Employment Initiatives for Veterans

1. Employment Initiatives for Veterans Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

2. The VA VR and State VR Relationship Memorandum of Understanding between Veterans’ Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and state VR • Coordination of vocational goals and services Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

3. DVOPs and LVERs • Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program Specialists (DVOP) provide intensive services to meet the employment needs of disabled veterans. • Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER) conduct outreach to employers and engage in advocacy efforts with hiring executives to increase employment opportunities for veterans, encourage the hiring of disabled vets, and generally assist them to gain and retain employment. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

4. Work Opportunity Tax Credit A business must file Form 8850 with the state workforce agency within 28 days after the eligible worker begins work. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

5. 3% Withholding Repeal and Job Creation Act (H.R. 674) • This Act benefits disabled veterans who have received at least six months of unemployment benefits in the year prior to their hire. The credit is equal to 40% of the first $24,000 in wages, for a total of $9,600. • A “disconnected youth” is a person, age 16 to 24 on the hiring date, who has not been regularly employed or attending school and who meets other requirements. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

6. Compliance Assistance The Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) Protects the employment rightsand ensures the re-employment of veterans, reservists and National Guard members after a period of active service and prohibits employment discrimination because of past, current, or future military obligations. It covers all employers, regardless of size, in the public and private sectors. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

7. Compliance Assistance, cont. Veterans' Preference Veterans who are disabled, who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods, or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others in hiring for virtually all Federal government jobs. *click on the Veteran’s Preference link above for more information Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

8. Compliance Assistance, cont. Federal Contractors All Federal contractors and subcontractors with contracts exceeding specific thresholds must take affirmative action to hire and promote qualified targeted veterans. In addition, they are required to file a VETS-100 annually, which shows the number of targeted veterans in their workforce by job category, hiring location, and number of new hires. *click on the Federal Contractors link above for more information Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

9. Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment VetSuccess Assists veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. For veterans with service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work, VetSuccess offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible. *click on the VetSuccess link above for more information Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

10. VA VR Services • Comprehensive rehabilitation to determine abilities, skills and interests for employment • Vocational counseling and rehabilitation planning for employment services • Employment services, such as job-training, job-seeking skills, resume development, and other work-readiness assistance Continued… Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

11. VA VR Services, cont. • Assistance finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives and job accommodations • On-the-Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and non-paid work experiences • Postsecondary training at a college, vocational, technical, or business school Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

12. VA VR Services, cont. • Supportive rehabilitation services, including case management, counseling, and medical referrals • Independent living services for veterans unable to work due to the severity of their disabilities Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

13. VA VR Eligibility Veterans are eligible if they: • Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable • Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) • Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccessservices Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

14. VA VR Eligibility, cont. The Basic Period of Eligibility in which VR&E VetSuccess services may be used is 12 years from the latter of the following: • Date of separation from active military services, or • Date the veteran was first notified by VA of a service-connected disability rating. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

15. Federal Hiring for Veterans • Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA) • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998, as amended (VEOA) • 30% or More Disabled Veteran • Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program • Schedule A Appointing Authority Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

16. Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment VRA is an excepted authority that allows agencies to appoint eligible veterans without competition. Veterans are VRA eligible if they: • Are in receipt of a campaign badge for service during a war or in a campaign or expedition; OR • Are a disabled veteran; OR Continued… Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

17. Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment, cont. • Are in receipt of an Armed Forces Service Medal for participation in a military operation; OR • Are a recently separated veteran (within the last 3 years); AND • Separated under honorable conditions (this means an honorable or general discharge) Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

18. Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment, cont. • Can be appointed under this authority at any grade level up to and including a GS-11 or equivalent. • There is no limit to the number of times a veteran can apply under VRA. • Veteran must provide acceptable documentation of preference or appointment eligibility. Continued… Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

19. Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment, cont. Acceptable documentation of preference or appointment eligibility: • The member 4 copy of the DD214, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty” • If claiming 10-point preference, submit a Standard Form (SF-15 [152 KB]), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference” Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

20. Veterans’ Employment Opportunity Act of 1998, as Amended To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, latest discharge must be issued under honorable conditions (an honorable or general discharge), AND must be either: • Preference eligible (defined in title 5 U.S.C. 2108(3)), OR • A veteran who substantially completed 3 or more years of active service Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

21. 30% or More Disabled Veteran Allows any veteran with a 30% or more service-connected disability to be non-competitively appointed if: • Retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more; OR • Has a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

22. VOW to Hire Heroes Act Beyond increasing to $9,600 the tax credit for hiring disabled veterans, the bill also would create new tax credits of up to $5,600 for employers hiring veterans who have job hunted at least half a year and $2,400 for those out of work for 4 weeks or more. Continued… Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

23. VOW to Hire Heroes Act, cont. In addition, it would expand education and job training benefits for veterans, improve employment counseling they receive while still in the military, and provide an extra year of job services for disabled veterans. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

24. Operation PAVE Operation PAVE: Paving Access for Veterans’ Employment • Paralyzed Veterans' vocational rehabilitation program (2007) Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

25. Additional Information • Individuals may be determined to be disabled anywhere along a continuum ranging from 10% to 100% disabled. • A veteran who is assessed at the 30% rating level would be expected to have a 30% reduction in earnings capacity due to disability. • Disability Pension program is means-tested, and earned income from employment would definitely impact a veteran’s eligibility for this program as well as the amount of payment due each month. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

26. References • Feds Hire Vets http://www.fedshirevets.gov • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Service http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/ • Office of Personnel Management—Federal Employment of People with Disabilities http://www.opm.gov/disability/appointment_disabilities.asp • U.S. Department of Labor—Vets Staff Directory http://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/main.htm • Benefits for Veterans with Disabilities http://www.vcu-ntc.org/resources/viewContent.cfm/948 Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services