Veterans

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Veterans Employment and Training Service
Bill Slemmer Acting Director June 6, 2012
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VETS Mission

• VETS Proudly Serves Veterans Service
  Members! We Provide Resources and Expertise to
  Assist and Prepare them to Obtain Meaningful
  Careers, Maximize their Employment Opportunities,
  and Protect their Employment Rights.

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Overview of VETS Programs

• Jobs for Veterans State Grants (DVOP/LVER)
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
  Rights Act (USERRA)
• VA Vocational Rehabilitation
• Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP/TAP)
• Veterans Preference (VP)
• Priority of Service
• Homeless Veterans Reintegration Projects
• Veterans Workforce Investment Program

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Jobs for Veterans Act

• Jobs for Veterans Act, P.L. 107-288, provides
  priority of service to veterans and eligible
  spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of
  employment, training, and placement services in
  any job training program directly funded, in
  whole or in part, by the Department of Labor.
• Authorizes Local Veterans Employment
  Representative (LVER) staff and Disabled
  Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists.

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Reemploying Veterans through the Jobs for
Veterans State Grants

• Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP)
  Specialists and Local Veterans Employment
  Representative (LVER) staff
• Funded by US Department of Labor (DOL)/Veterans
  Employment and Training Service (VETS) grant
• Approximately 166 million 2,000 staff in
  Fiscal Year 2011
• State/County merit system employees
• Services to veterans and eligible persons,
  exclusively
• Network with other service providers in State
  workforce centers or One-Stop Career Centers
  (OSCC)
• http//www.dol.gov/vets/programs/empserv/employmen
  t_services_fs.htm

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Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialists

• DVOP Specialists reach out to veterans to provide
  intensive services to
• Special Disabled Veterans
• Other Disabled Veterans
• Barriers to Employment
• Emotional Challenges
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Physical Disability
• Lack of skills, education or training
• Substance abuse

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USERRA

• Intended to minimize the disadvantages to an
  individual that can occur when that person needs
  to be absent from his or her civilian employment
  in order to serve in the uniformed services.
• VETS provides technical assistance to service
  members and employers.

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DISABLED DURING SERVICE

• Employer must make reasonable efforts to
  accommodate the disability and qualify the
  employee for reemployment positions in the
  following order
• escalator position
• position equivalent to escalator position
• nearest approximation to the above
•  20 C.F.R. 1002.225

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TAP/DTAP Workshops

• Reduce reliance on unemployment compensation for
  ex-servicemembers (UCX) benefits
• Shown to reduce period of transition by up to
  eight weeks
• Available world-wide to separating military
  members/families
• TAP Facilitators
• Are trained by the National Veterans Training
  Institute (NVTI)
• TAP workshop subjects areas include
• Job Search / Readiness
• Labor Market information
• Training Opportunities
• Veterans Benefits especially for disability
  retirements
• Alternative (Post Separation) TAP Workshops
• http//www.dol.gov/vets/programs/tap/tap_fs.htm

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Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and Disabled
Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) Workshops
Military
Civilian
TO
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VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

• One Stop Career Centers are able to refer
  veterans to the VA who appear to need assistance
  to overcome barriers and become job-ready
• Following comprehensive assessment, the
  Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors will make
  entitlement determinations and develop a
  rehabilitation plan for one of five tracks
• Reemployment with previous employer
• Rapid employment services for new employment
• Self-employment
• Employment through long-term services
• Independent living services
• VRE staff members and DVOP specialists or other
  designated OSCC staff persons will partner to
  provide cooperative and comprehensive service to
  Title 38, U.S.C. Chapter 31 eligible participants
  at every stage during the rehabilitation process
• The VA Employment Coordinator in concert with the
  DVOP specialist provide job search assistance or
  perform targeted job development with employers
• If training is required, subsistence allowances
  may be available
• Since entering into the VA/DOL agreement in 1995,
  thousands of veterans with disabilities have
  benefited from the resulting cooperation and
  coordination between the two Federal agencies and
  State Workforce Agency/OSCC partners providing
  Job Search assistance
• www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/index.htm

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Veterans Preference

• By LAW, Veterans who are disabled or who served
  on active duty during a certain specified period
  of time or in a military campaign are generally
  entitled to preference over non-Veterans in
  hiring and reductions in force.
• Veterans preference does NOT however guarantee
  Veterans a job

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Veterans Preference Points

• 10 Points added to score that you meet the
  minimum qualifications for
• CPS 30 Disability rated by VA
• CP 0 20 Disability rated by VA

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Priority of Service

• Priority of Service in all DOL funded employment
  and training programs
• a veteran shall be given priority over a
  non-veteran for receipt of employment, training
  and placement services in job training programs
  if the veteran meets the programs eligibility
  requirements.
• Title 38, United States Code, Section 4215
• Title 20, Part 1010, Code of Fed. Regulations
• http//www.doleta.gov/programs/VETS/

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Self-Help Modalities

• USDOL/VETS Website http//www.dol.gov/vets
• Mil 2 Fed Jobs
• http//www.mil2fedjobs.com
• Turbo Tap
• http//www.turbotap.org (note the ORG)
• On-Line TAP (e-TAP)
• http//www.dol.gov/vets/tap/F-TAPSupplement-Creat
  eanEffectiveResume8.9.07.pdf

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Reemploying Veterans with Barriers

• Returning Servicemembers may present some
  significant physical or psychological barriers to
  employment
• Examples Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Substance Abuse
  Loss of sight, hearing or one or more extremities
• http//www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/vets/vets20081
  157.htm
• Available Supporting Interventions
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Psychological
  Counseling
• Substance Abuse Interventions
• Military Hospital Recovery, Prosthetic or related
  assistance
• Computer Assistance Program (Department of
  Defense)
• Case management and intensive services (JVSG)
• VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

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VETS Competitive Grants

• Homeless Veterans Reintegration Projects
• Urban, Rural, Stand Downs
• Approximately 36 million annually
• http//www.dol.gov/vets/programs/hvrp/homeless_vet
  erans_fs.htm
• Incarcerated Veterans Training Program
• 4 million
• Homeless Females Veterans with Families
• 5 million
• Veterans Workforce Investment Program
• VWIP authorized by WIA, Section 163
• Approximately 9 Million annually
• http//www.dol.gov/vets/programs/vwip/vwip_fs.htm

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Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP)

• Currently authorized under Title 38 United States
  Code, Section 2021, as amended by Section 5 of
  Public Law 107-95, the Homeless Veterans
  Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001.
• Section 2021 requires the Secretary of Labor to
  conduct, directly or through grant or contract,
  such programs as the Secretary determines
  appropriate to expedite the reintegration of
  homeless veterans into the labor force.
• Administered by the Assistant Secretary for USDOL
  VETS.

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HVRP Objectives

• (1) To provide services to assist in
  reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful
  employment within the labor force and
• (2) To stimulate the development of effective
  service delivery systems that will address the
  complex problems facing homeless veterans. 

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Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP)

• Authorized under Public Law 105-220, WIA Section
  168
• Employment Training Programs that meet the
  needs of veterans
• with service-connected disabilities
• veterans who have significant barriers to
  employment including ex-offenders
• veterans who served on active duty in the armed
  forces during a campaign or expedition for which
  a campaign badge has been authorized, and
• recently separated veterans (48 months).

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VWIP Objectives

• To provide services to assist in reintegrating
  veterans into meaningful employment within the
  labor force.
• To stimulate the development of effective
  delivery systems that will address the complex
  employment problems facing veterans.
• Currently VETS has awarded 17 grants in 14
  states, all focusing on Green Jobs

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Questions ?
Bill Slemmer Acting Director Slemmer.william_at_dol.g
ov [phone] [phone]