.R. profession.
Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the
United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. On behalf of
our approximately 260,000 members in over 140 countries, I thank you
for this opportunity to appear before the Committee to discuss the
transition of military veterans into the civilian workforce.
Our members strongly believe that helping military servicemen and
women transition back to the workforce benefits every party involved:
our heroes receive the welcome they deserve through employment;
employers gain employees who are committed to the mission; and our
Nation's productivity and status in the global marketplace is enhanced.
In my testimony, I will share SHRM's efforts to promote the
recruitment and retention of veterans in the workplace, provide SHRM
survey research on the state of veterans' employment, describe our
concerns about why the promise of employment to many veterans remains
unfulfilled, and offer proposals for eliminating these hurdles to
veterans' employment.
SHRM's Efforts to Promote Veterans' Employment
The transition of veterans into the workplace has developed into a
key concern for SHRM and for the H.R. profession. To assist employers
in recruiting and retaining current and former members of the military,
SHRM has collaborated with key Federal agencies.
First, our members appreciate that almost half of our Nation's
military strength resides in the National Guard and Reserve. They see
men and women leave their workplaces to do their duty, and they see
them return from combat, sometimes struggling to reintegrate into
civilian life. In addition, some Guard and Reserve members joined the
military as their first real ``job,'' and now they need our members'
help. After all those warriors have sacrificed for us, H.R.
professionals embrace a responsibility to help our heroes reclaim their
civilian lives and return to meaningful and productive work.
For this reason, SHRM formed a partnership with the Department of
Defense's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) by signing a
Statement of Support in March 2010. As the principal advocate within
the U.S. Department of Defense, ESGR's mission is to develop and
promote employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing
employers that offer outstanding support, increasing awareness of
applicable laws and resolving conflict between employers and
servicemembers.
Through this partnership, SHRM is working with ESGR to link all
SHRM State councils and chapters with their local ESGR office and
encourage SHRM members to sign their own Statement of Support. More
than 300 SHRM chapters and 31 SHRM State Councils have signed a
Statement of Support to date.
SHRM also serves as a member of the Secretary of Defense Employer
Support Freedom Award National Selection Board, which selects Freedom
Award recipients on an annual basis. The Freedom Award is the
Department of Defense's highest recognition given to employers for
exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and
Reserve. We are pleased that several employers of SHRM members have
been presented with the Freedom Award.
Soon after forging our partnership with ESGR, we inaugurated a
military hiring event as part of our 2010 annual conference and
exposition in San Diego, California. That event, called ``Military
Veterans: Transitioning Skills to the New Economy,'' brought together
H.R. professionals, business leaders, Federal agencies and hundreds of
members of the military. We showed both employers and veterans how they
could benefit each other, focusing on the skills they each need to
succeed as partners. During the full conference, participants also were
addressed by Ray Jefferson, Assistant Secretary of the Department of
Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). His riveting
remarks reminded us that there are other heroes who need and deserve
our attention. They are the people who volunteered for active duty,
many of them right out of school, and who now return in search of their
first civilian job. Building on the enthusiastic response we received
for last year's program, we're holding another veterans' employment
event at our conference in Las Vegas later this month, offering it at
no charge to more than 12,000 H.R. professionals. The 6-hour program
will focus on everything needed to recruit and accommodate veterans,
wounded warriors, and spouses. Just as important, we'll talk about
creating an inclusive workplace that encourages veterans to stay with
their new organization.
SHRM has also developed a deeper relationship with VETS, to
complement our ongoing partnership with ESGR. The core of our work with
VETS is in helping the agency to inform employers across the Nation
about the resources that are available to them in finding, recruiting,
and retaining military veterans. For instance, right now, we're
identifying States that will be pilot sites for a more cooperative
relationship between SHRM chapters and VETS. We want our members, at
the State and regional levels, to get to know the VETS staff, and to
rely on them for assistance. In addition, our two organizations are
working together to create a toolkit for employers. It will be a
collection of practical steps and tangible tools for creating a hiring
program, identifying and hiring veterans, and doing what it takes to
retain those veterans, including building a workplace that's supportive
of our military forces.
In a related effort, the White House invited SHRM to participate in
``Joining Forces,'' an initiative focused on the needs of military
families led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.
Addressing the goals of this effort, SHRM's educational materials will
include resources and tips on effective practices for recruiting and
retaining military spouses, maximizing workplace flexibility and other
policies to support military families, and creating high-performing
work environments for all service-connected employees.
I'm also pleased to inform you that we're preparing to embark on a
similar collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
These partnerships have proved to be invaluable to SHRM and our
members and hopefully to the agencies as well, and we are deeply
grateful for them. Ultimately it is our hope that through all these
efforts, we can help every SHRM member to know where to find qualified
veteran job candidates, and where to get assistance in easing the
transition of that veteran into the civilian workforce.
SHRM Research on Employment of Military Veterans
SHRM features a research department that has conducted several
survey reports on employer recruitment, hiring and retention practices
of military servicemembers. In June 2010, SHRM published its most
recent report in this series, titled ``Employing Military Personnel and
Recruiting Veterans--Attitudes and Practices.''
The survey examined two areas:
1. Active Duty Service Employees. The poll looked at pay and
benefits that organizations provide to employees who have been
mobilized to serve on active duty for an extended period of time (more
than 2 weeks), either as a reservist or as a member of the National
Guard. The challenges organizations face when an employee has been
mobilized to serve on active duty and the overall familiarity that H.R.
professionals have with the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) were also explored.
2. Recruiting and Hiring Veterans. The benefits and challenges of
hiring military veterans were examined, as were the resources that
could assist organizations in recruiting and hiring veterans.
The survey's key findings include:
The majority of employers are considering and hiring
veterans. Fifty-three percent of respondents said that, within the
previous 36 months, their organization had hired veterans as full-time,
part-time or temporary/contract workers. Of those organizations that
hired at least one veteran, 50 percent revealed that they had made a
specific effort to recruit and hire veterans.
Organizations are going beyond what is required by law to
help employees who are returning to work after active duty service.
Sixty-six percent provide returning employees an employee assistance
program (EAP) to help with transitioning back to work, 58 percent
provide catch-up skills training to help with transitioning back to
work, and 48 percent provide flexible work arrangements during the
transition.
Organizations find that veterans make extremely positive
contributions to the workplace. Of those organizations that had hired
at least one veteran during those 36 months, more than 85 percent said
the benefits of hiring employees with military experience include:
``Strong sense of responsibility''
``Ability to work under pressure''
``Ability to see a task through to completion''
``Strong leadership skills''
``High degree of professionalism''
``Strong problem-solving skills''
``Ability to multi-task''
``Ability to adapt to changing situations quickly''
``Positive impact on the image and/or credibility of
the organization''
Employers are providing generous benefits support (i.e.,
non-direct compensation) to mobilized employees and their families.
Sixty-three percent of respondents said their organizations provide an
extension of health insurance for the employee's family and 47 percent
provide an extension of health insurance for the employee.
Employers are seeing fewer employees mobilize to serve on
active duty. In 2004, 51 percent of employers said that in the previous
36 months they had experienced employees being mobilized to serve on
active duty, either as a reservist or as a member of the National
Guard, for an extended period of time (more than 2 weeks). In 2010,
that figure decreased to 34 percent of
respondents.
Importantly, H.R. professionals believe transition
assistance programs can further facilitate the hiring of veterans. When
asked ``What programs would help your organization in efforts to
recruit and hire military veterans,'' 72 percent responded programs to
train veterans with additional skills for the civilian workplace; 71
percent said programs to help veterans transition their military skills
to the civilian workplace; and 71 percent said assistance identifying
and reaching out to qualified veterans.\1\
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\1\ Society for Human Resource Management Poll (2010): ``Employing
Military Personnel and Recruiting Veterans--Attitudes and Practices.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Challenges Facing Veterans and Employers Alike
There are a number of hurdles to be cleared in order for veterans
and employers to achieve the goals they both seek--meaningful
employment for the veteran and a highly skilled and engaged employee
for the hiring organization. Some of the challenges may be more
structural in nature; others attributable to the differences between
military and civilian workplaces; while still others are attributable
to a lack of access to training and education for veterans and
employers.
As noted above, 71 percent of H.R. professionals are unaware of, or
unsatisfied with, programs to help them find and assimilate veterans
into their workforces. In a separate poll, SHRM found that nearly seven
out of 10 H.R. professionals were not at all aware of the U.S.
Department of Labor's Local Veterans' Employment Representative
Program, and the same numbers were completely unaware of DoL's Disabled
Veterans' Outreach Program. As a result, SHRM sees their partnerships
with agencies such as DoL-VETS and ESGR as extremely important in order
to increase the awareness of available programs. Part of the confusion
of many employers may lie in the number of Federal, as well as, State
programs devoted to veterans' employment. While their missions may be
distinct, it is not always clear to the employer the role each plays in
the employment process.
It is also clear that more communication is needed to advise H.R.
professionals and employers of the help available to them from both
government and non-profit organizations, largely at no cost. A follow-
up poll last fall by SHRM and the Cornell University School of
Industrial and Labor Relations and released in January found that 87
percent of H.R. professionals were unaware of the Tip of the Arrow
Foundation; 73 percent were unaware of the Department of Veterans
Affairs' VetSuccess program; and 60 percent were not aware of such
programs, services and organizations as Wounded Warrior, Job
Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans, and the Paralyzed
Veterans of America.
There are also some misunderstandings about what to expect from
veterans with combat-related disabilities, or what must be done to
accommodate disabilities. According to the Paralyzed Veterans of
America, the unemployment rate for veterans with severe disabilities is
a stunning 85 percent. For veterans with any disabilities, the hiring
challenge is greater than for the rest of their military colleagues--
but the problem is largely one of perception. Again, better
communications are needed to correct faulty assumptions.
Some employers fear that making physical accommodations for a
veteran with a disability will be expensive, but the average cost is
$600 or less, according to the Job Accommodation Network within the
Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. And even
that cost can be covered by Federal work opportunity tax credits.
According to SHRM's own research of members, erroneous assumptions
are also made about accommodating the nearly half of veterans who
return to civilian life with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or
traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lisa Rosser, author of The Value of a
Veteran: The Guide for Human Resources Professionals in Regarding,
Recruiting and Retaining Military Veterans, has told us that, despite
employer fears that a veteran with PTSD will exhibit extreme behavior,
by far the most common reaction of a PTSD sufferer to an intolerably
stressful situation is to simply leave. And most accommodations for TBI
are minor, plus veterans often recover completely from the injury. The
benefit of hiring disabled veterans, she said, far outweighs the
hassles.
Once hired, retention of veterans is also an issue. This challenge
may be described as a culture clash. Not many employers--or H.R.
professionals--can identify with the experience of war, or the unique
culture of the military.
Adjusting to civilian workplace protocol also drives away some
newly hired veterans. Last year, MyMilitaryTransition.com surveyed
veterans and H.R. managers on why job retention beyond 18 months is
often difficult. Veterans cited ``lack of cultural fit'' as the leading
reason; H.R. managers described it as ``an inability to let go of the
military way of doing things.''
Finally, many returning veterans face a unique challenge in
translating their specialized skills, along with their respect for
discipline and chain of command, into a civilian vocabulary, and a
civilian job. Last spring, a SHRM poll of its members found that 60
percent of respondents said translating military skills was the biggest
hurdle to veterans in writing resumes, interviewing, and other job-hunt
communications. The systems used to identify specific job or job
functions in the military--the Military Occupational Specialties (MOS)
for the Army and Marine Corps or the Navy Enlisted Classification
system for Navy personnel--does not easily translate veterans' skills
to a potential civilian employer nor help the veteran clearly
articulate what he or she did while in the service.
The main vehicle for addressing skills translation and preparing
transitioning servicemembers to civilian life is the Transition
Assistance Program or TAP. TAP represents a partnership among the
Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Department of
Transportation, plus VETS at Labor. As noted above, SHRM members have
expressed a desire for improving the transition assistance provided to
service-members, including translation of military skills, interviewing
techniques, and job-search advice. It is our understanding that VETS is
seeking to improve this transition assistance. SHRM believes this
effort is a significant step in the right direction to achieve more
uniformity and standardization in preparing transitioning
servicemembers for employment in the civilian sector.
Challenges Can Be Overcome
There are challenges in bringing together employers and veterans
successfully, but those challenges are not insurmountable. Success
demands the best tools of H.R., a community of understanding, and a
utilization of what, thankfully, is becoming a broad network of
resources being made available to those who have served our Nation so
selflessly and bravely.
With success comes benefit to both the veteran and the employer. As
Members of this Committee know, veterans make loyal, dedicated, and
highly trainable employees.
When I talk of challenges faced in this hiring equation, I must
admit that one lies squarely on my own doorstep--the need to make H.R.
professionals more aware of the many resources available to them in
assisting the work transition of returning veterans. It's something
that we recognize at SHRM, and we're doing something about it.
Having said that, however, I want to assure the members of this
Committee that the target audience for those efforts--HR
professionals--is an eager and willing audience. They do not have to be
sold on our national obligation to veterans, or the practical
advantages of adding veterans to their workforces.
These H.R. professionals are people who understand that it makes
sense to hire veterans, and that it's a moral obligation to help those
veterans after all they have sacrificed. Our members, and other
professionals like them, just need assistance in finding the
applicants, and in building a long-term relationship with them.
In that same vein, I can assure you that members of our chapters
and State councils, just like those of us on staff, are fully engaged
and supportive of this effort. Many are educating local employers about
existing laws and regulations, and giving them tips on how to find and
hire the right veterans for their needs. Others are working directly
with veterans, helping them find jobs and transition into the civilian
workforce.
Here are just two examples. When 1,500 Vermont National Guard and
Reserve members were deployed to Afghanistan, one of our Vermont
chapters hosted a community town hall meeting for employers from
businesses of any size. In partnership with ESGR, our H.R.
professionals taught those employers about the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, as well as the Family and
Medical Leave Act. They also brought in experts to guide employers
though the steps they should follow in reintegrating employees when
they return from combat.
Another example comes from Texas. As Representatives Bill Flores
(R-TX) and Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) may be aware, our SHRM Texas State
Council and some of our local chapters have hosted several full-day
events focusing on veterans' employment. The most recent was May 20, in
Austin. Business leaders and staffing and recruiting professionals
gathered to learn best practices from an array of experts on how to
build a strategy for recruiting a veteran, military spouse, wounded
warrior or reservist.
They showed employers how to build recruitment and retention
strategies for veterans, for military spouses, and for wounded
warriors. Essentially, they talked about effective practices to attract
these skilled workers and keep them onboard.
Afterward, here's what one of the employers said about the program:
``Although I've never hesitated to hire a veteran, I came away with a
new understanding of how to proactively recruit veterans and fully
integrate them into the workforce. I couldn't have found a better venue
for honest and direct information on the struggles U.S. veterans face
when entering the private sector.''
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, SHRM and its members
will continue our efforts to assist employers in finding, recruiting
and retaining military veterans.
We will keep reaching out to all H.R. professionals, whether
members of SHRM or not, and make them aware of the programs and
services available to employers.
We will continue our ongoing programs with both ESGR and VETS, and
we will hold another military employment program for H.R. professionals
at our annual conference in Las Vegas later this month.
Finally, we will continue working with our councils and chapters,
engaging them on the military transition issue, and assisting them with
their own community-based educational programs.
As we work together to improve employment outcomes for
transitioning servicemembers, we suggest the following to foster
greater employment opportunities for transitioning servicemembers:
Encourage continued partnerships between the employer
community and the relevant agencies.
Clarify and educate employers about the role of the
Federal agencies. Employers would greatly benefit from having a more
streamlined set of resources that they can consult to find veteran
talent, post their open positions, and find information about hiring
veterans and other transitioning servicemembers.
Improve and increase uniformity in transition assistance
for service-members. As noted in our testimony, guidance provided to
individuals leaving the military should prepare them for what employers
need to hire, including translation of military skills, interviewing
techniques, and job-search advice. Having a more uniform system
understood by both employers and transitioning servicemembers would
benefit them both.
Thank you for this opportunity to come before you and assure you
that the human resource profession does appreciate the importance of
the challenge before us, and we look forward to partnering with you in
achieving a smooth transition for every returning veteran.
I welcome your questions.
Prepared Statement of George Ondick, Executive Director,
Department of Ohio, American Veterans (AMVETS)
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner and distinguished Members of
the Committee, on behalf of the Department of Ohio AMVETS, I would like
to extend our gratitude for being given the opportunity to share with
you our views and recommendations regarding employment among the
veteran population.
AMVETS feels privileged in having been a leader, since 1944, in
helping to preserve the freedoms secured by America's Armed Forces.
Today our organization prides itself on the continuation of this
tradition, as well as our undaunted dedication to ensuring that every
past and present member of the Armed Forces receives all of their due
entitlements. These individuals, who have devoted their entire lives to
upholding our values and freedoms, deserve only the highest quality of
care and programs we as a Nation can offer them.
AMVETS was founded in order to enhance and safeguard the
entitlements of all American veterans who have served honorably, as
well as to improve their quality of life and that of their families and
the communities where they live through leadership, advocacy and
service. Today I will be discussing one of the services AMVETS has to
offer, the AMVETS Career Center.
The first AMVETS Career Center opened in December of 2000 and
subsequently in 2003, AMVETS Career Centers became an IRS-approved
501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation, incorporated in Ohio to
provide career, training and employment related services to Ohio's
armed forces veterans.
The AMVETS Career Center was initially funded through a $100,000
grant from the State of Ohio. The grant was supported by the late Ohio
State Senator Eugene Watts, a highly-decorated Vietnam veteran who saw
the need for the program and was eager to provide this employment
resource to Ohio veterans. The grant was used to establish the first
AMVETS Career Center at the Department of Ohio AMVETS headquarters in
Columbus. Further funding of the Ohio AMVETS Career Center has been
provided through the sale of ``Charitable Instant Bingo'' tickets,
which under State law specifies that a portion of the sales profit be
donated to a 501(c)(3) organization, in this instance the AMVETS Career
Center.
The AMVETS Career Center provides free career services to men and
women who have served their country honorably. This includes honorably
discharged veterans, active duty military personnel and members of the
National Guard and Reserve. No services can be provided without
evidence of honorable military service.
The initial concept for the AMVETS Career Center was to provide
training and assistance to returning veterans, as they applied for
their licenses and/or certifications for the training they had received
in the military. We soon discovered that our veterans also needed stop
gap training, resume development, interviewing skills, basic computer
skills and assistance in other vital areas of the overall employment
process.
The AMVETS Career Center originally provided this training through
the use of CD-based programs, which quickly proved to be cumbersome and
inefficient. We then entered into an agreement with Mindleaders, then
the largest provider of online courses in the United States, to provide
the AMVETS Career Center with the necessary courses to assist our
veterans. The AMVETS Career Center paid Mindleaders for their online
services platform, thus resulting in our veterans having off site
Internet access to their desired courses through the use of a Web log
in and password to receive their desired course of study.
Currently, the veterans utilizing the AMVETS Career Center have
access to over 300 online Mindleaders courses. Once registered,
students may study at a local career center or any other place that has
broadband Internet service--including the comfort of their own homes.
The veteran has no out-of-pocket expense for the courses we offer,
since the AMVETS Career Center feels the veteran has already paid the
price through service to our Nation.
The AMVETS Career Center not only provides career services to
veterans, but also provides free career services to the spouses and
children of military personnel who are deployed outside of Ohio. These
services may continue as long as the servicemember is stationed outside
of Ohio, but must end when the servicemember returns to Ohio. Family
members must provide evidence that the military member is currently on
active duty outside of Ohio, which can be done through a number of
ways.
However, the AMVETS Career Center does not provide free career
services to anyone who is not a veteran or is otherwise ineligible for
services. Although some non-AMVETS, local career centers provide fee-
based services to non-veterans and the general public, veterans and
other eligible personnel always have priority of service at all career
center locations.
The AMVETS Career Center is not a government program. Local career
centers are located in AMVETS posts. There currently are 60 local
career centers, which can be found in AMVETS posts, VA facilities, Ohio
Department Job and Family Services (ODJFS), One Stops and in the Summit
County Veteran Service Commission. Originally piloted by AMVETS
Department of Ohio, AMVETS Career Centers are now located throughout
Ohio, Illinois, New York and Tennessee.
Since receiving the 501(c)(3) tax exemption status from the IRS,
the AMVETS Career Center has been prohibited, by current tax law, from
doing any sort of job placement. We had initially provided job search
and placement assistance through the ODJFS prior to our tax status.
ODJFS has a U.S. Department of Labor (USDoL) grant to employ Veterans'
Representatives (Vet Reps) in order to provide employment assistance.
However, the grant mandates that Vet Reps are to only offer their
services to veterans who have significant barriers to employment. In
2009, ODJFS Vet Reps provided services to approximately 5,000 of Ohio's
100,000 unemployed veterans. Veterans who do not qualify for intensive
services may request assistance from non-veteran representatives, but
they often are referred to the State's online job search site and for
the most part, are on their own.
Unfortunately, AMVETS Career Center record keeping for job
placement is not available since we are not permitted to do any job
placement. However, AMVETS Career Center has served over 5,500 veterans
in Ohio alone since our inception in 2000 and has further provided
veterans with over 25,000 hours of online employment training. After
getting ``job ready'' at a Career Center, many of our veterans have
found employment on their own by doing job searches at an AMVETS Career
Center.
The continued constraints and problems regarding job placement,
combined with the Ohio National Guard having a large number of
unemployed servicemembers, gave cause for the AMVETS Career Center to
initiate the ``Ohio Veterans Career Assistance Network,'' or ``Vets
CAN.''
Ohio ``Vets CAN'' is a partnership between the AMVETS Department of
Ohio and the Ohio National Guard. Ohio ``Vets CAN'' was created as an
online meeting place where veterans and members of the National Guard
and Reserve can link up with employers who value and support military
service to America. The Web address is www.ohiovetscan.com.
Questions I am often asked are, ``So why was another Web site
created, and why do we need AMVETS, and why don't we use something that
already exists?'' The answers to these questions are quite easy. First,
Major General Wayt (at that time the Adjutant General for the State of
Ohio) asked AMVETS to create a program that would address the
employment needs of the Ohio National Guard. Second, AMVETS Career
Centers already provide no cost training to veterans and members of the
National Guard and Reserve, therefore making a perfect match of meeting
these needs. Finally, there are no employment sites that exclusively
address the needs of veterans and members of the National Guard and
Reserve.
At www.ohiovetscan.com, Ohio Guard members can identify resources
and organizations that can help improve their civilian career
opportunities or find employment.
Ohio ``Vets CAN'' is similar to a mini ``Monster.com'' without the
fees. Employers can register and post for free. In doing so they can
access the cream of the crop, potential employees who are well trained,
accustomed to long hours, show up on time, are loyal, and are
patriotic. Guard members and our veterans know the meaning of `an
honest day's work' and have a track record of integrity, sincerity,
accountability, responsibility and trustworthiness.
There are some limitations as to who we will allow to post on this
site. We are limiting our services to veterans and members of the
National Guard and Reserve and the active duty component.
On the employer side, we limit services to military-friendly
employers. Military friendly employers are defined as employers who
understand the commitment to military service, practice flexibility,
and unconditionally support Guard members in the performance of
Federal, State and community missions. Military-friendly employers
recognize in veterans a high level of personal maturity, and understand
veterans are men and women who often have tested their mettle in
mission-critical situations that demand endurance, stamina and
flexibility.
In October 2010, the Ohio unemployment rate was 9.6 percent. The
unemployment rate for veterans was 11.1 percent, with the rate for
women veterans even higher at 11.9 percent. This means nearly 100,000
of Ohio's 900,000 veterans are unemployed. For recently-separated
veterans, even after 2 years, their unemployment rate was 16 percent,
far higher than the overall rate. For young (18-24-year-old) veterans,
the news is particularly grim. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
reported in April 2010 that the unemployment rate for young veterans
was 30.7 percent. This presents a large number of young unemployed
veterans in Ohio, given that over 17,000 of Ohio's National Guard and
Reserve troops, plus 15,000 active military troops from Ohio, are 24 or
younger.
For the National Guard, large numbers of unemployed troops present
operational readiness and troop safety issues. Commanders speak of
unemployment leading to housing problems, an inability to pay bills and
stressed relationships--all impacting a soldier's mental health and
ability to stay focused on military tasks. Since 2001, the Ohio
National Guard has lost more troops to suicide than to combat. National
statistics reflect this, with the American Association of Suicidiology
reporting that the suicide rate for the unemployed is two to three
times higher than the rate for the general population.
To help us address the needs of our unemployed and underemployed
veterans, we applied for and won a State AmeriCorps grant. The manpower
provider in the grant will assist us in reducing unemployment for
veterans, includes helping veterans better market themselves to
employers and eliminating what employers see as barriers to hiring
veterans. Assisted by AMVETS Career Center (ACC) staff, AmeriCorps
members conduct outreach and recruitment activities to help veterans
become aware of available services. This includes outreach to ODJFS
one-stop centers, county veterans' service commissions, Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and homeless veteran programs.
Recruitment is followed by pre-enrollment assessments that enable
AmeriCorps members to evaluate veterans' skills and barriers to
employment and assess their employability needs. Results of the
assessment allow members to enroll veterans in ACC services or refer
them to supportive services from other organizations.
For veterans receiving ACC services, the assessment is followed by
the creation of a Career Development Plan (CDP). The CDP documents the
skills and interests of the veteran, identifies skill deficiencies and
other barriers that prevent them from achieving desired employment and
income needs and describes activities and follow-up needed to ensure
the veteran achieves his/her career goal. The AmeriCorps member may
refer the veteran directly to job development and placement services,
where the goal is to place the veteran into employment that allows him/
her to become self-reliant. The services may involve job search
assistance or individual job development that matches a veteran with a
specific employer and/or job.
The member also may encourage the veteran to participate in ACC
core program services, such as:
Formal career assessment and exploration assistance.
Training that addresses vocational skills deficiencies,
including classroom training, employer provided on the job training,
vocational education services or apprenticeships.
Credentialing assistance that helps a veteran obtain
licenses or certifications that document work-related skills and
abilities.
Developing tools such as resumes, cover letters, job
search techniques and interviewing skills that help veterans better
market themselves to employers.
To help overcome employer resistance to hiring veterans,
AmeriCorps members participate in employer outreach such as workshops,
career fairs and presentations to business groups. Information is
provided about hiring incentives and tax credits, on-the-job training
funding and veterans' training programs. Efforts are made to match
veterans with specific employer needs, with particular attention paid
to businesses that are legally required to show veterans' preference.
Furthermore, during the first 6 months of the grant, the AMVETS
Career Center achieved the following:
Target of 250 veterans helped; actually helped 553
Target of 85 veterans in case management; actually have
115 veterans in case management
Target of 25 veterans placed into employment; actually
have placed 32 veterans
Target of 50 veteran-friendly employers identified;
actually have recruited 70 employers
Moreover, in order to continue the work of the AMVETS Career
Center, we have applied for a National AmeriCorps Grant that will
provide us with additional manpower to further expand our program to
veterans in need of our services. The grant is critical to the program,
as this economy has caused a significant reduction in our primary
source of funding, Charitable Instant Bingo. Also, recent changes to
State regulations of Charitable Instant Bingo have caused a reduction
in the available charitable dollars.
The average cost to the State of Ohio to provide similar services
through the USDoL grant is about $1,500 per veteran. This is in sharp
contrast to the cost of services AMVETS Career Centers can deliver for
only $250. We believe this is due to the broad network of volunteers
and the partnerships and resources uniquely available to the veterans'
service community. With all the recent discussion of fiscal
responsibility, AMVETS Career Centers just make sense. With just a
minimal investment, we can expand and advertise our program to help
more veterans reenter the workforce and start to pay taxes again,
rather than relying on government services.
Chairman Miller and distinguished Members of the Committee, this
concludes my testimony. I would like to again thank you for inviting me
to participate in this very important hearing and I stand ready to
answer any questions you may have for me.
Prepared Statement of Captain Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.),
Legislative Director, Reserve Officers Association of the United
States, and also on behalf of Reserve Enlisted Association
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Improvements to increase employment supported by ROA and REA
follow:
Education:
Include Title 14 duty in eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI
Bill.
Exempt earned benefit from GI Bill from being consider
income in need based aid calculations.
Develop a standard nationwide payment system for private
schools.
Re-examine qualification basis for Yellow Ribbon program,
rather than first come first served.
Increase MGIB-Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) to 47 percent of
MGIB-Active.
Enact Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA) and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
protections for mobilized Guard-Reserve students to adjust interest
rates on Federal student loans of mobilized Reservists when the market
rate drops below 6 percent.
Employer Support:
Continue to enact tax credits for health care and
differential pay expenses for deployed Reserve Component employees.
Provide tax credits to offset costs for temporary
replacements of deployed Reserve Component employees.
Support tax credits to employers who hire servicemembers
who supported contingency operations.
Employee Support:
Permit delays or exemptions while mobilized of regularly
scheduled mandatory continuing education and licensing/certification/
promotion exams.
Continue to support a law center dedicated to USERRA/SCRA
problems of deployed Active and Reserve servicemembers.
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)/
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA):
Improve SCRA to protect deployed members from creditors
that willfully violate SCRA.
Fix USERRA/SCRA to protect health care coverage of
returning servicemembers and family for pre-existing conditions, and
continuation of prior group or individual insurance.
Enact USERRA protections for employees who require
regularly scheduled mandatory continuing education and licensing/
certification and make necessary changes to USERRA to strengthen
employment and reemployment protections.
Exempt Reserve Component members from Federal law
enforcement retirement application age restrictions when deployment
interferes in completing the application to buy back retirement
eligibility.
Amend SCRA to prohibit courts from modifying previous
judgments that change the custody arrangements for a child of a
deployed servicemember.
Encourage Federal agencies to abide by USERRA/SCRA
standards.
Ensure USERRA isn't superseded by binding arbitration
agreements between employers and Reserve Component members.
Make the States' employers waive 11th Amendment immunity
with respect to USERRA claims, as a condition of receipt of Federal
assistance.
Make the award of attorney fees mandatory rather than
discretionary.
Veterans Affairs:
Extend veterans preference to those Reserve Component
members who have completed 20 years in good standing, or
Permit any member who has served under honorable
conditions and has received a DD-214 to qualify for veteran status.
__________
INTRODUCTION
On behalf of our members, the Reserve Officers and the Reserve
Enlisted Associations thank the Committee for the opportunity to submit
testimony on veteran and National Guard and Reserve employment issues.
ROA and REA applaud the ongoing efforts by Congress to address
employment problems faced by so many veterans and servicemembers.
As contingency operations continue with increased mobilizations and
deployments, many of these outstanding citizen soldiers, sailors,
airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen have put their civilian careers on
hold while they serve their country in harm's way. As we have learned,
they share the same risks as their counterparts in the Active
Components on the battlefield, but don't have a guarantee of a job when
they return home. Just recently we passed the 800,000 mark for the
number of Reserve and Guard servicemembers who have been activated
since post-9/11. More than 275,000 have been mobilized two or more
times. The United States is creating a new generation of combat
veterans that come from its Reserve Components (RC). It is important,
therefore, that we don't squander this valuable resource of experience,
nor ignore the benefits that they are entitled to because of their
selfless service to their country.
The unemployment rates of veterans and Guard and Reserve have been
increasing despite the national rate slightly declining. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports that in March and April of this year about 27
percent of veterans between 20 to 24 years of age were unemployed.
Other sources show it to even be higher. The National Guard Bureau has
reported numbers of unemployed returning Army National Guard units with
unemployment rates as high as 45 percent. The significance of these
numbers cannot go unnoticed or unanswered.
ROA and REA would like to thank the Committee and staff for making
improvements to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, enhancing benefits for
caregivers, and much more.
EDUCATION
Post-9/11 GI Bill
ROA and REA are grateful for passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans
Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010.
Education improves a veteran's chance for employment, and many
returning combat veterans seek a change in the life paths. There is
still room for more improvement in the Post-9/11 GI Bill that in the
long run can make the program more effective and increase utilization.
For example, while Title 32 AGR was included for eligibility while
Title 14 Coast Guard Reserve was left out.
Other issues that student veterans have raised to ROA in which we
recommend include the following:
Require timely application and submission of
documentation by the institution to the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) and vice versa.
Establish dedicated and well-trained officers for student
veterans to speak with via the call center.
Better define the Yellow Ribbon Program to determine what
`first come, first served' means in context of institutions (such as
registration time, enrollment, and official enrollment).
Allow institutions to give more funds to students with
stronger merit and need-base under the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Align the VA's work-study program for students to work as
guidance officers at their institutions to aid other student veterans,
to be matched up with institution's academic calendar.
Safeguard and implement a long term plan for sustaining
the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Ensure transferability benefits are protected.
Guarantee that any future changes to the program
that could have negative effects on benefits will grandfather in
current beneficiaries.
Pass legislation to disallow institutions including
benefits in need-based aid formulations.
Remove the requirement to have a parental
signature.
Establish parity between FAFSA disclosure exclusion
over veterans' educational and non-educational benefits to CSS and all
institutions of higher learning.
Institutions of higher learning across the Nation that provide
need-based aid often require students to file a Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and a College Scholarship Service/
Financial Aid Profile (CSS) form administered by the College Board.
If an institution abides by the Federal methodology of determining
aid levels it uses the FAFSA form and guidelines, but an institution
may use an institution methodology (IM) formulated by CSS. By law under
the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1965 (HEA), FAFSA's current
need analysis formula, while including some sources of untaxed income,
excludes veterans' educational benefits and welfare benefits.
On the other hand, CSS requires military servicemembers to disclose
their earned educational benefits for the formulation of their need-
based aid levels. That disclosure of veterans' educational benefits on
the CSS is then often weighed by those institutions that use an IM in
the same manner of other traditional untaxed income items such as child
support or a contribution from a relative, in the formulation of their
aid package.
Disclosing these earned-benefits on the CSS profile serves to bring
down servicemembers' financial need level, thus increasing the cost out
of pocket, by improperly treating earned benefits as equivalent in
nature and function as untaxed income items. Since CSS is not
restricted from asking for disclosure of the benefits, institutions use
the CSS to add these earned benefits into the aid formulation, shirking
FAFSA's and the HEA's intentions.
ROA and REA urge Congress to bar institutions of higher learning from
considering veterans' educational benefits in need-based aid
calculations and apply the Higher Education Opportunity Act to
all financial aid practices of institutions of higher learning.
Also ROA and REA support Chairman Jeff Miller's bill H.R. 1383 The
Restoring the GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011 which would grandfather in
current students who applied for benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill
under a different set of rules. While many may gain advantages under
the changes in law, others are actually negatively affected. For
example ROA has received concerning calls and emails from members that
feel forsaken, as such members signed commitments based on the benefits
which they now feel are reduced.
One of the most significant problems that link all issues
pertaining to the Post-9/11 GI Bill is the lack of effectively trained
customer service representatives. One of the many examples came from
two of our members that are married, both serving in a Reserve
Component. They wanted to transfer their benefits to their children,
but were told that only one parent can register the children in the
DEERS system and therefore only one of the parents could transfer the
benefits. After going through a couple back channels ROA found out that
the couple needed to go to a DEERS office and request an
`administrative' account for the purposes of transferring benefits.
There are many stories similar to this one which cause unnecessary
stress on the families, some of whom give in to the system and give up
the benefit because either they are given incorrect and/or incomplete
information or the hassles involved are not deemed worthwhile.
It is absolutely necessary that our servicemembers, veterans and
families have the ability to access accurate and timely information.
ROA and REA urge Congress to enforce the VA to properly and effectively
train their personnel.
Montgomery GI Bill
To assist in recruiting efforts for the Marine Corps Reserve and
the other uniformed services, ROA and REA urge Congress to reduce the
obligation period to qualify for Montgomery ``GI'' Bill-Selected
Reserve (MGIB-SR) (Section 1606) from 6 years in the Selected Reserve
to 4 years in the Selected Reserve plus 4 years in the Individual Ready
Reserve, thereby remaining a mobilization asset for 8 years.
Because of funding constraints, no Reserve Component member will be
guaranteed a full career without some period in a non-pay status. BRAC
realignments are also restructuring the RC force and reducing available
paid billets. Whether attached to a volunteer unit or as an individual
mobilization augmentee, this status represents periods of drilling
without pay. MGIB-SR eligibility should extend for 10 years beyond
separation or transfer from a paid billet.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Protections
Veterans and servicemembers are provided protections through the
National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
(ESGR), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
(USERRA), and the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
Notwithstanding the protections afforded veterans and
servicemembers, and antidiscrimination laws, it is not unusual for
members to lose their jobs due to time spent away while deployed.
Sometimes this is by employers who go out of business, but more because
it costs employers money, time, and effort to reintroduce the employee
to the company.
The most recent national example is the case of Straub vs. Proctor
Hospital in which Army Reservist Vincent Straub was fired by Proctor
Hospital of Peoria due to his service requirements. The Supreme Court
upheld Straub's rights under USERRA.
Employer Incentives
Partnerships: The Army Reserve under Lieutenant General Jack Stultz
initiated the Employer Partnership Program with civilian employers that
is an initiative designed to formalize the relationship between the
Reserve and the private sector, sharing common goals of strengthening
the community, supporting RC servicemembers and families, and
maintaining a strong economy. Over 1,000 companies are currently in
various preliminary stages of implementing partnership programs. This
sets a model for businesses to hire veterans. The program has its own
Web site, http://www.employerpartnership.org/ and provides job search,
a resume builder, professional staff support, a list of employer
partners and career resources.
Periodic and Predictable: Employers need increased notification
time in order to better support their personnel. The military services
and components should provide greater notice of deployments to RC
members, so that they, as well as their families and their employers,
can better prepare. Collaboration between industry and the military
needs to occur as the military considers deployment cycle models so
that the Nation's defense needs are met but its industrial base is not
compromised.
Employer care plans should be developed that will assist with
mitigation strategies for dealing with the civilian workload during the
absence of the servicemember employee and lay out how the employer and
employee would remain in contact throughout the deployment.
CNGR: The Commission on the National Guard and Reserve suggested
key recommendations included expansion of the Employer Support of the
Guard and Reserve (ESGR) committee to be able to work new employment as
well as reemployment opportunities, the creation of an employer
advisory council, and regular surveys to determine employer interests
and concerns over reemployment of Guard and Reserve members.
Unfortunately, the budget recommendation is to reduce ESGR's budget.
TRICARE as an employee/employer benefit: An employer incentive is
when an employee brings importable health care such as TRICARE,
reducing the costs for the employer. Guard and Reserve members as well
as military retirees should be permitted to tout the availability of
TRICARE as an employee asset, and permit employers to provide
alternative benefits in lieu of health care.
Another option is to fully or partially offset employer costs for
health care payments for Guard and Reserve members who are employed,
especially when companies continue civilian health insurance for
servicemembers and/or their families during a deployment. DoD should
provide employers--especially small businesses--with incentives such as
cash stipends to help offset the cost of health care for Reservists up
to the amount DoD is paying for TRICARE, with the understanding that
the stipend is tied to reemployment guarantees upon the serving
member's return.
Other incentives: Incentives of various types would serve to
mitigate burdens and encourage business to both hire and retain
Reservists and veterans. A variety of tax credits could be enacted
providing such credit at the beginning of a period of mobilization or
perhaps even a direct subsidy for costs related to a mobilization such
as the hiring and training of new employees. Employers felt strongly
that, especially for small businesses, incentives that arrive at the
end of the tax year do not mitigate the costs incurred during the
deployment period. Also, cross-licensing/credentialing would ease the
burden of having to acquire new licenses/credentials in the private
sector after having gained them during their military service, and vice
versa.
While not under this Committee's jurisdiction, we hope that the House
Veterans' Affairs Committee can support specific tax incentives
to hire returning veterans and Guard and Reserve members.
ROA and REA support H.R. 743 Hire a Hero Act of 2011 introduced by
Rep. Lynn Jenkins which would allow the work opportunity credit to
small businesses which hire individuals who are members of the Ready
Reserve or National Guard.
ROA and REA support H.R. 865 Veterans Employment Transition Act of
2011 introduced by Rep. Tim Walz that would extend work opportunity
credit to certain recently discharged veterans.
ROA and REA support the concept of H.R. 802 introduced by Ranking
Member Bob Filner because it would recognize employers of veterans, but
strongly believe that it should be amended to include employers of
Guardsmen and Reservists.
ROA and REA further recommend the following:
ROA and REA encourage the implementation of certifications or a
form that would inform employers of skills potential veteran and
servicemember employees gained through their military service.
ROA and REA support initiatives to provide small business owners
with protections for their businesses to be sustained while on
deployment, for example a potential program in which a trained
substitute is made available to run the business while the member is
out of country. Further SCRA protection on equipment leases should be
included in the law.
Draft Legislation
ROA has submitted draft legislation entitled ``Equitable Justice
for Terminated Veterans Act of 2011'' which would direct courts to
award reasonable litigation expenses of USERRA cases to prevailing
veterans.
ROA also submitted draft legislation called ``Veterans Personnel
Protection Enhancement Act of 2011'' that would amend Title 5, section
2303 U.S.C., to include willful violation of USERRA as a prohibited
personnel practice.
Note: the draft legislative pieces are attached to the end of this
testimony, and can be found on our Web site at http://www.roa.org/
draft_legislation.
Captain Sam Wright, JAGC, USN (Ret.), director for ROA's Service
Members Law Center, has drafted 23 additional pages of legislative
improvements to USERRA which will be posted in the near future. ROA is
also available to work with individual offices.
SERVICE MEMBERS LAW CENTER
In the summer of 2009 ROA established the Service Members Law
Center (SMLC) as a source of excellence in the areas of employment and
consumer law for active, Guard and reserve personnel.
The Law Center's goals include the following:
Advise Active and Reserve members who have been subject
to legal problems that relate to their military service.
Develop a network of legal scholars, law school clinics
and private practitioners interested in legal issues of direct
importance to servicemembers.
Advance world-class continuing legal education on issues
relating to the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights
Act (USERRA) and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
Broaden the existing database of USERRA and SCRA
research.
In conjunction with bar associations, develop standards
that will help to ensure that lawyers to whom servicemembers are
referred for legal services have the requisite expertise to represent
them effectively.
Recruiting and retaining members of the armed services, especially
those in the National Guard and Reserves, depends in part on assuring
current and future Citizen Warriors that laws and regulations are in
place to protect them effectively from discriminatory practices.
The Law Center is functioning at a modest but effective level. ROA
is pursuing efforts to obtain private or public funding and to identify
public and private entities willing to sustain this effort in order to
expand this service to fuller capacity. This is especially needed
following potential cuts to ESGR.
As part of the SMLC and under director Captain Sam Wright, JAGC,
USN (Ret.) the Law Center maintains the ``Law Review'' data base and
indices which contain over 700 articles on USERRA and SCRA issues
(available at www.roa.org/law_review_archive). On a monthly basis
Captain Wright receives about 500 calls from concerned servicemembers,
families and attorneys. In March 2011 about 80 percent of the calls
were about USERRA.
The Law Center's services include:
Counseling: Review cases, and advise individuals and
their lawyers as to lawfulness of actions taken against deployed active
and reserve component members.
Referral: Provide names of attorneys within a region that
have successfully taken up USERRA, SCRA and other military-related
issues.
Promote: Publish articles encouraging law firms and
lawyers to represent servicemembers in USERRA, SCRA and other military-
related cases.
Advise: File amicus curiae, ``friend of the court''
briefs on servicemember protection cases.
Educate: Quarterly seminars to provide attorneys a better
understanding of USERRA, SCRA and other military-related issues.
The Servicemembers Law Center is available at www.roa.org/
ServiceMembers_
Law_Center.
DEFENSE EDUCATION FORUM
ROA also maintains the Defense Education Forum (DEF). DEF produces
and sponsors a wide variety of educational events that number more than
30 per year. Some past programs comprise employment and transition
issues. The DEF director is Lieutenant Colonel Bob Feidler, USAR
(Ret.).
In fact in 2008 ROA published a report on continuum of service
entitled ``A New Employer-Reservist Compact: Initiatives for the
Future'' that is available upon request.
Others events have included continuing education on USERRA, a joint
issue event on mental health care and the Army Reserve Employer
Partnership Program, Commission on the National Guard and Reserve and
others. The Defense Education Forum is available at www.roa.org/
Educate.
CONCLUSION
ROA and REA appreciate the opportunity to submit testimony, and we
reiterate our profound gratitude for the progress achieved by this
committee such as providing a GI Bill for the 21st Century and advanced
funding for the VA.
ROA and REA look forward to working with the House Veterans'
Affairs Committee, where we can present solutions to these and other
issues, and offer our support, and hope in the future of an opportunity
to discuss these issues in person.
ROA and REA encourage this Committee to utilize the Service Members
Law Center and the Defense Education Forum and reports, both valuable
assets, and to share it with your constituents and other Congressional
Members.
__________
112th Congress
First Session
A (House/Senate) Bill
To amend Title 38, section 4323(h)(2) United States Code, to direct
courts to award reasonable litigation expenses in USERRA cases to
prevailing veterans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE: This Act may be cited as ``Equitable Justice
for Terminated Veterans Act of 2011.''
SECTION 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Under USERRA, a person who leaves a civilian job for voluntary
or involuntary service, in the Regular military or the National Guard
or Reserve, is entitled to reemployment in the civilian job upon
release from service.
(2) Currently under this section of U.S.C., a Federal court may
award to a veteran who prevails reasonable attorney fees, expert
witness fees, and other litigation expenses.
(3) U.S. Code 38 Sect. 4323(h)(2) applies to actions in Federal
court against State and local governments, and private employers.
(4) Too often a veteran or reserve component member has to seek
private sector litigation because the Department of Labor is too slow
at processing cases and the Department of Justice can't handle all of
the USERRA complaints that are received.
(5) By making the award of litigation expenses mandatory rather
than discretionary, private sector attorneys will have increased
incentive to undertake such cases.
SECTION 3. AMEND THE LIST OF PROHIBITED PERSONNEL PRACTICES TO MAKE
SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO USERRA.
(a) AUTHORITY--Section 4323(h)(2) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by striking ``may'' and inserting ``shall.''
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICABILITY.
(a) The amendments made by this section shall take effect on
the date of enactment of this Act.
__________
112th Congress
First Session
A House/Senate Bill
To amend Title 5, section 2303 United States Code, to include
willful violation of USERRA as a prohibited personnel practice.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE: This Act may be cited as ``Veterans Personnel
Protection Enhancement Act of 2011.''
SECTION 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) There are 12 enumerated ``Prohibited Personnel Practices''
included in Title 5, section 2303 of U.S. Code.
(2) A Federal employee can be disciplined by the Merit System
Protection Board (MSPB) by committing a prohibited personnel practice.
(3) Number 11 on the prohibited personnel practices list is action
that would violate a veterans' preference requirement. 5 U.S.C.
2303(b)(11).
(4) The Department of Labor does not include a violation of the
Uniform Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) as a
veterans' preference issue.
(5) Violation of USERRA would include discharge of a veteran,
National Guard or Reserve member because of prior or pending service. A
denial of a promotion, bonus, or merit pay could be another violation.
SECTION 3. AMEND THE LIST OF PROHIBITED PERSONNEL PRACTICES TO MAKE
SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO USERRA.
(a) AUTHORITY--Section 2303(b)(11) of title 10, United States
Code, is amended by inserting after ``a veterans' preference
requirement'' the following:
(1) ``or the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act''
to the end of this subsection.
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICABILITY.
The amendments made by this section shall--
(1) take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
Prepared Statement of Heather L. Ansley, Esq., MSW, Co-Chair,
Veterans Task Force, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
On behalf of: Brain Injury Association of America; Easter Seals;
Goodwill Industries International, Inc.; Inter-National Association of
Business, Industry and Rehabilitation;
Lutheran Services in America Disability Network;
Mental Health America; National Association of County Behavioral Health
and Developmental Disability Directors; National Disability Rights
Network; National Industries for the Blind; National Rehabilitation
Association; NISH; Paralyzed Veterans of America; VetsFirst, a Program
of United Spinal Association; Vietnam Veterans of America
Executive Summary
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Veterans Task Force
believes that meaningful employment represents one of the best
opportunities for veterans with significant disabilities to reintegrate
successfully into their communities. In the most recent survey by the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on employment for veterans with
service-connected disabilities, 114,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan reported having a service-connected disability rated at
60 percent or higher. Unfortunately, 41,000 of these veterans are not
participating in the labor force. Among veterans of all eras with a
service-connected disability rated at least 60 percent, workforce
participation was 27.9 percent.
Typically, discussions about veterans' employment center on
veteran-specific programs operated by the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), Small Business Administration, or Department of Labor
(DoL). Veterans with disabilities, as people with disabilities, who
need employment assistance, are also able to turn to programs
authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), or, in the case of
veterans with significant disabilities, State vocational rehabilitation
agencies (VRAs) and Ticket to Work Employment Networks (ENs) under
Social Security.
Veterans with the highest service-connected ratings and veterans on
VA disability pension will likely qualify for State vocational
rehabilitation services. Strengthening the connection between VR&E and
State VRAs through the Department of Education's Rehabilitation
Services Administration is critical to ensuring that veterans with
disabilities receive the services they need to help them return to or
remain in the workforce.
Veterans with significant disabilities are often beneficiaries of
Social Security disability insurance (SSDI). As SSDI beneficiaries,
veterans are able to participate in Social Security employment programs
such as Ticket to Work, which allows beneficiaries to purchase
vocational rehabilitation services from an array of providers called
ENs. Some veterans are dually eligible for SSDI and VA pension. If
these individuals attempt to use SSA's work incentives to increase
their income, however, not only will their SSDI benefit be terminated
but their VA pension benefits are reduced dollar for dollar.
WIA covers most of the Nation's major employment and training
programs operated through DoL. Several sections of WIA incorporate
veterans' employment into its overall mission. WIA has been slated for
reauthorization since 2003. While progress has been made, additional
changes are needed to focus on the performance of the entire workforce
system.
Although many veterans with disabilities have the skills needed to
qualify for employment opportunities and advance in their careers,
barriers to employment continue to prevent these veterans from
receiving opportunities. These barriers must be addressed. Otherwise,
training opportunities alone will not address the needs of those
veterans who have the most significant disabilities to allow them to
reintegrate into the workforce and contribute to their communities.
__________
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and other distinguished
Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify
regarding how to improve employment opportunities for veterans who are
severely disabled.
I am Heather Ansley, Director of Veterans Policy for VetsFirst, a
program of United Spinal Association. Today, I am here in my capacity
as a Co-Chair of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)
Veterans Task Force.
CCD is a coalition of over 100 national consumer, service provider,
and professional organizations which advocates on behalf of people with
disabilities and chronic conditions and their families. The CCD
Veterans Task Force works to bring the disability and veterans
communities together to address issues that affect veterans with
disabilities as people with disabilities. Veterans Task Force members
include veterans service organizations and broad based disability
organizations, including organizations that represent consumers and
service providers.
Over the years, we have reached out to both veterans and military
service organizations to allow for cross collaboration and the
application of lessons learned to new populations of people with
disabilities. Because of the intersection of the disability and
veterans communities that occurs when a veteran acquires a significant
disability, the CCD Veterans Task Force is uniquely suited to bring
both perspectives to issues that cut across programmatic and policy
lines.
The CCD Veterans Task Force believes that meaningful employment
represents one of the best opportunities for veterans with significant
disabilities to reintegrate successfully into their communities.
Unfortunately, for veterans with disabilities, like their civilian
brothers and sisters with disabilities, the employment picture is not
very positive.
The most recent statistics available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics addressing the cross section of veterans with service-
connected disabilities illustrate the connection between disability and
veteran status on employment.\1\ In July 2010, approximately 13 percent
of veterans reported having a service-connected disability. Of those
veterans, 729,000 reported having a service-connected disability rating
of 60 percent or greater. Workforce participation for these veterans
was 27.9 percent compared to 53.2 percent for veterans with no
disability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ News Release, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment
Situation of Veterans--2010 (Mar. 11, 2011) www.bls.gov/news.release/
vet.nr0.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 25
percent reported having a disability related to their service. Of those
veterans, 114,000 reported having a disability rated at 60 percent or
greater. The workforce participation rate was 63.7 percent compared to
86.2 percent for veterans without a service-connected disability. Thus,
41,000 veterans of the current conflicts reporting a service-connected
disability rated at 60 percent or higher are not even in the labor
force.
Veterans with Disabilities and Federal Employment Programs
Typically, discussions about veterans' employment center on
veteran-specific programs operated by the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), Small Business Administration (SBA), or Department of
Labor (DoL). The VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E)
program is generally available to veterans with service-connected
disabilities who have an employment handicap. DoL offers programs and
services through its Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)
and SBA hosts a number of programs tailored to veteran small business
owners and service-disabled veteran small business owners.
Veterans with disabilities, as people with disabilities, who need
employment assistance, are also able to turn to programs authorized
under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), or, in the case of veterans
with significant disabilities, State vocational rehabilitation agencies
(VRAs) and Ticket to Work Employment Networks (ENs) under Social
Security. These programs are particularly critical for veterans who do
not qualify for VA's VR&E program.
State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and Veterans
VRAs operate under the Rehabilitation Act to assist individuals
with significant disabilities in obtaining or regaining employment.
Data from the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA) indicate that State VRAs served over 63,000
veterans from FY 2006 through FY 2010 with overall successful
employment rates of approximately 50 percent.
Many VRAs have memoranda of understanding with their State
department of veterans affairs to coordinate services to veterans with
disabilities. Some State agencies have identified counselors with
military backgrounds to serve as liaisons with VA and veterans groups.
In addition, VA is increasingly engaged with State VRAs in outreach to
the business community to promote veterans with disabilities as a
valuable talent pool. Indeed, VA's own Strategic Plan for FY 2006--2011
indicated plans to use non-VA providers to supplement and complement
services provided by VR&E staff.
There are many more State vocational rehabilitation counselors than
there are VR&E counselors around the Nation. These numbers of
vocational experts can amplify the assistance available to veterans
with disabilities if appropriate outreach and partnerships are
established and training is provided to improve cross-agency
coordination.
Most veterans with ratings at 40 percent and below are unlikely to
qualify for State vocational rehabilitation services. However, those
with the highest service-connected ratings and veterans on VA
disability pension will likely qualify for State vocational
rehabilitation services. Veterans rated between 50 percent and 70
percent might qualify depending on an appropriate evaluation of the
veteran's functional capacity.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Proceedings of the 34th Institute on Rehabilitation Issues,
U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration,
May 5-6, 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participants at a May 2008 Department of Education symposium on
vocational rehabilitation and returning veterans suggested that the
potential exists for veterans in some States to be bounced between
State VRAs & VR&E. One way to address this concern would be for VA to
work with RSA to ensure accuracy in VRAs' acceptance of veterans with
service-connected disability ratings. It is our understanding that VR&E
is finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RSA. Formalizing
the connection between VR&E and State VRAs through RSA is critical to
ensuring that veterans with disabilities receive the services they need
to help them return to or remain in the workforce.
Veterans and AbilityOne
The AbilityOne Program is a Federal initiative to help people who
are blind or have significant disabilities, including wounded veterans,
find employment by working for nonprofit agencies (NPAs) that provide
products and/or services to the U.S. government. With a national
network of 600 NPAs, which work through NISH and the National
Industries for the Blind, and AbilityOne projects in every State of
the Nation, the AbilityOne Program is the largest single source of
employment for people who are blind or have other significant
disabilities in the United States. The Committee for Purchase From
People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled is the Federal agency
authorized to administer the AbilityOne Program.
In 2010, the AbilityOne Program employed nearly 48,000 people who
were blind or had significant disabilities, of which 1,700 were
veterans with disabilities. National Industries for the Blind, NISH,
and AbilityOne participating NPAs also employed thousands of veterans
outside of their AbilityOne workforce. Through research and
development activities, specific programs are in development to address
veterans with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder,
and major depression, as well as long-term employment support models.
The AbilityOne Program offers career transition support, exploration,
and development for veterans in transition along with grants to prepare
these veterans for management opportunities. Additionally, the revenue
raised through AbilityOne contracts and sales is reinvested in
rehabilitation programs across the country, which help thousands more
of individuals (including veterans) with disabilities find employment.
The AbilityOne Program has partnered with the National
Organization on Disability, which has extensive experience and access
to wounded servicemembers in the Army Wounded Warrior Program to
conduct employment based research with veterans with disabilities. This
project includes collaboration with the Department of Defense to match
employment requirements to the research-identified career interests and
abilities of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom
veterans with disabilities.
In 2003, VA's Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT) signed an MOU
within the AbilityOneProgram as the referral conduit between VA CWT
and the AbilityOneNPAs to collaborate with VA beneficiaries who have a
disability. Approximately 2,100 veterans with disabilities have been
employed since the partnership's inception. The partnership agreement
promotes local relationships between NPAs and VA CWT offices. This
allows VA to pre-screen veterans to match AbilityOne job requirements
and to refer qualified veterans with significant disabilities to
participate in AbilityOne job coaching programs.
TheAbilityOneProgram represents one of many programs supporting
veterans and is just one example of how the members of the CCD Veterans
Task Force help to increase employment opportunities for veterans with
significant disabilities.
Veterans and Social Security Work Incentives Programs
Veterans with significant disabilities are very often beneficiaries
of Social Security disability insurance (SSDI). Veterans have earned
the right to Social Security retirement, disability, and survivor's
benefits since 1957 when military service was covered under Social
Security.
According to the March 2010 Current Population Survey, there were
649,000 veterans under age 61 receiving Social Security benefits.
Roughly 3 percent--about 19,000--of disabled veteran Social Security
beneficiaries are younger than age 40 and 15.4 percent are younger than
age 50. Older data from Social Security Administration's (SSA) 2007
Annual Statistical Supplement indicated there were 434,000 Social
Security beneficiaries who were service-connected disabled veterans
rated 70-100 percent under age 65. Another 153,000 beneficiaries of
Social Security were non-service-connected disabled veterans under age
65.
As SSDI beneficiaries, veterans are able to participate in Social
Security employment programs such as Ticket to Work. Ticket to Work was
created in 1999 by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement
Act. Under the Ticket program, SSDI recipients are able to purchase
vocational rehabilitation services from an array of providers called
Employment Networks (ENs). In return for assisting a beneficiary in
going to work and off of SSDI benefits, ENs receive payment from Social
Security for up to 60 months.
Three years ago, the vocational rehabilitation program created by
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) became an employment network under
the Social Security Ticket to Work program in recognition of the fact
that most of the veterans PVA was serving are on SSDI. PVA's vocational
rehabilitation program is predicated on assertive outreach to veterans
with disabilities early in their medical rehabilitation process, rapid
deployment of counseling and job search assistance, lengthy follow up
services, and leveraging of existing public programs and private
resources to support its efforts. Since starting its vocational
rehabilitation program, PVA has served over 800 veterans, with over 126
veterans returning to work at an average salary of $39,200.
Among the veterans PVA has served as an EN is ``JM'', a 34-year old
Gulf War I veteran who acquired a non-service-connected spinal cord
injury after his discharge from the Army. On SSDI, he had been living
with his father and had not worked in 2 years when a PVA vocational
rehabilitation counselor met him at the San Diego VA Spinal Cord Injury
Center during hospital rounds. Within 8 months of entering the program,
``JM'' was working for a technology company as a repair technician II
at a salary of $41,600. Fifty veterans have been helped thus far using
Ticket to Work and PVA has received $40,737 in outcome payments from
Social Security.
Social Security Work Incentives and VA Pension ``Cash Cliff''
Some veterans and their spouses are dually eligible for SSDI and VA
pension. These individuals may have had low paying jobs during their
work life or not have had an extensive earnings history. As a result,
they have a small SSDI benefit based on that work record. These
benefits will offset any VA pension payments up to the allowed pension
level. This dual eligibility can have ramifications for those who want
to work.
VA pension is often likened to Social Security's Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) program, a means-tested income support program.
SSI work incentives allow beneficiaries to work while gradually phasing
out their benefits as their earnings rise. Unlike SSI, though, VA
pensioners face a ``cash cliff'' similar to that experienced by
beneficiaries on SSDI in which benefits are terminated once an
individual crosses an established earnings limit. If these individuals
attempt to use SSA's work incentives to increase their income, not only
will their SSDI benefit be terminated but their VA pension benefits are
reduced dollar for dollar by their earnings.
Over 20 years ago, under P.L. 98-543, Congress authorized VA to
undertake a 4 year pilot program of vocational training for veterans
awarded VA pension. Modeled on SSA's trial work period, veterans in the
pilot were allowed to retain eligibility for pension up to 12 months
after obtaining employment. In addition, they remained eligible for VA
health care up to 3 years after their pension terminated because of
employment. Running from 1985 to 1989, this pilot program achieved some
modest success. However, it was discontinued because, prior to VA
eligibility reform, most catastrophically disabled veterans were
reluctant to risk their access to VA health care by working.
The VA Office of Policy, Planning and Preparedness examined the VA
pension program in 2002 and, though small in number, 7 percent of
unemployed veterans on pension and 9 percent of veteran spouses on
pension cited the dollar-for-dollar reduction in VA pension benefits as
a disincentive to work.\3\ Now that veterans with catastrophic non-
service-connected disabilities retain access to VA health care, work
incentives for the VA pension program should be re-examined and
policies toward earnings should be changed to parallel those in the SSI
program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ ORC Macro, Economic Systems Inc., and Hay Group, Evaluation of
VA Pension and Parents' DIC Programs: VA Pension Program Final Report
(2004), http://www.va.gov/op3/docs/ProgramEvaluations/Pension.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workforce Investment Act
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) covers most of the Nation's
major employment and training programs operated through DoL. DoL's VETS
is known as the primary veterans program within the workforce system.
Several sections of WIA seek to incorporate veterans' employment
concerns into its overall mission as the engine for this Nation's
workforce development system. VETS is a mandatory partner in State
workforce systems under the Act and Section 168 of WIA established the
Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) which was intended to
amplify workforce activities to veterans that were not adequately
provided through public providers. Subtitle B--Linkages to Other
Programs, Section 322, requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
coordinate with DoL in implementing various provisions of WIA. Numerous
references to veterans throughout WIA indicate Congressional intent
that the workforce system account for the employment success of
veterans and veterans with disabilities.
An MOU signed in 2005 by VA and DoL aimed to foster better
coordination of services between the two agencies in serving veterans.
At a hearing before the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee in 2009, John
McWilliam, Deputy Assistant Secretary for VETS, outlined the work of a
Joint Workgroup established after the 2005 MOU with VA. The objective
of this workgroup was to develop performance measures for the VETS and
VA partnership and to engage in joint data collection, analysis, and
reports of progress. Statistics from 2008 highlighted in his testimony
indicated that there were over 7,000 veterans referred from VR&E to
State workforce agencies, a little over 6,000 were registered by the
State workforce agency and some 3,500 entered employment at an average
entry wage of $16 an hour.
Such coordination between VA and DoL in addressing the employment
needs of veterans with disabilities is commendable. However, further
analysis should have been carried out to determine what happened to the
1,000 veterans who dropped out somewhere between the VA and the State
workforce system or why only a little over half of the veterans
referred by VA to a State agency entered employment. Moreover, these
figures only relate to veterans deemed eligible for VR&E. How many
veterans with non-service-connected disabilities or those with service-
connected disabilities ineligible for VR&E have been served by State
workforce systems and placed into employment? These veterans have
served their Nation honorably but their employment successes and
challenges do not always receive as much attention.
Another example of increased collaboration between DoL workforce
programs for people with disabilities and those serving veterans
involved the Disability Program Navigators (DPN) and local VETS staff
in Idaho. This project was highlighted in a Promising Practices series
published in 2009 by DoL's DPN initiative. DPNs are staff located in
WIA One Stop Career Centers tasked with helping customers with
disabilities traverse the array of job training and placement services
available, evaluate Social Security benefits and work incentives
programs, obtain assistive technology and workplace accommodations, and
connect with private disability provider and advocacy groups.
Effective January 19, 2009, VETS issued a final rule on priority of
service for veterans in DoL job training programs. Priority of service
was established in the 2002 Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA) and provides
that veterans and eligible spouses are entitled to priority over non-
covered persons for receipt of employment, training and placement
services under new or existing qualified job training programs funded
by DoL.
To fully implement priority of service, DPNs in the Idaho One Stop
Career Centers worked with their partner Disabled Veteran Outreach
Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER)
staff to meet with disabled veterans and their families to identify the
array of benefits and services available to them and to support job
seekers' employment goals. As a result of this partnership, DVOPs and
LVERs added to their knowledge of public and private agency services
for people with disabilities and the DPNs obtained valuable information
about veterans' resources that could be used to assist future clients.
Unfortunately, this example of a positive working relationship
between components of the workforce system is at risk due to current
budget dynamics. Because States have considerable flexibility in the
implementation of DVOP and LVER services, these staff are often
diverted to other duties unrelated to serving veterans and veterans
with disabilities or may only be available at One Stops on certain days
of the week. If veterans with disabilities are to be served by the
workforce system as intended by law, then resources will be needed to
make sure appropriate employment personnel are available whenever
needed.
Furthermore, according to figures compiled from the DoL participant
reporting system, the numbers of veterans served under priority of
service has actually declined since JVA passed. Statistics for
individual States indicate low rates of exit from WIA intensive
training services for veterans with service-connected disabilities. We
are particularly concerned over what this decline may represent in
numbers of non-service-connected disabled veterans going unserved by
the workforce system. Veterans whose disabilities occurred outside of
military service are among those who must rely on the WIA workforce
system for assistance. Veterans priority of service appropriately
applied would go a long way in assuring these veterans receive the help
they deserve.
WIA has been slated for reauthorization since 2003. Many proposals
for improving workforce system services for people with disabilities
have been made over the years. Relevant to this hearing is a document
that explores some of the connections between VA's VR&E and State
vocational rehabilitation systems.\4\ In its summary, the report
outlines suggestions for improvements that could apply to all facets of
the workforce development system including veterans, their family
members, and businesses that recruit and hire veterans. Among their
recommendations:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ 34th Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, When Johnny (or
Jeannie) Comes Marching Home . . . and Back to Work: Linking Veterans
Affairs and State Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Servicemen and
Women (2009), http://iriforum.org/download/34IRI.pdf.
Enhance outreach efforts to veterans with disabilities so
that they are more aware of needed services and how to access them.
Begin to retool existing Federal, State, and nonprofit
systems or programs to better address the needs of veterans. Build and
maintain a comprehensive national and State directory of these programs
and identify their purpose, the service they offer, and how to find
them.
Create ``crosswalks'' for transferable skills from
military occupational specialties to civilian jobs and create
certifications of skills acquired in the military that can be
transferred for college credit/certification.
Recognize the important role families play in assisting
veterans in activities such as accessing needed services for their
disability, identifying symptoms of undiagnosed disabilities and
coordinating needed services.
Assist businesses with education about veterans, their
disabilities, available resources, and points of contact when
assistance is needed.
Streamline services to veterans, reducing redundancy in
areas such as plan development, implementation of planned services,
contacts with potential employers, and linkages to needed resources and
contacts while providing a more ``rapid response'' based on the needs
of the veteran and minimizing the number of people and programs the
veteran must deal with.
Press service providers to become more knowledgeable
about other programs and their services and points of contact at the
local level to ensure more comprehensive access to needed services by
veterans and their family members.
Improve post-employment outreach to businesses that
employ veterans or assist them in returning to work after becoming
disabled, realizing that it is the business that may first notice
undiagnosed conditions.
For those who have not served in the military, expand an
understanding of military culture.
Create ``top-down'' support among State vocational
rehabilitation programs, VA VR&E, and DoL VETS programs through
collaborative meetings and more formal initiatives such as: national
and State workgroups, national and State MOUs, interagency training and
education, and ongoing program evaluation and improvement.
An Example of a Disability Organization Expanding Its Mission To Serve
Veterans
Many general disability organizations have historically reached out
to and served veterans with disabilities. For example, Easter Seals, a
national service provider and advocate for people with disabilities,
expanded its mission following World War II to include adults with
disabilities specifically to assist servicemembers returning home with
disabilities. Recently, Easter Seals was selected by VA to administer
its new National Veteran Caregiver Training Program that provides
training for family caregivers of seriously-injured Post 9/11 veterans
who choose to receive care in their homes.
Today, Easter Seals works with employers to help increase
employment opportunities for veterans. Easter Seals developed an
online, interactive training program for human resources and hiring
personnel called Operation Employ Veterans that highlights the benefit
of hiring veterans and strategies for successful integration.
Easter Seals also works directly with veterans to provide them with
the tools, resources and information they need to help find and
maintain employment in their communities. Easter Seals' headquarters in
Chicago helps veterans and their families connect to services and
reintegration resources through its Community OneSource program. At the
local level, Easter Seals affiliates provide job training, assistive
technology assessment, job placement and follow-up employment supports
to veterans and wounded warriors.
The CCD Veterans Task Force commends VA's Non-Governmental
Organization (NGO) Gateway Initiative aimed at helping qualified non-
profits who are interested in assisting VA in employment and other
service areas. Despite this NGO outreach effort, however, VA excludes
NGOs and non-profits from competing for certain service opportunities
and makes it difficult for other NGOs to serve veterans due to its
overly bureaucratic National Acquisition Strategy. For example, several
regional services areas within the recent VR&E VetSuccess Program
competition were not open to non-profits. In order to benefit from the
knowledge of other communities that serve veterans, VA should expand
opportunities to NGOs as appropriate.
Veterans With Disabilities as People With Disabilities
Many veterans with disabilities have the skills needed to qualify
for employment opportunities and advance in their careers. However,
barriers continue to prevent these veterans from receiving employment
opportunities. Unless these barriers are eliminated, training
opportunities alone will not address the needs of those veterans who
have the most significant disabilities to allow them to reintegrate
into the workforce and contribute to their communities.
Although veterans with disabilities are like their non-veteran
counterparts in their employment disadvantages, there are differences
as well. Barriers that prevent people with significant disabilities
from being able to work include lack of access to Medicaid funded
health care and long-term services and supports and loss of Social
Security benefits. Although there are programs that allow people with
disabilities to transition to employment, many are fearful of
participating in these programs due to concerns about the loss of
critical benefits or the inability to find employment providing
sufficient resources to replace those provided under Medicaid.
Veterans who have disabilities that allow them to receive health
care and service-connected disability benefits through VA retain these
benefits even if they return to work because eligibility is not income
dependent. VA disability compensation is intended to do more than
offset the economic loss created by a veteran's inability to obtain
gainful employment. It also takes into consideration a lifetime of
living with a disability and the everyday challenges associated with
that disability. It reflects the fact that even if a veteran is
employed, when he or she goes home at the end of the day, that veteran
does not leave the disability at the office.
Although ability to retain VA benefits may lessen the barriers to
employment for some veterans who have significant disabilities, it is
important to remember that many of these veterans may also be eligible
for Social Security disability benefits. These benefits, which may
include their own cash assistance plus family benefits, are lost if the
veteran returns to work. Other veterans who acquire severe disabilities
outside of military service may not be eligible for VA benefits and are
thus subject to work disincentives in other Federal programs.
Veterans with disabilities, like other people with disabilities,
face other barriers to employment that include misinformation about
disability and misperceptions about required accommodations. The
Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has
developed a list of myths and facts that addresses some of the concerns
that employers may have regarding hiring a person with a disability.
Some of the most prominent myths include concerns that the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to hire unqualified
applicants with disabilities and prevents employers from firing
employees with disabilities even if the reason for termination is not
related to the disability. Both of these myths are false.
Other myths that cause concern for employers relate to the
provision of accommodation for employees with disabilities. Employers
may believe that providing accommodations is costly and that this
burden is particularly heavy for small businesses. However, many people
with disabilities do not require accommodations to perform their jobs.
The Job Accommodation Network, which is a program of ODEP, reports that
of those individuals who require accommodations, two-thirds can be
successfully accommodated at a cost of less than $500.
Consequently, programs that assist veterans and people with
disabilities must work together to ensure that all facets of the
individual's disability are adequately addressed to allow the veteran
to return to employment. Veterans not only need programs that provide
them with the skills that allow them to succeed but they also need
placement specialists who can help potential employers to overcome
concerns about hiring a person with a disability.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the views of the
CCD Veterans Task Force concerning employment opportunities for
severely disabled veterans. There are many other veterans employment
programs and initiatives being undertaken by the public sector, private
companies, and nonprofit organizations that we could have highlighted.
Our aim today is to convey to the Committee a sense of the many
employment programs that can assist veterans with disabilities beyond
the traditional VA avenues.
We encourage the Committee to continue its exploration of this
topic and salute your leadership on behalf of our Nation's veterans
with disabilities. The CCD Veterans Task Force is ready to work in
partnership to ensure that all veterans are able to reintegrate into
their communities and remain valued, contributing members of society.
Prepared Statement of Major General James D. Tyre, ARNG
Assistant Adjutant General, Florida Army National Guard,
United States Army National Guard
Executive Summary
Overview: The Florida National Guard (FLNG) remains challenged with
unemployment among its 12,000 servicemembers. Through the support of
legislators, a number of programs have been made available to assist
transitioning servicemembers find employment. While the FLNG has
experienced some improvements, the need exists to explore options to
enhance and expand current processes, with an emphasis on follow-up in
the 6-24 months after separation.
FLNG Employment. The 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
redeployed in December 2010 and reported a 30 percent unemployment rate
among its members. A FLNG survey conducted in January 2011 indicated a
17 percent rate among soldiers of the Florida Army National Guard. A
decline in available jobs and a steadily growing population of veterans
contributes to the unemployment issue.
What We Are Doing Now. FLNG has long-standing
partnerships with several State and Federal agencies, as well as a
number of private and non-profit organizations. The FLNG Adjutant
General established the Florida Guard Family Career Connection (FGFCC)
in the fall of 2010 to link servicemembers with the Employer
Partnership for Armed Services and Florida's Agency for Workforce
Innovation. This program also assisted servicemembers with employment-
seeking skills and job placement.
What Else Can Be Done. Several agencies focus on
assisting servicemembers with employment challenges, and most military
installations provide transition services to separating servicemembers.
Guardsmen lack the facility-based programs that are traditionally
provided to the active component. The FLNG vision, properly resourced,
is to establish a local, accessible source in our communities that
integrates services and programs, and links Guardsmen to employers.
Importance of Employing National Guard Soldiers.
Employers who hire National Guard servicemembers enjoy economic and
other intangible advantages. A Guardsman is a worker that is already
trained at the journeyman-level, and who has access to medical benefits
outside of the workplace. Further, a Guardsman is a disciplined, drug-
free, physically-fit leader and role model for other employees.
Building Resiliency. Service and family member well-being
remains a top priority for the FLNG. Unemployment is just one factor of
several that contributes to an elevated rate of divorce, suicide and
other challenges for members of all military services and components.
The FLNG is committed to mitigating these issues in order to maintain a
ready and reliable force for the Nation.
__________
1. Opening Remarks
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, distinguished Members of
the Committee; I am honored to appear before you today, on behalf of
the Adjutant General of Florida, Major General Emmett Titshaw and the
12,000 members of the Florida National Guard.
I welcome the opportunity to illustrate, through our story, a
picture that is likely common across all of our States and territories.
Over the last 6 months, our units have returned home after the largest
mobilization of the Florida National Guard since World War II. We have
served our Nation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and the Horn of Africa, as well as here in the National Capital Region
and other regions of the globe. Guardsmen have proudly answered the
call when needed but have returned home to face a different threat;
unemployment. Closing businesses, fewer jobs and an overall economic
decline have contributed to the struggle associated with redeployment
of our forces. A number of great Federal, State and private programs
exist to assist Guardsmen transitioning back to civilian life. The
challenge that remains is finding or creating a link that joins our
unemployed Guardsmen with existing resources or programs that result in
a viable career. Through various testimonies over the past several
months, the National Guard has presented evidence of our enduring value
to the Nation, through our contributions to the Nation's defense at
home and abroad, and by way of a ready and an accessible force. To
maintain this cost-efficient resource, we must ensure our National
Guard members are able to sustain and support their families with
reliable, quality employment.
2. FLNG Employment Circumstances
Historically, unemployment ranges from roughly 14-38 percent across
redeploying units of the Florida National Guard. In January 2011, the
Florida National Guard initiated a statewide assessment of the
unemployment rate among our units. To date, our surveys identified over
1,700 soldiers who responded that they are unemployed. This represents
17 percent of our Army National Guard force. The majority of these
Guardsmen have been redeployed since July 2010. The 533rd Infantry
Brigade Combat Team has been our largest redeploying unit with
locations from Miami to Panama City. This unit returned this past
December with more than 30 percent expressing civilian employment
challenges.
Though our detailed assessment of causes continues, the reasons are
varied and include business closures, downsizing, and other economic
factors that have impacted the entire Nation. Further, we have
identified the greatest challenges to employment emerge months or years
after the servicemember returns home. Currently there is no enduring
program at the local level to address this need. During this economic
downturn Florida has lost more than 900,000 nonagricultural jobs.
According to the Office of Actuary, Department of the Veterans
Administration, Florida has the fastest growing veterans' population in
the Nation, with almost 1.7 million veterans. There are more than
139,000 active, reserve and National Guard servicemembers who claim
Florida as their home State of residence. The combination of decreasing
jobs and a growing population of veterans contributes to the
unemployment issue.
3. What We Are Doing Now
The Florida National Guard has successfully partnered on employment
issues for many years with corporations such as Home Depot, CSX, and
Lowes. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Troops to Teachers,
Helmets to Hard Hats and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, are some
public and private organizations and programs that have also partnered
with the Florida National Guard through our reintegration events which
evolved into the Yellow Ribbon Program.
In the fall of 2010, with the return of a large number of Florida
National Guard units, the Adjutant General of Florida established the
Florida Guard Family Career Connection (FGFCC), which joined with the
Employer Partnership for Armed Services and Florida's Agency for
Workforce Innovation, to assist our soldiers and Airmen. These
organizations registered approximately 450 returning Infantry Brigade
soldiers with their respective employment agencies and also provided
resume and cover letter writing classes so soldiers could immediately
post their resumes for any open position they found. The soldiers also
had access to a consolidated employment Web site and were able to add
their resumes to well known employment search engines. Despite these
efforts, our Guardsmen continue to experience employment challenges,
and we have discovered that many of these actually begin to materialize
6-24 months after redeployment.
The Florida National Guard is authorized one uniformed and two
contract employees working in the capacity of Transition Assistance
Advisors (TAA). These individuals have the responsibility to ensure the
12,000 servicemembers are aware of the different benefits available
after a deployment, and are challenged by these large numbers. In
addition to the TAA, the Florida Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve Committee is responsible for gaining and maintaining employer
support for Guard and Reserve. Through their Ombudsman, they work on
the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
issue resolution with Florida employers. Since October 2010 the ESGR
has successfully resolved 77 USERRA cases. We currently have 3 cases
pending resolution.
4. What Else Can Be Done
We're proud of the progress we have made in engaging our
servicemembers and linking them to employers through the resources that
I just highlighted. We believe, however, that there are still some
measures that can be taken to enhance our ability to foster these
relationships.
Developing incentives for employers to seek out and hire National
Guardsmen would begin to address the needs of the businesses that do
support the National Guard, and encourage those that would like to
support, but cannot afford to during these tough economic times. While
a servicemember is deployed many businesses must hire a temporary
employee to take the servicemember's civilian job. This creates a
dilemma for the employer who must compensate for the loss of this
highly skilled employee. Perhaps something can be done for these
employers to reduce this burden. Due to recurring deployments this
incentive should be perpetual.
We are watching with interest several individual State programs
that have already demonstrated value, but may be at risk of future
funding. Identifying and adequately resourcing the successful ones is
vital. One program, the Job Connection Education Program (JCEP) is
funded through the Army National Guard, and piloted in the State of
Texas. Since its establishment in March 2010, over 350 soldiers have
been placed in jobs directly through the services of JCEP, and on
average, are earning twice the wages of other veterans placed by the
Texas Workforce Commission. Focusing on identifying and translating
military experience into civilian job skills, many beneficiaries of
this program have transitioned to careers as journeymen, rather than
low-wage jobs as entry-level employees. This program is an adaptive
process, continuously analyzing and discarding those activities that
are ineffective, and enhancing those that work. It has progressed from
placing just 4 veterans per month, to most recently over 50 per month
into valuable careers.
The Washington State National Guard instituted a similar full-time
employment transition initiative to help link various programs for
transitioning servicemembers. In 6 months, this program helped to
employ 583 Guardsmen. Other examples of employment resources such as
Direct Employers, the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces and Save
Our Veterans are available online and are tailored to assist veterans
with translating military experience into civilian skill sets and
connecting servicemembers to employers.
However; without sustained resourcing, centralized planning,
decentralized delivery and an individually-tailored plan,
servicemembers may miss opportunities just for lack of knowing ``where
to go.''
For Florida National Guardsmen, we envision a one-stop shop that
integrates complementary systems and locally ties them to employers.
This program would provide an attractive menu of available skill sets
to employers and convey the benefits of hiring Guardsmen. It would
enable them to fill vacant positions and potentially create growth by
presenting options to expand with more affordable costs. Additionally,
this program would provide transition services to Guardsmen in an
environment that eases the navigation through the numerous resources
that are already available. Our armories and facilities, if properly
resourced, are well-suited to house this type of enterprise because of
their local ties to communities.
5. Importance of Employing National Guard Soldiers
The programs I've highlighted are just a few, and obviously require
appropriate resourcing, but in the end, will pay dividends through
other metrics.
Reserve Component servicemembers who are employed are easier to
retain in their respective services. We are at our peak of readiness,
and the cost to replace and train even one servicemember is
immeasurable. The institutional knowledge and experience that these
combat-tested leaders possess cannot be learned overnight or even over
several years. We cannot afford to lose this generation of soldiers and
Airmen, as the negative consequences will impact the readiness that
we've worked over a decade to achieve.
Employers of National Guardsmen enjoy several economic benefits.
Guardsmen arrive with trained skill sets, ranging from administrative,
logistical, organizational, and maintenance to engineering, health
services, and information technology. Often, their military-acquired
skills exceed those of their civilian counterparts. Additionally, many
transition with the Veterans' Administration or other military health
entitlements that may reduce the cost of employer provided health
insurance.
In addition to the financial advantages of hiring Guardsmen,
employers profit from the intangible qualities these employees bring to
the workforce. They are disciplined, motivated, physically fit, and
drug-free leaders. They are viewed as trusted role-models in their
communities, and help bring credibility to any organization.
Employed National Guardsmen are active in both their unit and their
community. In this dual role they contribute to the economic growth of
society. In Florida, more than $472 million is injected annually into
the local communities by the presence of the National Guard.
6. Building Resiliency
Addressing issues of unemployment is just one means to tackle what
has become an issue of resiliency, not just for the National Guard, but
also for other components and services. Throughout the National Guard
we have experienced elevated numbers of suicide, divorce and other
issues associated with physical and mental health. Sadly, these
problems have multiple components, become ``migratory,'' and ultimately
affect whole families, schools, and communities. As servicemembers
redeploy and transition to civilian life, hometown communities want to
embrace them and provide a support network for full assimilation. A
locally embedded resource that is postured to integrate employers,
Guardsmen and other available resources to eliminate unemployment among
our servicemembers is critical.
7. Closing Remarks
On behalf of Major General Emmett Titshaw and the 12,000 soldiers
and Airmen of the Florida National Guard, the civilian workforce, and
their families, I would like to thank you for your service to this
great Nation. It has been an honor to be with you today and I am
grateful that I have had the opportunity to speak on this important
issue. I look forward to your questions.
Prepared Statement of Ruth A. Fanning, Director,
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service, Veterans Benefits
Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and Members of the
Committee, thank you for inviting me to appear before you today to
discuss the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program. I am pleased to appear
before you to discuss the vitally important topic of veterans'
employment. We look forward to continuing our strong collaboration with
this Committee and the entire Congress as we work together to enhance
the delivery of services and benefits for veterans with disabilities
seeking to live independent and productive lives through successful
careers.
Overview of the VR&E Program
The VR&E program is designed to assist disabled servicemembers in
their transition to civilian life and suitable employment and careers.
Our primary mission is to assist veterans with service-connected
disabilities through our VetSuccess program to prepare for and obtain
suitable and sustainable employment through the provision of services
individually tailored to each veteran's needs.
VetSuccess Program: VR&E VetSuccess services begin with a
comprehensive evaluation to help veterans identify and understand their
interests, aptitudes, and transferable skills. Next, vocational
exploration focuses veterans' potential career goals in line with
labor-market demands. This allows veterans to participate as partners
with their counselors in the development of a rehabilitation plan that
builds on their transferable skills and ultimately assists them in
achieving their career goals. To help veterans accomplish their
rehabilitation goals, VR&E provides a broad range of employment
services including:
Translation of military experience to civilian skill
sets;
Direct job-placement services;
Short-term training to augment existing skills to
increase employability (e.g., certification preparation tests and
sponsorship of certification);
Long-term training including on-the-job training,
apprenticeships, college training, or services that support self-
employment;
Independent living services for those veterans so
severely disabled they may not currently be able to work, with the goal
of exploring vocational options when each individual is ready; and
On-going case-management assistance throughout their
rehabilitation programs to assist with any needs that would interfere
with retention and completion to the point of employment.
Coming Home to Work (CHTW) Program: To maximize early intervention
to assist transitioning servicemembers to achieve suitable careers,
prevent underemployment, and mitigate risks of homelessness, VR&E
provides extensive outreach and early intervention services through our
CHTW program. Under this program, full-time VR&E rehabilitation
counselors are assigned to 13 military treatment facilities to assist
disabled servicemembers in planning for their next careers. We also
have CHTW coordinators in every regional office working with Department
of Defense (DoD) Warrior Transition Units and programs, coming home
events, Guard and Reserve Yellow Ribbon events, and Post Deployment
Health Reassessments, with the goal of encouraging members and new
veterans to enter programs of services that will assist them in
achieving their individual career goals.
The FY 2012 budget request includes an increase of 132 direct FTE
to support additional outreach and early intervention programs,
including:
110 employees are requested to increase VR&E's early
intervention and outreach program in the joint VA/DoD Integrated
Disability Evaluation System (IDES). VR&E rehabilitation counselors at
the selected IDES sites will provide separating servicemembers with a
mandatory initial counseling session, followed by continued vocational
services for eligible servicemembers who elect to participate in the
VR&E program. Initial meetings will inform servicemembers of the
availability of benefits and services through VR&E and other VA
education programs. In many cases, this will allow training and
preparatory services to begin while the servicemember is still in the
IDES process.
Nine additional FTE are requested to expand VA's
VetSuccess on Campus initiative. This program, already in place at
eight campuses, supports veteran-students in completing college
educational benefits, such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, to assist them to
complete college and enter fulfilling careers. VR&E rehabilitation
counselors and Vet Center counselors provide strong on-campus support
systems that include counseling services, assistance in accessing VA
benefits, help in overcoming barriers that may include physical or
mental health issues, assistance in connecting with other veteran-
students, and assistance with employment.
In addition, VR&E is in the process of modernizing the Disabled
Transition Assistance Program (DTAP). Program content will be
specifically tailored to servicemember and veteran audiences, and DTAP
will be deployed in multiple channels, including the traditional on-
location base sessions, the web, and portable media. This new multi-
media-channel approach will make DTAP available to veterans and family
members on a ``just-in-time'' basis. In addition, enhanced content will
make information comprehensive and more easily understood.
Transforming VR&E to a 21st Century Program
VR&E Service recently launched a transformation project geared to
make our program the premier 21st century vocational rehabilitation and
employment program. VR&E's transformation effort focuses on modernizing
and streamlining services using a veteran-centric approach.
VR&E's transformative changes include allowing veterans more choice
in their appointment scheduling through automated scheduling, and
expediting veterans' entry into a rehabilitation program by
streamlining and expediting the evaluation and planning process through
reduction of required processes and paperwork performed by VR&E
counselors. The VR&E program plans to release a knowledge management
portal to simplify counselors' access to regulations, guidance, and
other policy information needed to perform their jobs. VR&E is also
developing methods and business rules to move to a paperless processing
model that incorporates self-service. All of these initiatives focus on
simplifying processes and streamlining the program so that veterans may
more quickly and easily access services resulting in employment.
Working in collaboration with VA's Innovation Initiative (VAi2),
VR&E Service is engaged in innovative initiatives to build self-
employment incubators and tools, leading to more veteran-owned
businesses and self-management that will allow the most seriously
disabled veterans to work in the career of their choosing and live as
independently as possible. We are also conducting a VA employee
innovation competition to allow the staff working every day with our
veterans to identify additional program enhancements. Important
partners in the self-employment innovation have included the Small
Business Administration and VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization.
Employment Initiatives
As illustrated in my testimony thus far, veteran employment is the
fundamental mission of the VR&E VetSuccess program. Success relies on
early intervention, smart processes, productive partnerships, good
rehabilitation planning, and retention to the point that each veteran
is job-ready. Although all of these areas are vitally important, the
most important are those services that assist job-ready veterans to
cross the finish line and land the career that they have prepared for
throughout their civilian and military experiences.
In FY 2010, out of the 10,038 veterans that were successfully
rehabilitated from the program, 51 percent were hired in the private
sector, 33 percent were hired with the Federal Government, 12 percent
were hired with State and local government, and 4 percent were hired
with faith-based and community organizations. Of note, 79 percent of
veterans were employed in professional, technical, or managerial
careers, earning an average starting salary of $38,734 annually.
I would like to highlight some specific VetSuccess initiatives
focused on assisting veterans to obtain and maintain suitable
employment consistent with their potential and interests.
Employer Education: VR&E staff work with all employment
sectors to help them understand the smart business decision that hiring
a veteran represents. Veterans bring with them a high degree of
discipline, an understanding of both leadership and teamwork, a drive
to achieve the mission, and a work ethic and maturity that are
difficult to rival.
Executive Order 13518: VR&E is working aggressively with
government agencies and departments to implement the Executive Order to
hire veterans. VR&E is assisting these government employers in
understanding special veteran and VR&E program hiring authorities and
promoting their utilization of the VR&E Non-paid Work Experience (NPWE)
Program--an internship program that allows a government entity to ``try
out'' a veteran for a job at no cost. We are also encouraging them to
take advantage of recruitment opportunities through VetSuccess.gov, a
Web site designed by VR&E for veterans seeking employment and employers
seeking veteran-employees.
Private-Sector Employers: VR&E works with the private
sector to understand tax credits, special employer incentives, and on-
the-job training programs available when hiring veterans, as well as
the VetSuccess.gov program.
Career Fairs: VR&E participates in live and virtual
career fairs. These fairs allow veterans to meet large numbers of
employers in one location, whether in their community or via the
internet; view and apply for jobs; chat live with recruiters; and
participate in job interviews on the spot or via internet chat. VR&E is
actively marketing these job fairs through multiple venues. VR&E
partners are also linking to the VetSuccess Web site. Recently, on a
Jumbo Tron in Times Square, New York, a partner advertised VetSuccess
in conjunction with an upcoming career fair.
Troops to Counselors: VR&E developed the Troops to
Counselors Initiative to increase the number of veterans hired as
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors within VBA. This initiative
introduces veterans with bachelors degrees in human services, and those
interested in the human services field, to the field of rehabilitation
counseling, one of the top 10 growth industries. It will also fast
track employment since students may be hired as administrative staff
using the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) at any point during
their bachelors and graduate programs, and hired as counselor interns
once they enter the internship portion of their graduate programs.
Participation in SCEP allows VBA to hire graduates noncompetitively.
VR&E has set a goal that 60 percent of new vocational rehabilitation
counselor hires in 2014 and beyond will be veterans.
VetSuccess.gov: The VetSuccess.gov Web site has been
enhanced to provide a one-stop resource for both disabled and able-
bodied veterans and family members to access services during
transition, campus life, job search, and career attainment. The program
also assists veterans with disabilities to maximize independence in
their homes and communities. The Web site includes a job board for
employers desiring to hire veterans; resume builders and upload tools
that allow veterans to utilize resumes already developed; a military-
to-civilian jobs translator; aggregator tools for employers seeking
certain skill sets and for veterans seeking specific jobs; and a
feedback mechanism to self-report employment gained through the site.
The job-board feature of VetSuccess.gov currently connects over 68,000
veterans with over 1,500 employers. Veterans also have access through
the Direct Employers Job Central career board to over 4 million jobs,
with additional links to other popular and highly populated job boards.
Other enhancements to the site include self-assessment tools and
interactive maps that drill down to resources in the veteran's
community. Future enhancements will include self-assessment tools, an
enhanced military-to-civilian-jobs translator, and linkage to E-
Benefits effective next month, allowing self-service features such as
checking the status of a specific employment application.
Stakeholder Relationships: Relationships with
stakeholders including DoD, the Department of Labor (DoL), the
Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA),
private and public sector employers, and non-profit organizations are
vital to the success of the VR&E program. Key stakeholders such as RSA
and DoL play significant roles in working with VR&E toward the ultimate
goal of suitable employment of veterans.
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): VR&E
has several MOAs in place with local State Vocational Rehabilitation
programs and is in the process of finalizing a national MOA with RSA.
Our Employment Coordinators join the Council of State Administrators of
Vocational Rehabilitation ``NET'', or national employment team, opening
up a larger number of employer contacts and employment opportunities
for veterans. In addition, shared training has helped to build skill
sets, share best practices, and build networks important to success in
job placement.
Department of Labor (DoL): DoL is a key partner in
the placement of veterans with disabilities. DoL's grant-funded
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists, and Local
Veterans' Employment Representatives' (LVERs') primary roles are to
assist job-ready veterans with disabilities to obtain and sustain
employment. In addition, these staff members assist able-bodied
veterans in their job searches. VA and DoL have an ongoing joint work
group, along with State Workforce Agencies, which developed and rolled
out a best-practice model and standard operating procedures, and
provided training to staff from all organizations. In addition DoL
worked with VR&E and the State Workforce Agencies to co-locate a DVOP
specialist or LVER at each of the 57 VR&E regional office locations.
The joint work group monitors and measures progress and successes and
provides assistance to offices as needed.
Conclusion
VA continues to seek new and innovative ways to assist veterans in
achieving their goals for full, productive, and meaningful lives and
careers. Our focus is on helping veterans build upon the excellent
skills gained through their military service, providing streamlined
services resulting in career employment. VA will continue to work with
all sectors of Government and private and public employment communities
to assist veterans in reaching their highest potential in this
challenging
economy.
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and Members of the
Committee, this concludes my statement. Thank you again for the
opportunity to testify. I will be happy to respond to any questions.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Raymond M. Jefferson,
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service,
U.S. Department of Labor
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Filner, and Members of the
Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear as a witness before the
Committee and speak to you on Putting America's Veterans Back to Work.
The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) proudly serves
veterans and transitioning servicemembers by providing resources and
expertise to assist and prepare them to obtain meaningful careers,
maximize their employment opportunities and protect their employment
rights. We do that through programs that are an integral part of
Secretary Solis's vision of ``Good Jobs for Everyone.''
For the purposes of this hearing today, I would like to elaborate
on our programs and initiatives that assist America's Veterans in
getting to or back to work.
Putting Veterans Back to Work--the Jobs for Veterans State Grants
Program
The first program that I would like to highlight for you is the
Department's Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) Program. Under this
grant program, the Department offers employment and training services
to eligible veterans by allocating funds to State Workforce Agencies in
direct proportion to the number of veterans seeking employment within
their State. The grants support two distinct JVSG programs: (1) the
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) and (2) the Local Veterans'
Employment Representatives (LVER) program.
I am pleased to see that the National Association of State
Workforce Agencies is testifying today. Their members are core partners
in the public workforce system that operates the One-Stop Career
Centers where the DVOPs and LVERs provide services to veterans.
In the Department's first JVSG program, DVOP specialists provide
intensive employment services and assistance to meet the employment
needs of eligible veterans. DVOPs do this primarily at the Nation's
One-Stop Career Centers funded through the Workforce Investment Act.
Our specialists also provide recovery and employment assistance to
wounded and injured servicemembers receiving care at Department of
Defense military treatment facilities, the Army's Warrior Transition
Units, the Navy Safe Harbor Program, the Air Force Wounded Warrior
Program and the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiments through the
Recovery & Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines) program.
In the Department's second JVSG program, LVER staff reach out to
employers and engage in advocacy efforts with hiring executives to
increase employment opportunities for veterans, encourage the hiring of
disabled veterans, and generally assist veterans to gain and retain
employment. They are often members of One-Stop Career Center business
development teams. LVERs also conduct seminars for employers and job
search workshops for veterans seeking employment, and facilitate the
provision of employment, training, and placement services to veterans
by all staff of the employment service delivery system.
Last year, the JVSG provided services to nearly 589,000 veterans,
and 201,000 veterans found jobs.
Putting Disabled Veterans to Work--Vocational Rehabilitation
VETS also collaborates with the Department of Veterans Affairs to
support disabled veterans in the Vocational Rehabilitation and
Employment (VR&E) program. DVOPs are outstationed at VR&E offices to
provide employment information to VR&E participants during their
rehabilitation program, and refer them at the end of the program to
DVOPs at One-Stop Career Centers. The DVOPs at One-Stop Career Centers
then provide intensive services to referred participants to assist them
in obtaining employment.
Besides working with job-ready veterans, the outstationed DVOP is
involved at the front end of the VR&E process to help veterans
determine local labor market information. This interaction facilitates
the rehabilitation planning process by providing the veteran and the
VR&E counselor with current data on salary and job outlook as well as
increasing understanding of working conditions for specific
occupations.
There is currently either a DVOP specialist or LVER outstationed at
least half-time in 48 of the VA Regional Offices and in 19 satellite
offices. In FY 2010, 4,989 disabled veterans who completed VR&E were
referred to the State Workforce Agencies for intensive employment
services. Of these, 1,764 were placed into employment.
Putting Homeless Veterans Back to Work--the Homeless Veterans'
Reintegration Program
The Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP) is another
initiative to assist America's veterans in getting back to work.
Through HVRP, the Department provides competitive grants to State and
local workforce investment boards, State agencies, local public
agencies, and private non-profit organizations, including faith-based
organizations and neighborhood partnerships. HVRP grantees provide an
array of services utilizing a holistic case management approach that
directly assists homeless veterans and provides training services to
help them to successfully transition into the labor force.
In Program Year (PY) 2009, over 14,000 homeless veterans
participated in this program through 96 grants, and 8,470 were placed
into employment.
Putting Veterans Back to Work--Training with the Job Corps
In June of 2010, VETS and the Employment and Training
Administration's (ETA's) Job Corps program developed a demonstration
project to help younger veterans get back to work. Through this
demonstration project, VETS and Job Corps offer additional educational
and career technical training at one of three specific Job Corps
centers to eligible veterans and transitioning servicemembers who are
24 years old or younger. Participants will receive free transportation
to and from the Job Corps center, housing, meals, basic medical
services, and academic and career technical training. When veterans are
ready to start looking for a job, staff will work with them to find job
openings and submit resumes. Job Corps will help graduates for up to 21
months after graduation to connect with housing, transportation, and
other support services.
We have worked with Job Corps to streamline the program so that it
recognizes the maturity and life experience that our veterans have
gained from their military experience. Job Corps employs a
comprehensive career development training approach that teaches
academic, career technical, employability skills, and social
competencies in an integrated manner through a combination of
classroom, practical and work-based learning experiences to prepare
participants for stable, long-term employment in high-demand jobs. Job
Corps graduates have the opportunity to earn an industry-recognized
certification or credential that supports the skills and knowledge
gained through career training.
Putting Veterans Back to Work--the Veterans' Workforce Investment
Program
Yet another way the Department is working to help veterans get back
to work is through the Veterans' Workforce Investment Program (VWIP).
Through VWIP, the Department awards competitive grants geared toward
focused training, re-training and employment opportunities for recently
separated veterans, veterans with service-connected disabilities,
veterans with significant barriers to employment and veterans who
served on active duty during expeditions or campaigns for which
specific badges were awarded. These grants are awarded to meet the
needs of employers for qualified workers in high demand industries,
particularly those occupations requiring a license or certification.
In FY 2009, VWIP was refocused to provide training and employment
services in green energy occupations as envisioned in the Green Jobs
Act of 2007. There are currently 22 grants serving 4,600 veterans.
Putting Transitioning Servicemembers to Work--the Transition Assistance
Program
Our primary program for assisting individuals with their transition
from the military to the civilian workforce is the Transition
Assistance Program (TAP). TAP is an interagency program delivered via a
partnership involving the Department of Defense, DoL VETS, the
Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland
Security. VETS provides an employment workshop that is a comprehensive
two-and-a-half-day program during which participants are provided
relevant skills and information, such as job search techniques, career
decision-making processes, and current labor market conditions.
Currently, VETS uses a mix of contractors, VETS Federal staff,
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program specialists, and Local Veterans'
Employment Representatives as TAP facilitators. In the future, however,
VETS will transition to all skilled contract facilitators with DVOPs
continuing their involvement in the workshops as subject matter
advisors.
VETS is taking the unprecedented step of completely redesigning and
transforming the TAP employment workshop. We are creating experiential,
effective, and enduring solutions for a successful transition from
military to civilian life and employment. The new TAP will be based on
established best practices in career transition. The request for
proposals was issued on April 15, 2011. Our goal is to have the new
workshop implemented by Veterans' Day 2011.
Last year, nearly 130,000 transitioning servicemembers and spouses
attended a TAP employment workshop given at one of 272 locations world-
wide.
Putting Veterans Back to Work--Employer Partnerships
I am pleased to see that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) are testifying today. VETS
created, and is implementing, a new approach to employer outreach that
involves pilot programs and partnerships with both these organizations.
These partnerships are giving us much broader access to employers so
that we can communicate the value of hiring a veteran and how to access
this extraordinary source of talent. It also allows us to educate
employers about the unique skills veterans bring with them based on
their military experience. Connecting the talent pool with the many
companies looking to hire veterans allows for a more efficient hiring
process for many veterans and employers.
The Chamber is working to identify 100 hiring fairs exclusively for
veterans, transitioning servicemembers and their spouses. In the
partnership, the U.S. Chamber and its affiliates focus primarily on
securing the participation of employers while the VETS team focuses on
obtaining participation by veterans, transitioning servicemembers and
their spouses. The larger hiring fairs are titled ``Mega-Hiring
Fairs.'' An example was the hiring fair in Chicago on March 24, 2011
that connected over 100 employers with over 1,000 veterans,
transitioning servicemembers, and spouses.
VETS is working with SHRM to identify opportunities for VETS State
managers to meet with local SHRM chapters to connect veterans seeking
employment with companies who are hiring. For VETS this is an effective
and efficient way to connect employers and veterans. We are also
working with SHRM in the development of an H.R. Toolkit that will
provide employers with the methods and procedures to establish a
veteran hiring program and to hire veterans.
Demographics of Veterans Placed into Employment by VETS Programs
In your letter of invitation, you requested specific demographic
information. Unfortunately, our reporting systems do not provide much
of the information that you requested. However, I am able to provide
the following:
In FY 2010, for the VETS' JVSG program, 13 percent of all
participants were recently separated veterans, meaning they had
left the service within 3 years.
In PY2009 in the HVRP program, 6.1 percent of the veterans
had been out of the service 3 years or less, 6.0 percent had
been out 4-7 years, 4.9 percent were out of the service 8-11
years, 5.6 percent had been out of the service 12-15 years,
11.3 percent were out 16-19 years, and 66.1 percent were out 20
or more years.
In PY2009 under the VWIP program, 22.4 percent of the
participants had been out of the service 3 years or less, 9.4
percent had been out 4-7 years, 5.6 percent were out of the
service 8-11 years, 6.0 percent had been out of the service 12-
15 years, 9.3 percent were out 16-19 years, and 47.3 percent
were out 20 or more years.
The average salary 6 months after placement for veterans in
the JVSG program (FY 2010) was $30,804. We do not collect
information at other periods of time in the JVSG program.
In the HVRP and VWIP programs we collect salary data at three
intervals. All salaries provided are for PY2009.
The average initial salary for veterans in the HVRP program
was $21,133 and the average initial salary for veterans in the
VWIP program was $31,533.
The average salary between 6 months and a year after
placement for those veterans in the HVRP program was $22,818
and in the VWIP program it was $33,446.
You also asked for the status of the contract for the
National Veterans' Training Institute (NVTI). The request for
proposals closed on April 21, 2011, and we are currently
evaluating the submitted proposals. We plan to make an award by
mid-June 2011.
This concludes my statement and I would be happy to respond to any
questions.
MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
Richard A. Hobbie
Executive Director
National Association of State Workforce Agencies
444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 142
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Richard:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax your responses to Debbie at 202-225-2034. If you
have any questions, please call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
__________
National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Washington, DC.
August 3, 2011
Honorable Bob Filner
Ranking Democratic Member
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives
335 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Attention Debbie Smith:
I am pleased to submit responses to questions raised as a result of
my testimony before the Committee at the hearing entitled, ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work'' which took place on June 1, 2011.
Please let me know if you would like further information.
Sincerely,
Richard Hobbie
Executive Director
Attachment
__________
Question 1: How can we help employers understand the qualifications
veterans and servicemembers have to offer?
Answer: With limited resources, State Workforce Agencies (SWA)
attempt to make labor exchange services as efficient as possible. SWAs
and local one-stop career centers work closely with unemployed veterans
to gain a sense of their skills, and they assist them either to apply
directly for available jobs, or if needed, they offer intensive
services up to and including training.
The SWAs have used web services, such as the National Labor
Exchange (NLX) and the MOS crosswalk page at O*Net, where employers and
veterans can relate the Military Occupational Classification with the
private sector Occupations. Today much of the interaction between job
seekers and employers occur thru Web sites.
The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) can help veterans learn how
to communicate with employers in ways employers understand, and make
connections for potential employment. Requiring all of the armed
services to mandate transitioning members to attend TAP would help
prepare them for connecting with employers.
Promotional efforts to demonstrate the value of hiring a veteran
and to better define the qualifications of a veteran or servicemember
need to be increased. Congressional support for such efforts would help
to maintain this as a priority.
The employer tool kit developed by the U.S. Department of Labor
Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) is an excellent start,
but may need to be marketed better to employers. The link is in a
prominent spot on the VETS Web site, but could be identified better
with an icon or something to attract attention. VETS could promote the
tool kit more directly with employer groups and associations. The tool
kit is available at: (http://www.americasheroesatwork.gov/forEmployers/
HiringToolkit). Many other groups and agencies also have developed
employer tool kits.
Question 2: Do you think that employers are looking for a labor
pool of applicants with marketable and transferable job skill that
veteran's lack?
Question 2(a): What types of jobs are most veterans likely to
qualify for and do those jobs exist or are there enough of those jobs?
Answer: To answer this question with any specificity we would need
to discuss the skills of specific categories of veterans. For example,
if we look at the education levels of veterans, we find veterans have a
wide range of educational backgrounds. In the four categories shown in
Appendix A, veterans have an education distribution equal to or better
than the general population.
We do not have data on unsuccessful matches between the veteran job
seeker and available jobs; real-time labor market information and
analysis may help, but the ability to do this is just now emerging
among States.
We have information on veterans who get training under the
Workforce Investment Act. The data show more than 28,000 veterans
received services in program year 2010, including training, to help
them gain skills needed to obtain new jobs.
Question 3: What grade would you give employers for understanding
the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)?
Question 3(a): What grade would you give to employers for USERRA
compliance?
Answer: NASWA and the SWAs are not involved directly with USERRA.
VETS, especially the State Directors for Veterans Employment and
Training (DVETs), have the primary responsibility for the USERRA
program. Also, representatives for the Employer Support for the Guard
and Reserve (ESGR) assist in processing initial USERRA questions and
complaints. Workforce system staff members, especially DVOPs and LVERs,
are knowledgeable about the basic criteria under USERRA, and refer
veterans to the DVET in their State, or to ESGR representatives.
NASWA does not have specific data on program understanding by
employers; anecdotal evidence would indicate a good deal of
understanding. The Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) conducted
a survey in 2010; the results are shown in Appendix B.
Although the SHRM survey is based on a relatively small sample of
employers, it demonstrates a need to improve education of employers
about their responsibilities under USERRA. There is heavy employer
involvement in membership in DirectEmployers, which partners with NASWA
to run the National Labor Exchange and VetCentral.
There is evidence from VETS that the number of official complaints
filed against employers has remained relatively constant for the last 5
years, which may indicate at least there is not a growing problem. In
2010, there were 1,438 new USERRA cases, plus 244 carry over cases.
This compares with the following caseloads:
2005--1,252 cases
2006--1,434 cases
2007--1,365 cases
2008--1,426 cases
2009--1,431 cases
According to VETS, approximately one third of the meritorious cases
each year are resolved, one third of the cases are not supported by
evidence, and one third of the cases are withdrawn or were not eligible
under USERRA.
Appendix A
Educational Attainment by Veteran Status
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent distribution
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some
Less than a High school college or College
Veteran status high school graduate, associate graduate
diploma no college degree
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nonveterans 14.3 30.8 27.6 27.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterans 7.4 32.7 32.8 27.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era II veterans 1.5 29.2 45.9 23.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era I veterans 1.5 28.0 41.4 29.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWII, Korean War and Vietnam-era veterans 10.2 32.3 28.9 28.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, annual averages 2009, at: www.bls.gov/spotlight/
2010/veterans
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
Jolene Jefferies
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
DirectEmployers Association
9002 North Purdue Road
Quad III; Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Dear Jolene:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax your responses to Debbie at 202-225-2034. If you
have any questions, please call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
______
June 29, 2011
To: The Honorable Bob Filner, Ranking Democratic Member House
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
From: Jolene Jefferies, VP Strategic Initiatives DirectEmployers
Association
Re: Response to Your Letter of June 22, 2011
Mr. Filner, my answers to your questions are noted below:
Committee on Veterans' Affairs U.S. House of Representatives Post-
Hearing Questions for Ms. Jolene Jefferies From the Honorable Bob
Filner
Putting America's Veterans Back to Work June 1, 2011
Question 1: Are contractors aware of Federal Contractor Job
Listings?
Response: Yes, employers who are Federal contractors are aware of
Federal Contractor Job Listings requirements. The affirmative action
provisions of VEVRAA require covered contractors and subcontractors to
take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified
covered veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212(a)). To implement the affirmative
action requirement, VEVRAA and its implementing regulations found at 41
CFR Parts 60-250 and 60-300, require contractors and subcontractors to
list most employment openings with an appropriate employment service
delivery system and each such employment service delivery system is to
provide protected veterans priority referrals to such openings.
Positions that will be filled from within the contractor's
organization and positions lasting 3 days or less are exempt from this
mandatory job-listing requirement. Listing employment openings with the
State workforce agency job bank or with the local employment service
delivery system where the opening occurs will satisfy the requirement
to list jobs with the local employment service delivery system. The
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is responsible
for ensuring compliance with requirements in VEVRAA that contractors
list their employment openings with the appropriate employment service
delivery system. Employers know they can find additional information
regarding compliance with the job listing requirement on the OFCCP Web
site in the form of FAQs http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/faqs/
jvafaqs.htm.
DirectEmployers Association, in partnership with the National
Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), operates the
JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX) (http://www.jobcentral.com/).
The NLX (http://www.directemployers.org/about/national-labor-exchange/)
was selected by NASWA in March, 2007, to provide job seekers, employers
and State workforce agencies a cost-effective transition from America's
Job Bank (AJB) when it was discontinued by the U.S. Department of Labor
in June, 2007.
The NLX provides a wide range of employment services to
participating State workforce agencies, from job listing distribution
to and from State employment Web sites, web traffic and search engine
optimization (SEO) services and much more--all at no cost. The
comprehensive NLX network of 50 individual State sites is powered by
DirectEmployers' Employment Search Engine. The site uses advanced
search technology to index (``spider'') jobs from thousands of
individual employer sites. When job seekers click on a job title on the
search results page they are linked directly to the job on the
company's Web site or a State job bank's site, depending on the origin
of the job posting.
As a parallel service of the NLX, DirectEmployers also created
VetCentral (www.jobcentral.com/vetcentral/). VetCentral is designed to
assist our member companies, most of whom are Federal Government
contractors, to comply with the mandatory job listing requirements of
VEVRAA, amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA).
VetCentral distributes the new job openings each day to some 3,000
One-Stop Career Centers putting these jobs directly into the hands of
staff (e.g., the Local Veteran Employment Representatives and the
Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Coordinators) dedicated to helping
veterans find jobs. The job listings are sent directly to the Center
nearest the job location.
While the member companies of DirectEmployers Association are large
and often distribute hundreds of jobs each week, we have created a tool
within VetCentral to allow small companies to post jobs one at a time
and have them distributed directly to the nearest One Stop Center and
veteran employment staff at the Center. The cost of this service is
underwritten by our members so it is free to the small companies and
costs the taxpayers nothing.
For a more detailed description about the JobCentral National Labor
Exchange (NLX) (http://www.directemployers.org/about/national-labor-
exchange/) and the accomplishments of the NLX, please see Attachment 1.
Question 2: Why is there no official list of Federal Contractors?
Response: The OFCCP does not appear to have an effective way within
their own organization to track Federal contractors and the contact
names and information of each contractor's CEO, the company's chief
hiring official, the company's Equal Employment/Affirmative Action
compliance officer, and each State workforce agency's contact person
for affirmative action compliance. The OFCCP needs this information for
assessing contractor compliance with Section 4212 and their employment
of veterans. To reduce administrative burden, employers prefer
providing the OFCCP with the chief hiring official's contact
information rather than each local hiring manager's name and/or a
company contact name on each individual job posting. Similarly, State
workforce agencies prefer that the OFCCP work through a single point of
contact from each State agency, such as an administrator or State
manager, rather than working with a local DVOP or LVER when a question
about a Federal contractor's compliance audit regarding Federal
contractor job listings may arise.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has a Web site to track
and publish the names of Federal contractors (see Attachment 2 about
USASpending.gov), but it doesn't appear that this Web site or database
is adequately and appropriately utilized across Federal agencies, such
as the OFCCP. Rather than creating their own separate system to track
much of the same information that the OMB is currently tracking on
Federal contractors, the OFCCP should leverage the use of OMB's
database to track and access the contact names and contact information
for each Federal contractor and each State workforce agency to ensure
the right individuals from these organizations receive data and
information from Federal agencies when communications deal with, or are
about, the employment and retention of veterans or a compliance audit.
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to these additional
questions. Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
Jolene Jefferies
VP Strategic Initiatives
Attachments:
1--Description of the NLX and its Accomplishments
2--OMB Tracks Federal Contractors
______
Attachment 1: Description of the NLX and its Accomplishments
JOBCENTRAL NATIONAL LABOR EXCHANGE (NLX)
What is the NLX?
The JobCentral National Labor Exchange (NLX) is a sophisticated
electronic labor exchange solution. This online network connects
businesses and State workforce agencies in their mission to create a
cost-effective system that improves labor market efficiency and
reflects our Nation's diverse workforce.
The NLX network connects over 5,000 large employers and their job
opportunities with the publicly operated State job banks--vastly
expanding the number of searchable job opportunities for jobseekers and
providing employers the ability to meet hiring goals. Further, NLX
allows State operated job banks to seamlessly exchange job opportunity
content collected through the activities of State workforce agencies
business representatives.
How does it work?
In an automated and cost effective fashion, the NLX gathers
currently available and unduplicated job opportunities from verified
employers and pushes that content into State workforce agency sites to
reach a maximum number of jobseekers. The NLX is not a destination
point where you apply for a position, but rather a jobs content
provider directing jobseekers back to the where the job opportunity
originated (e.g., the job may have been originally posted on a State
job bank or an employer's corporate Web site).
Who are the NLX Principals?
This unique public-private venture is the result of an alliance
between NASWA, an association representing State workforce agencies,
and DirectEmployers Association, an organization representing primarily
Fortune 500 companies. NLX leverages private, non-profit-owned
technology with existing State workforce agency resources and combines
the agility and innovation of the private sector with the public
sector's ability to offer information and services in a trusted
environment.
How does the NLX help employers?
The NLX plays an important role in helping employers build their
workforce and comply with State and Federal regulations by serving as
our Nation's only online cross-state labor exchange and distributing
job listings to the State and local level. It also helps employers meet
Federal job posting requirements for Affirmative Action Plans, Vietnam
Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), and Jobs for
Veterans Act (JVA) compliance.
By making their jobs available on the NLX, employers increase their
recruiting reach and extend diversity initiatives with a consistent and
aggressive program to make employment opportunities available to
individuals from all cultures and population segments.
NLX Accomplishments to Date
Created in March 2007, the NLX has brought substantive value to
jobseekers, employers and participating State workforce agencies.
Jobseekers have access to a quick and easy platform that gives them
free access to more, currently available jobs, from verified employers.
Employers can reduce hiring and resource costs, meet and exceed
affirmative action objectives, achieve JVA compliance, get free
nationwide exposure, and have access to a much larger pool of job
applicants.
State Workforce Agencies have embraced the NLX with a total of
forty-eight (48) States, plus the District of Columbia signing
participation agreements. Under the oversight of the Operations
Committee--a group comprised of State and employer representatives, the
NLX partnership has embraced the principles of transparency and
flexibility.
Over the last 3 years the NLX has:
1. Delivered 8 million job openings into State job banks. State
officials can access a Job Counter and view how many jobs the NLX
contains in their State at any given day at http://
stateadmin.jobcentral.org/statistics.aspx
This number reflects unduplicated and available
jobs (not expired job orders).
This number does not include job orders
originating from State workforce agency job banks.
This number includes 3 million Federal contractor
jobs reportable under the Federal Contractor Job Listing (FCJL)
program requirements.
These job orders are free of advertising of any
kind.
2. Provided an electronic bridge for State job banks to share
job orders with one another. State workforce agencies can take a feed
of job orders from neighboring States and State workforce agencies' job
banks.
3. Offered State job banks downloads of job orders coded by
O*NET. This affords State workforce agencies greater ease in pursing
future job-matching reemployment efforts.
4. Offered State job banks free job order indexing as a service
States can offer to their business customers. As a true national labor
exchange, the NLX indexes a total of 5,000 employers who are not DE
members. State workforce agencies do not need to purchase costly
spidering packages, but can identify ``indexable'' business, notify the
NLX, and download that file.
5. Completed development of an Analytics dashboard tool enabling
State workforce agencies to view transactional data about jobseeker
searches. The tool captures: (1) the flow of jobseeker traffic into
State job banks from the NLX, and the (2) flow of jobseekers from State
job banks to jobs originating from employers' Web sites. O*NET coding
of job orders allows for in-depth use of data and the production of
different reports.
Of critical importance is the ability for State workforce
agencies to demonstrate to specific employers that a State job bank is
sending traffic to an employers' Web site. Because DE can now show an
employer the jobseeker traffic coming from a specific State job bank,
the employer is able to better track applicant referral source
information. This offers both employers and State workforce agencies
tangible information about the value of the National Labor Exchange and
its online self-services.
The dashboard is now available to State workforce agencies at
no cost.
6. Provided free hosting of State Job Banks. The NLX provides a
free labor exchange solution, skinned to the preferences of a State
workforce agency. The job bank available offers flexibility in look and
feel and can be easily administered by State workforce agency staff. In
addition to cost savings, this option offers hosted States the full
breadth of JobCentral services, such as free integrated extended
searches*. Currently, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Nevada are
being fully hosted by the NLX.
*Extended search--a jobseeker's search criteria on the NLX are
run invisibly to him/her against other search engines. Results from
those searches are offered in a sidebar option to the jobseeker and not
comingled with the NLX results.
7. Built and Administered VetCentral Services: Under Federal
law, contractors receiving over $100K of Federal funds, must list their
positions with either the State workforce agency job bank or with the
appropriate local employment service delivery office. Since not all
States are in the position of taking an NLX electronic download and
since even those that do download cannot keep an electronic copy of all
job postings, the VetCentral service was designed to facilitate the
situation.
VetCentral is that part of the NLX that emails all Federal
Contractor Job Listings (FCJL) jobs to the appropriate State staff at
the appropriate local employment centers (where Wagner-Peyser funding
exists). This functionality allows employers to generate a report they
may provide to the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance. Most
importantly, it allows States to put more jobs in the hands of local
staff and provide greater opportunities to veterans, while at the same
time helping the workforce system meets its own priority of service
requirements.
The NLX has maintained a robust list of the appropriate local
One-Stop employment center addresses and contact information. In
addition, the NLX partners provided countless educational discussions
with interested stakeholders, many times conducting research on behalf
of Federal employers and State workforce agencies engaged in an OFCCP
audit. Finally, the NLX has provided thousands of copies of VetCentral
materials to field staff.
8. Partnered with the U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard.
Since October 2008, JobCentral, the job search platform powering the
NLX, has also served as the job search engine powering the Armed Forces
Employer Partnership initiative created and directed by Lieutenant
General Jack C. Stultz of the U.S Army Reserve. The initiative, which
is in the process of expanding to include all branches of the Guard and
Reserve, aims at outreaching to employers and bringing employment
opportunities to servicemembers before they separate from service. NLX
has become the primary employment search engine for this initiative and
is provided to at no cost to the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army
Reserve.
You may view the site at: http://www.employerpartnership.org.
This partnership has allowed servicemembers to connect with
the workforce system before separation, which can bring a potential
applicant pool of over one million servicemembers to State job banks.
9. USAJOBs.gov: Since late September 2008, the JobCentral NLX is
also receiving a download of jobs from USAJOBs. Sponsored by the
Federal Office of Personnel Management, USAJOBs is a job bank
containing Federal Government positions. This download of Federal job
openings is available to States for inclusion in their own States job-
banks. To date, the following States have requested the USAJOBs be fed
into their own job bank: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware,
Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. States interested in receiving this
download may request it from NASWA.
10. MySkillsMyFuture.org DoL ETA Partnership. On September 7,
2010, in a press release (http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/
eta20101216.htm) the Department of Labor announced the launch of a web
portal to help job seekers called ``mySkills myFuture.''
DirectEmployers Association is proud to be the provider of jobs data to
this valuable tool from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and
Training Administration. The new tool, www.MySkillsMyFuture.org, is
designed to connect workers with high quality training and local
employment opportunities. DirectEmployers Association's jobs are now in
both the U.S. Department of Labor's www.MySkillsMyFuture.org and
www.CareerOneStop.org career sites.
Attachment 2: OMB Tracks Federal Contractors
Obama Administration begins publishing names of Federal subcontractors
on Web
By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 1, 2010; 10:41 PM
The U.S. government is giving the public new details about how it
is spending taxpayer money on government business.
Starting Wednesday, the Obama administration began publicizing the
names of subcontractors--the companies that get the majority of Federal
contracts--along with the dollar amounts they receive. For years, the
government reported only the companies that won major, or prime,
government contracts--even if those companies then hired subcontractors
to do most of the job. Now taxpayers can follow more accurately where
their dollars are going, tracing public money to the specific companies
and communities that share in multimillion-and billion-dollar Federal
work. The previous dearth of information about government subcontracts
led to incomplete and sometimes misleading conclusions about Uncle
Sam's impact on communities.
For example, an agency may have boasted of awarding a $100 million
prime contract for debris removal after Hurricane Katrina to a
homegrown Louisiana company. But that company may have lacked the
equipment to tackle the work, and then hired two hauling companies
based in Virginia and Texas to do most of the job.
The new subcontractor details are available on the Office of
Management and Budget's Web site, USASpending.gov. Recipients of all
Federal contracts and grants larger than $25,000 will be required to
report the names of companies they hire.
The subcontractors' names are being made public as required by the
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which became law
in 2006 under President George W. Bush. The information's' release is 2
years behind schedule. A smaller portion of subcontractor information--
for contracts larger than $20 million--was made public in October. Both
the Bush and Obama administrations faulted technical obstacles for
preventing accurate reporting and Web site publication of subcontractor
information. After the Obama administration spent tens of millions of
dollars in 2009 to create a public Web site, FederalReporting.gov, to
track money spent on stimulus projects--including subcontractor
details--it cleared the way for the same information to be published on
standard government contracts.
Moira Mack, an OMB spokeswoman, said resources also factored into
the delay. Contracting spending dramatically increased under the Bush
administration but the number of contracting employees remained
stagnant, Mack said.
Because of the law, the public will now learn if a huge contract
won by a fledgling minority-or female-owned company helped that firm or
instead flowed to a well-heeled contracting firm founded and run by a
white man. The records also would reveal whether defense work that was
meant to help shore up an electronics company in recession-plagued
rural Pennsylvania was instead largely being done by a powerful defense
giant in Arlington County. Craig Jennings, director of Federal fiscal
policy at OMB Watch, an advocate for government transparency, said the
public may learn good and bad news about government spending with the
new initiative.
''You really have to follow the chain [of a contract] to the end,
or you just don't know where the dollars are going,'' Jennings said.
``Before this, sometimes a city is listed as the primary recipient of a
grant or contract. We wouldn't know prior to this that the brother-in-
law of the mayor is receiving those subcontracts.''
In an April letter setting reporting deadlines for senior Federal
managers, Jeffrey Zients, then the acting OMB director, stressed the
importance of the transparency effort. ``Full and easy access to
information on government spending promotes accountability by allowing
. . . both the public and public officials to gauge the effectiveness
of expenditures,'' he wrote. ``Transparency also gives the public
confidence that we are properly managing its funds.'' One day after
being sworn into office, President Obama pledged that his
administration would be the most open in history--a vow made in the
wake of steady complaints that the Bush administration was too
secretive. Although the current administration has made significant
progress in releasing public information, it has faced its share of
criticism that--like the previous White House--it has been loath to
release public information that may cast its team in an unflattering
light or hamper its agenda.
Jennings said taxpayers could end up feeling more comfortable about
government contracts when they know the nitty-gritty details. Instead
of reading on a government Web site about a vague $14 million
transportation grant given to a State government, taxpayers now can see
how the State split those funds among 20 different road and bridge
projects in different locations, and which subcontractors did the jobs.
``All we hear about is stupid, wasteful government spending,'' he
said. ``But this will likely show us how the money is actually coming
to your city, even your neighborhood.''
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
Kevin M. Schmiegel
Vice President
Veterans Employment Program
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20062-2000
Dear Kevin:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax your responses to Debbie at 202-225-2034. If you
have any questions, please call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
__________
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Responses to Questions for the June 1, 2011, hearing
Question 1: You state that the U.S. Chamber and local chambers are
uniquely positioned to coordinate public and private sector efforts
across America. What is preventing you from starting the coordination.
Response:: The Chamber has been coordinating public and private
sector efforts across America since we launched the Hiring our Heroes
program in March of 2011. Our coordination efforts include engagement
with the White House, State and local chambers, the Departments of
Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs, State workforce agencies, veteran
services organizations, and several non-profit organizations. Since the
launch of Hiring our Heroes at end of March 2011, the Chamber has
conducted 16 hiring fairs and connected over 16,000 veterans and
military spouses with over 800 different employers in 13 States.
Detailed coordination was required for all of those hiring fairs.
Working with the local chambers, DoL VETS, and ESGR, the Chamber held
its largest hiring fairs in Chicago on March 24, New York City in June,
and Los Angeles in July. In Chicago, we connected 127 employers with
1200 veterans and military spouses--over 200 of them got jobs. In New
York City, there were 106 employers and over 1500 veterans and military
spouses. And in Los Angeles, there were 160 employers and over 1600
veterans and military spouses in attendance.
Question 2: Since licensure and certification is more of a State
issue how can the U.S. Chamber of Commerce help with this very
difficult issue?
Response: In addition to our substantive efforts to conduct hiring
fairs for veterans and military spouses, the U.S. Chamber can call on
its federation of 2,500 State and local chambers and industry
associations and more than 3 million businesses to deal with issues
that negatively affect employment of veterans to include licensing and
certification.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
George Ondick
Executive Director, Department of Ohio
AMVETS
4647 Forbes Boulevard
Lanham, MD 20607
Dear George:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax your responses to Debbie at 202-225-2034. If you
have any questions, please call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
__________
AMVETS Department of Ohio
Columbus, OH.
Bob Filner, Ranking Member
Committee on Veterans Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives
Honorable Bob Filner:
In response to your letter of June 22, 2011 whereas you asked if:
1. Do Federal employers know and understand hiring authorities?
I am sure some do understand hiring authorities. However, in my
opinion the majority of Federal Employers do not. That is why we the
Ohio AMVETS are attempting to establish a Summit meeting. This day long
Summit will address the problems related to complying with Federal
requirement on hiring veterans. We wish to invite representatives from
OFCCP, ESGR, ODJFS, ONG, Federal Contractors, and any other
stakeholders who may wish to participate. At the Summit we will look at
the barriers to compliance, how Federal contractors skirt the
requirement, how to be in compliance and most importantly how to find
veterans to fill the positions within the company.
2. In your opinion, do you think the current unemployment rate for
younger veterans tends to be higher because they are taking time off
after deployment(s) before obtaining employment or may be attending
school?
First of all I believe that veterans who are attending school are
not considered in the ranks of the unemployed therefore those attending
school would not skew the unemployment figures. That being said the
members of the National Guard are also not considered in the ranks of
the unemployed because they are in the Guard. This really skews the
unemployment figures giving us a lower reading on the unemployment
numbers for veterans than what is actually happening in the real world.
Yes some returning veterans may take some well deserved time off,
but it is not going to be an exorbitant amount of time that would
impact unemployment stats. Most of our returning veterans, by necessity
are eager to return to the workforce. However barriers to employment
keep them in the ranks of the unemployed. One of the barriers is
letting the unemployed veterans know about veteran friendly employers
and visa versa. That is where the Ohio Veterans Career Assistance
Network (Ohio Vets Can) is able to make the employer-employee link up.
A product of the Ohio AMVETS Career Center this Web site makes the
connection between the veteran and the employer. By making that
connection it also aids in compliance with the Federal mandates to hire
veterans and does so at no cost to either the veteran or the employer.
George Ondick
Executive Director
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
Cpt. Marshall Hanson, USNR (Ret.)
Director, Legislative and Military Policy
Reserve Officers Association
One Constitution Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20002
Dear Captain Hanson:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax your responses to Debbie at 202-225-2034. If you
have any questions, please call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
__________
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives
Post-Hearing Questions for Captain Marshall Hanson
From the Honorable Bob Filner
Putting America's Veterans Back to Work
June 1, 2011
Question 1: What more can we do to help Reserve members with their
employment needs?
Response: Veterans are returning from war to an increasingly tough
job market, with National Guard and Reserve members facing additional
problems. The military paid $882 million in unemployment benefits in
2010.
We are now seeing unprecedented levels of returning servicemember
unemployment and under-employment. Eventually, this trend in
unemployment could have negative impacts on force readiness with
National Guard and Reserve members leaving the military to stabilize
their civilian employment.
The relationship between civilian employers and their employees or
potential employees that also serve in the Guard and Reserve is
extremely important. Many employers view USERRA as a negative
incentive, and ask the Reserve Officers Association for positive
reinforcements.
Improvements can be made to help veteran/Reserve Component hiring:
Implement DoD documentation that would inform employers
of skills potential veteran hirees gained through their military
service.
Support employer tax incentives specific to the hiring
of returning veterans and reserve component members.
Explore grants for related costs caused by mobilization
such as the hiring and training of new temporary employees.
Simplify cross-licensing/credentialing of military
skills easing the burden of having to acquire new training and time
with equipment to earn private sector licenses/credentials.
Oversee implementation of OPM and VA veterans'
recruitment and employment strategic plans.
Improve communications to field on improvements in
veteran preference hiring programs.
Support incentives permitting deployed small business
owners to keep their businesses.
Better educate separating servicemembers on their
employment and reemployment rights (USERRA) including corrective
actions that can be taken.
Employer care plans should be developed that will assist with
mitigation strategies for dealing with the civilian workload during the
absence of the servicemember employee and lay out how the employer and
employee would remain in contact throughout the deployment. Employers
need increased notification time in order to better support their
personnel.
Question 2: Do you think that some employers are concerned about
hiring a veteran with mental health issues?
Response: Yes. The impact of the publicity campaigns about Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury paint veterans in
a negative light; affecting their ability to be hired.
Published Department of Labor statements aren't helping:
Nearly one in five veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars is currently suffering from depression or stress disorder.
Estimates range up to 300,000 with PTSD.
PTSD among returning servicemembers will cost the
Nation as much as $6.2 billion in the 2 years following deployment--an
amount that includes both direct medical care and costs for lost
productivity.
When the Society for Human Resource Management surveyed
its members (June 2010), 46 percent said they believed post-traumatic
stress and other mental health issues posed a hiring challenge.
Although media attention has helped make the diagnosis
and treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury a government priority,
veterans say it has also contributed to the stigma associated with
these wounds.
TBI/PTSD-related stigma exists among many employers--
employers are unaware of the resources that exist to help them provide
appropriate workplace accommodations.
TBI/PTSD stigma exists in the very Federal agencies that are
supposed to be assisting veterans, by portraying the returning veteran
as disabled. The experiences taught by working with severely physically
wounded warriors is that most don't feel themselves as handicapped, but
want to be self-reliant.
Every treatment should be made available and assistance should be
provided, but the veteran shouldn't be labeled. The goal should be to
help our veterans return to a normal life.
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Washington, DC.
June 22, 2011
The Honorable Raymond M. Jefferson
Assistant Secretary, Veterans' Employment and Training Service
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
Dear Mr. Secretary:
In reference to our Full Committee hearing entitled ``Putting
America's Veterans Back to Work,'' that took place on June 1, 2011, I
would appreciate it if you could answer the enclosed hearing questions
by the close of business on August 5, 2011.
In an effort to reduce printing costs, the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs, in cooperation with the Joint Committee on Printing, is
implementing some formatting changes for materials for all full
Committee and Subcommittee hearings. Therefore, it would be appreciated
if you could provide your answers consecutively and single-spaced. In
addition, please restate the question in its entirety before the
answer.
Due to the delay in receiving mail, please provide your response to
Debbie Smith by fax at 202-225-2034. If you have any questions, please
call 202-225-9756.
Sincerely,
BOB FILNER
Ranking Democratic Member
JL:ds
__________
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives
Post-Hearing Questions from the Honorable Bob Filner
Putting America's Veterans Back to Work
June 1, 2011
1. Which groups of veterans are struggling the most with
employment?
Veterans of all ages and periods of service are struggling at this
time and deserve the attention of the Veterans' Employment and Training
Service (VETS). This fact is illustrated by the rise in the veteran
unemployment rate from 3.2 percent in September 2007 to 8.1 percent as
of September 2011. Currently, there are nearly one million unemployed
veterans of all ages. Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
measures of unemployment rates, younger veterans appear to experience
the highest incidence of unemployment. Because of this, VETS conducts
increased outreach to younger veterans to ensure that they are aware of
the employment and training services that are available to them.
VETS strives, consistent with its mission, to provide services to
all veterans, based on individual need. Therefore, we have included
employment data on both veterans and non-veterans. VETS believes this
data should provide the Committee with some insight into the struggles
facing the men and women who served this country.
Below please find the September 2011 U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Economic News Release, table ``A-5-Employment status of the
civilian population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of
service, and sex, not seasonally adjusted,'' which provides a snapshot
of the employment status from the previous month. Updated information
can be found on the VETS Web site http://www.dol.gov/vets/ under
``Veterans Employment--Current Monthly Data.''
It is clear from table A-5 that veterans have much lower labor
force participation rates than non-veterans, 52.5 percent vs. 67.1
percent in September 2011. Female veterans have a higher labor force
participation rate (61.5 percent) than do male veterans (51.7 percent),
because female veterans as a group are younger on average than the male
veteran group, on average. Similarly, employment-to-population ratios
of male and female veterans were 47.6 and 55.5 compared to 70.2 and
54.4 for male and female non-veterans in September 2011.
On the other hand, overall unemployment rates are lower for
veterans than non-veterans, in part due to the fact that veterans are
concentrated in the 45-65 year old range, as pointed out below.
However, recent veterans have unemployment in the double digits
compared to non-veterans. The unemployment rates were 11.1 percent and
14.7 percent for male and female Gulf War-era II veterans in September
2011 compared to 8.7 percent for male non-veterans and 8.6 percent for
female non-veterans. This may be partly due to the fact that Gulf War-
era II veterans tend to be younger, and younger individuals, whether
veteran or not, tend to have higher unemployment rates.
HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-5. Employment status of the civilian population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service,
and sex, not seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Men Women
Employment status, veteran status, and period of -----------------------------------------------------------
service Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept.
2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VETERANS, 18 years and over------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 21,933 21,528 20,142 19,724 1,791 1,804
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 11,683 11,310 10,590 10,200 1,093 1,109
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 53.3 52.5 52.6 51.7 61.0 61.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 10,746 10,394 9,743 9,393 1,003 1,002
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 49.0 48.3 48.4 47.6 56.0 55.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 937 916 847 808 90 108
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 8.0 8.1 8.0 7.9 8.2 9.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 10,250 10,218 9,552 9,524 698 695
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era II veterans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 2,228 2,451 1,828 2,042 399 409
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 1,857 2,017 1,575 1,712 282 305
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 83.3 82.3 86.1 83.8 70.6 74.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 1,666 1,781 1,411 1,521 256 260
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 74.8 72.7 77.1 74.5 64.1 63.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 190 235 164 191 26 45
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 10.2 11.7 10.4 11.1 9.2 14.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 371 434 254 330 117 104
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...............................................................................................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gulf War-era I veterans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 2,966 2,980 2,525 2,520 441 460
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 2,515 2,474 2,199 2,147 316 327
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 84.8 83.0 87.1 85.2 71.7 71.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 2,347 2,295 2,057 1,987 289 308
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 79.1 77.0 81.5 78.9 65.6 67.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 169 179 142 160 27 19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 6.7 7.2 6.4 7.4 8.6 5.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 451 506 326 373 125 133
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam-era veterans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 10,911 10,346 10,547 10,016 364 331
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 3,984 3,491 3,870 3,405 115 86
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 36.5 33.7 36.7 34.0 31.5 26.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 3,649 3,256 3,545 3,177 104 79
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 33.4 31.5 33.6 31.7 28.6 23.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 336 235 325 229 10 7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 8.4 6.7 8.4 6.7 9.1 8.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 6,927 6,855 6,677 6,610 250 245
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veterans of other service periods
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 5,828 5,751 5,241 5,146 587 605
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 3,326 3,328 2,946 2,936 380 392
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 57.1 57.9 56.2 57.1 64.8 64.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 3,084 3,062 2,730 2,707 354 354
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 52.9 53.2 52.1 52.6 60.4 58.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 242 266 216 229 26 37
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 7.3 8.0 7.3 7.8 6.9 9.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 2,502 2,423 2,295 2,210 207 213
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NONVETERANS, 18 years and over
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian noninstitutional population 207,224 209,678 90,661 92,251 116,563 117,427
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Civilian labor force 140,190 140,784 70,272 70,876 69,918 69,908
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation rate 67.7 67.1 77.5 76.8 60.0 59.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employed 127,552 128,657 63,543 64,737 64,009 63,920
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employment-population ratio 61.6 61.4 70.1 70.2 54.9 54.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed 12,638 12,127 6,728 6,139 5,909 5,988
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment rate 9.0 8.6 9.6 8.7 8.5 8.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not in labor force 67,034 68,894 20,390 21,375 46,645 47,519
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Veterans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and were not on active duty at the time of the
survey. Nonveterans never served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans could have served anywhere
in the world during these periods of service: Gulf War era II (September 2001-present), Gulf War era I (August
1990-August 2001), Vietnam era (August 1964-April 1975), Korean War (July 1950-January 1955), World War II
(December 1941-December 1946), and other service periods (all other time periods). Veterans who served in more
than one wartime period are classified only in the most recent one. Veterans who served during one of the
selected wartime periods and another period are classified only in the wartime period. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Also, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published a more
detailed News Release in March 2011 summarizing the annual unemployment
statistics for veterans in the same four categories of service, along
with data from a July 2010 special supplement to the Current Population
Survey on veterans with service-connected disabilities. A copy of the
News Release is attached and can also be found at: http://www.bls.gov/
news.release/pdf/vet.pdf.
In addition, the three tables below present some aspects of the BLS
data on veterans' and non-veterans' unemployment in 2010. The first
table: (a) identifies the proportion of unemployed veterans in each of
eleven specific age groups that BLS applies in tabulating veteran and
non-veteran unemployment; and, (b) aggregates the proportions within
those specific age groups into three more general age groups.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployed Veterans by Specific Unemployed Veterans by General Age
Age Groups Groups
Age Group -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Proportion of
Number Total Number Percentage Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-19 2,000 0.2%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-24 44,000 4.3%
215,000 21.1%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25-29 92,000 9.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30-34 77,000 7.5%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
35-39 73,000 7.2%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40-44 86,000 8.4%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45-49 127,000 12.5% 536,000 52.5%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50-54 132,000 12.9%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55-59 118,000 11.6%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60-64 151,000 14.8%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
270,000 26.5%
65 + 119,000 11.7%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1,020,000* 100%* 1,020,000* 100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group figures do not add to totals due to rounding.
Source: Current Population Survey tables, available upon request from BLS.
The second table presents the differences between the veteran and
non-veteran unemployment rates within the eleven specific age groups.
Note that when the veterans and non-veterans in the civilian labor
force are standardized according to their specific age groups, the
veteran unemployment rates are higher for nine of the eleven age
groups.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unemployment Rate
Age Group -----------------------------------------------------------
Veteran Non-Veteran Difference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-19............................................... 29.4% 24.2% +5.2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-24............................................... 20.6% 15.4% +5.2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25-29............................................... 14.9% 10.7% +4.2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30-34............................................... 10.5% 9.1% +1.4%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
35-39............................................... 8.0% 8.1% -0.1%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40-44............................................... 6.7% 8.2% -1.5%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45-49............................................... 8.3% 7.8% +0.5%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50-54............................................... 8.4% 7.5% +0.9%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55-59............................................... 8.5% 6.9% +1.6%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60-64............................................... 8.0% 7.1% +0.9%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
65.................................................. +7.2% 6.5% +0.7%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The third table illustrates why the overall veteran unemployment
rate is lower than the non-veteran rate, despite the higher veteran
unemployment rates in nine of eleven age groups. Specifically, the
veterans in the civilian labor force are concentrated in the 45-65 age
range, with an average unemployment rate of 8.1 percent, while the non-
veterans are concentrated in the 18-44 age range with an average
unemployment rate of 10.9 percent. In light of the difference in the
age structure of the veterans and non-veterans in the civilian labor
force and the differences in unemployment rates by age, the overall
lower average unemployment rate for veterans reflects a comparison
between two groups that are not truly comparable. Therefore, the
overall averages are somewhat deceptive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veteran (Ages 18 and over) Non-Veteran (Ages 18 and over)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Age Group Percent of Percent of
Civilian Labor Unemployment Civilian Labor Unemployment
Force Rate Force Rate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18-44 32% 10.0% 59% 10.9%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45-65 +68% 8.1% 41% 7.3%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 100% 8.7% 100% 9.4%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. What are some of the unique employment needs of homeless
veterans?
Among their other unique needs, many homeless veterans require
stable housing and health care before they can be considered job-ready.
Similar to veterans in other DoL grant programs, each homeless veteran
needs to be assessed for transferable skills and skill development
prior to seeking employment. These individual assessments are conducted
by Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) grantees and form the
basis of a veteran's Individual Employment Plan (IEP), which addresses
his or her particularized employment needs, including:
1. job search workshops
2. job counseling
3. resume writing techniques
4. interviewing skills
5. on the job training
6. job development services
7. competitive job placement
8. job retention services
9. soft skills training, such as how to present oneself (i.e.,
dress, network)
Some homeless veterans may also have suffered an injury or illness
while on active duty, which can result in a serious reduction in their
employability. When this happens, the HVRP grantee must then secure
appropriate services in the local community to help the veteran
overcome the barriers incurred as a result of the injury or illness.
For example, a veteran suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) may participate in prescribed therapy to stabilize his or her
condition. After the treating physician determines that the veteran's
condition is stable enough for him or her to seek employment, the
service provider then works to place the veteran with an appropriate
employer. As part of these placement efforts, the service provider
typically follows up with the veteran and the employer frequently in
the first weeks of employment, and gradually reduces assistance until
the veteran is fully independent. Service providers refer to this type
of assistance as ``supported employment.''
Veterans who have suffered physical disabilities--such as
amputations--need a rehabilitation technology assessment to determine
if the physical disability can be overcome so that they can
successfully enter the workforce. In this situation, service providers
refer veterans to the Veteran Affairs (VA) Health Care system for these
assessments, including training on needed technology to help veterans
overcome the challenges presented by their physical difficulties in the
workplace. When the assessment and training are complete, the service
provider works to place the veteran with a suitable employer in a
position that does not further aggravate the disability. Some service
providers may also request reasonable accommodations on the job site.
Skilled job placement specialists are able to properly educate
employers on the need for reasonable accommodations while still being
sensitive to imposing undue burdens on the employer.
Another employment-related need common to the homeless veteran
population is reliable transportation. Transportation is especially
deficient in rural areas of the country where many homeless veterans
live. Service providers are required to link with local resources to
try and overcome transportation barriers to employment.
Perhaps the most difficult barrier for the provider of employment
services to homeless veterans to overcome is mental illness. In this
situation, service providers refer veterans to the VA Compensated Work
Therapy (CWT) program to help overcome this barrier. CWT is a VA
vocational rehabilitation program that endeavors to match and support
work ready veterans in competitive jobs, and to consult with business
and industry regarding their specific employment needs. In addition,
some service providers utilize on-the-job training as a trial work
experience to determine whether the veteran's skills match the
employer's needs. Other HVRP grantee service providers utilize the
``job carving'' technique, where job developers examine the employer's
needs and carve out specific duties within a veteran's ability despite
the presence of mental illness. The service provider then offers
supported employment, as discussed above, to the employer and veteran
as a means of ensuring job retention.
Two other issues impacting a significant number of homeless
veterans are substance abuse disorders and legal problems, such as
child support delinquencies and ``failure to appear'' warrants for
minor citations, which mostly result from their homelessness. These
obstacles are most effectively addressed when the veteran participates
in a transitional program that offers residential stability, employment
support and legal assistance, with the provider serving as the
veteran's advocate. Participation in a structured, supervised program
demonstrates the veteran's commitment to correcting past indiscretions
and opens up opportunities that might otherwise be denied.
Homeless female veterans and homeless veterans with families also
face unique challenges such as the need for reliable child care.
Moreover, many of these veterans may not come forward and seek the help
available to them for fear that their children may be placed into
foster care if they disclose their status as a homeless individual to a
service provider or other government entity. Unfortunately, this fear
of coming forward only exacerbates an already precarious situation.
3. There is a need to ensure that veterans are getting trained
and afforded ample opportunities to succeed. What kind of training
should combat arms veterans receive versus a non-combat arms veteran to
succeed in the job market?
The reality is that when it comes to employment training, all
veterans need a solid set of skills to be competitive. A veteran's
military experience makes him or her competitive in the job market;
each possesses critical ``soft skills'' such as leadership, strategic
planning, risk assessment, and management. However, some employers may
view PTSD or TBI as barriers for many young veterans being competitive.
Additionally, VETS believes that younger veterans experience some
difficulty translating their knowledge, skills, and abilities into
compelling language that employers understand. For these reasons, it is
important that every veteran be able to fully articulate his or her
personal story, experiences, skills, and value that he or she can
provide to a prospective employer. Thus, while the opportunity for
Federally supported training, available resources, and course content
should be uniform for both combat and non-combat veterans, their
individual stories, experiences, and employment needs will necessarily
differ.