Cross- Agency Priority Goal: Veteran Career Readiness FY2013 Q4 Status Update

Transcription

1 Cross- Agency Priority Goal: Veteran Career Readiness FY2013 Q4 Status Update Cross- Agency Priority Goal Statement Improve career readiness of Veterans. By September 30, 2013, increase the percent of eligible service members who will be served by career readiness and preparedness programs from 50 percent to 90 percent in order to improve their competitiveness in the job market. Goal Leader Rosye B. Cloud, White House Policy Director of Veteran and Wounded Warriors and Military Families, National Security /Domestic Policy Council * * The goal leader transitioned to a position at the Department of Veterans affairs before the Q4 period.. About this document The Cross- Agency Priority (CAP) Goals were a key innovation introduced in the FY2013 Federal Budget. These goals focus on 14 major issues that run across several Federal agencies. Each of these historic goals has a Goal Leader who is a senior level White House official and is fully accountable for the success and outcomes of the goal. Historically, areas of shared responsibility for multiple government agencies have been resistant to real progress. Success in these areas requires a new kind of management approach one that brings people together from across and outside the Federal Government to coordinate their work and combine their skills, insights, and resources. The CAP Goals represent the subset of the President s priorities for which this approach is likeliest to bear fruit. This report discusses one of these CAP Goals, the Veteran Career Readiness Goal, in detail, describing the plan for achieving the goal and the current status of progress. To see the full list of CAP Goals and to find out more about them, we encourage you to visit performance.gov.

2 Contents Overview... 1 Strategies... 3 Accomplishments Future Actions Contributing Programs and Other Factors Additional References Overview Having successfully served and defended our nation, our Veterans are well- trained, highly skilled, and ready to apply their experiences to bolster the Nation s economy. The education and training gained through military service makes our Service members a tremendous source of value to any workplace, school, or community. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that over 1 billion dollars a year is invested in training and education to ensure that the active force is career ready and able to meet mission requirements. This goal focuses on implementing the President s commitment to improve career readiness for Veterans, reduce overall Veteran unemployment, and put Veterans to work. To create conditions for success, the White House economic and domestic policy teams have partnered with DOD, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Labor (DOL) the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Education (ED) to design and implement strategies which increase career readiness of all service members, regardless of branch of service or component. Historical data tracking separating service members shows less than 50 percent participated in transition programs geared toward preparing them for civilian careers. 2 Barriers to participation often cited include command support for attendance, access to curriculum, or rapid separations. With unemployment compensation paid by DOD near a billion dollars annually, there is a sound business case to be made for improved counseling and preparation for post- service careers. The Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act of 2011 requires that 100 percent of eligible separating service members receive transition assistance services, i.e., pre- separation 2 Comparison of yearly DOL Transition Assistance Program Participants with DOD Separators Throughput. 1

3 counseling, an employment workshop and services, and VA benefits briefings. A complete overhaul of the existing transition program by the Federal government led to the launch of a unified curriculum called Transition Goals, Plans, Success or Transition GPS. Transition GPS includes updated job- seeking tools to assist separating service members in translating their military specialties into comparable private sector parlance. The program also helps Veterans capitalize on educational opportunities provided by the GI Bill to build or enter careers of their choosing. In FY 12, 160,182 service members completed this training. In FY 13, that number grew to 187,037 as the program is implemented. This report highlights accomplishments that have occurred across both private and public domains to improve Veteran career readiness. Leveraging a wave of public support for our Veterans, Federal, State, local, private sector, and non- profit organizations have partnered to develop programs and initiatives that reach out to Veterans, their spouses, and their families providing benefits in both the short and long term to improve the quality of life of this segment of our society that has given so much. Areas such as education, vocational rehabilitation, job skills training, resume writing classes, assistance in translating military knowledge to civilian skills, employer incentives, and links with local and national Chambers of Commerce have occurred through the efforts of many responding to the challenge given by the President. The Veterans Career Readiness Cross- Agency Priority (CAP) Goal seeks to improve the career readiness of Veterans through the following four key strategies: 1. Ensuring service members are prepared for separation. Ensuring service members are fully prepared for separation requires a dual approach. First, apply a dedicated focus on the individual service member by bolstering and standardizing the career counseling services received prior to, during, and post separation. Attention on key issues such as financial counseling, personal goal setting, and strong information sharing and referral will improve the transition for the service members. Additionally, before final departure from the military each service member will participate in a standalone CAPSTONE event. This end- of- service event will verify Career Readiness Standards (CRS) have been met and execute a warm- handover to Federal and local services that can continue to assist as needed the individual Service member pre and post transition. 2. Maximizing Veterans career development potential. To ensure that Veterans and their families have the high quality resources necessary to maximize their career potential, we will transform the approach to education, licensing and credentialing opportunities. 2

4 3. Partnering with public/private industry to employ the unique skills of Veterans. Veterans have received the best military training in the world. Through partnerships with states, communities, and the private sector we are promoting the hiring of Veterans and increasing knowledge of their skills and experiences. 4. Fostering Veteran entrepreneurship. By working closely with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its resource partners, we can equip service members with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to leverage opportunities and become successful entrepreneurs. Strategies Strategy 1: Ensuring service members are prepared for separation. Ensuring service members are prepared for service separation and reentry into civilian life through the following sub- strategies: Developing a revised Transition Assistance Program (TAP) curriculum: Following the intent set forth in the VOW ACT, the Department of Defense, in partnership with the VA, DOL, OPM, SBA, and ED are providing enhanced services for our service members as they transition from active duty to civilian life. Previously, transition preparation for the service member entering the civilian workforce occurred late in a service member s military career lifecycle near the point of separation. Now, these concepts will be incorporated earlier in a service member s career to ensure that the counseling, assessment, and access to resources to build skills or credentials, occurs at earlier stages of the military career. Additionally, as part of the Administration s newly re- designed military transition program, the SBA has developed a Veterans entrepreneurship training program entitled, Operation Boots to Business: from Service to Startup. The President s Budget provides $7 million to expand this program in 2013, providing exposure to entrepreneurship training to all 250,000 service members who transition from active duty to civilian life each year. Key Measure 1: Increase separating Veterans' access to transition services to 90 percent. There were 144,242 participants in the DOL VETS TAP program in FY11, and 160,182 participants in FY12. There have been 187,037participants in FY13 as well as 5,973 workshops. 3

5 Optional training tracks scheduled for deployment across all military services will be in- place by March of CAPSTONE is a critical element of ensuring vulnerable or at- risk service members are provided a strong referral and warm- handover to services post transition. This is designed to be more than a validation and review of transition program standards. All military services are incorporating this program into their transition services. Approximately 369,590 Post 9/11 era Veterans were enrolled in DOL s Veteran s Gold Card from November 11, 2011 through July 30,

6 Strategy 2: Maximizing Veterans career development potential. Ensuring that Veterans have the tools and support to maximize their career development potential through the following sub- strategies: Ensuring standards of excellence in GI Bill education: To ensure our service members, Veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed decisions concerning their educational benefits, the President directed his Administration to develop principles of excellence to strengthen oversight, enforcement, and accountability within these benefits programs. These principles were codified in an Executive Order signed in April o Progress update. As of January 3, 2014, VA has issued approximately $35.4 billion in Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to 1,118,406 individuals and their educational institutions since program inception in August Sixty percent of these claimants are under the age of 35. Thus the nation s younger Veterans are, indeed, using this benefit to better prepare themselves to enter the labor market. o VA offers Educational and Career Counseling Services to Veterans. This service helps Veterans within a year of separation or who are using a GI Bill benefit with counseling to help them identify what they want to do. Aptitude testing and other means are provided to help Veterans determine what educational path they want to pursue. During FY12 and FY13, almost 10,900 Veterans benefited from this service. o Through Title 38 U.S. Code, Part IV, Chapter 63, Section 6303, VA reaches out to Veterans who do not have a high school diploma or GED at the time of separation to ensure these Veterans are aware of the benefits available to them. In FY11, VA successfully contacted 1,425 Veterans. In FY12 that number increased to 1,432, and in FY13, 1,559 contacts were made. Efforts such as this ensure Veterans are aware of their benefits, especially education benefits that help them become better prepared to enter the labor market and gain meaningful employment. Streamlining civilian credentialing for service members and Veterans: In May 2012, the Department of Defense established a DOD Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, whose purpose is to identify opportunities where civilian equivalent occupational credentialing and licensing can be earned by Service members. The objectives of this review are to facilitate recruitment, ease transition of separating Service members, and aid fulfillment of key skill shortfalls in the private sector. 5

7 o Progress update. With the help of the Task Force s efforts, more than 2,200 Service members from 57 occupational areas are participating in these pilot programs to earn credentials and licenses in high demand occupational areas, such as: aircraft mechanic, automotive mechanic, health care, transportation, supply and logistics, machinist, and welding. This number will continue to increase as Services begin implementing the information technology (IT) pilot. The First Lady challenged all 50 governors to take action to have legislation for credentialing and licensing for Veterans by As of the end of September 2013, 18 states have passed laws removing barriers to service members and Veterans earning state licensing, especially in the areas of emergency medical technician, paramedics, commercial driver s license, and licensed practical nurse. More states are considering similar legislation. For example, 43 states now recognize military driving experience for purposes of earning commercial driver licenses. On April 29th, the White House sponsored a kick- off event to announce the information technology pilot between DOD and several major IT companies to assist both transitioning and mid- career service members in earning IT certifications. The White House also hosted four military credentialing and licensing roundtables which included representatives from DOD, military services, the Departments of Transportation and Health and Human Services, academia, state licensing agencies, and subject matter experts, focusing on: transportation, academic credit, emergency medical services and advance medical operations. Preparing military spouses for the workforce: DOD delivers a comprehensive education and career solution for military spouses pursuing training, jobs, and sustainable careers by providing career services and connecting them to employers seeking military spouse employees with 21st- century workforce skill sets. DOD's Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) currently has more than 160 partners, who have hired over 36,000 military spouses across numerous employment sectors: corporate, government, non- profit, healthcare, academia, and small business, many of whom offer transferrable, portable career opportunities to relocating military spouse employees. The Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program is focused on four areas: My Career Exploration (career assessment, interest/skill inventories); My Education and Training (financial aid, licensing/credentialing, Post 9/11 GI Bill, Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship); My Career Readiness (interview skills, resume preparation, work environment, childcare, transportation); and My Career Connections (MSEP, USAJobs.gov, regional/local employers). 6

8 Expanding military spouse license and credential portability: Nearly 35 percent of military spouses in the labor force require licenses or certification for their profession. Many military spouses hold occupational licenses and routinely move across state lines, causing licensing requirements to disproportionately affect the military spouse population. 3 o Progress update. The First Lady and Dr. Biden encouraged all 50 governors to pass legislation by 2014 to reduce the financial and administrative strains that 100,000 military spouses incur from trying to get their state licenses or certification credentials to transfer from state to state as they move. Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden reached out to governors in February 2012 when only 11 states had legislation on the books. Since February of 2012, 25 states have passed spousal licensing legislation, bringing the overall total to 36 states with military spouse licensure measures in place. An additional 10 states have active spouse licensure bills. Key Measure 2: Increase use of Post 9/11 education programs to obtain degrees, certifications, and credentials. Progress Update: As of January 3, 2014, VA has issued approximately $35.4 billion in Post 9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to 1,118,406 individuals and their educational institutions since program inception in August "Supporting Our Military Families: Best Practices for Streamlining Occupational Licensing Across State Lines." Joint Report of the United States Department of Treasury and Department of Defense. 7

9 Strategy 3: Partnering with public/private industry to take advantage of the unique skills of Veterans. Fostering conditions, both internal and external, that utilize Veterans abilities: Launching the Joining Forces Initiative: The President issued his challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 Veterans or their spouses by the end of Efforts to encourage private sector hiring have been led by First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and their Joining Forces initiative. o Progress update. Since the launch of Joining Forces, businesses have exceeded this goal by hiring and training more than 290,000 Veterans and their spouses. Additionally, companies have committed to hire or train an additional 435,000 Veterans and their spouses by the end of As of November, 2013 the Joining Forces initiative led to 380,000 Veteran and military spouse hires, and companies pledged to hire another 435,000 Veterans and military spouses by the end of Companies such as the Blackstone Group, JP Morgan,, and Disney have stepped forward and hosted employment summits to help other companies learn about Veterans and how to find and hire them. Also, VA, DOD, and DOL along with the Chamber of Commerce are planning an employment summit in El Paso TX, February 3-4, These are examples of the combined efforts of Federal, State, local, public, private, and non- profit organizations that are on- going to help our Veterans. Creating two new Veterans tax credits: In November 2011, the President signed into law two new tax credits for hiring Veterans, both of which were included as part of the American Jobs Act. The Returning Heroes tax credit provides an incentive of up to $5,600 for firms to hire unemployed Veterans and the Wounded Warrior tax credit doubled the existing tax credit for long- term unemployed Veterans with service- connected disabilities to $9,600. On January 3 rd, 2013, the President signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which extended these tax credits for one year, to December 31, These tax credits provided employers incentives to hire short and long term unemployed Veterans and were somewhat successful. Hiring more Veterans in the Federal government: On November 9, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13518, Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government, which established the Veterans Employment Initiative. The Initiative outlines the most comprehensive approach to improving employment opportunities for Veterans the Federal Executive Branch has ever undertaken. It seizes on three central themes: 1) honor our sacred obligation and trust to our 8

10 Nation s Veterans; 2) utilize the talents of Veterans to help the Government meet today s dynamic challenges; and 3) build a program worthy of emulation by the private sector. Through the effective leadership of the Council on Veterans Employment which is co- chaired by the Secretaries of VA and Labor with the Director of OPM serving as the Vice Chair or COO, the Initiative continues to help Veterans seeking Federal employment opportunities, hiring more than 260,000 Veterans since 2009.The Federal government has also helped lead efforts to employ Veterans, hiring more than 200,000 Veterans since o Progress update. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the Executive Branch of Government hired the highest percentage of Veterans in over 20 years, surpassing the previous high set in FY The Government hired approximately 195,000 new employees in FY 2012 as compared to approximately 230,000 new employees in FY a reduction of over 34,000 total hires. Of those 195,000 FY 2012 hires, approximately 56,000 were Veterans, equaling 28.9 percent of total hires. This is a 4.9 percentage point increase over the FY 2009 baseline of 24.0 percent and approximately 0.6 percentage points higher than the 28.3 percent realized in FY 2011.In FY2012, there were a total of 195,139 new hires within the Federal government. Of these, 56,422 were Veterans. This equates to 28.9% Veterans of all Federal new hires in FY2012. Increasing hiring of Veterans in healthcare- related fields: The President challenged community health centers to hire 8,000 Veterans approximately one Veteran per health center site over the next three years and the Health Resources and Services Administration pledged to open up career paths beyond nursing and expand opportunities for Veterans to become physician assistants. o Progress update. HHS has partnered with the National Association of Community Health Centers to assist health centers to hire Veterans, with the goal of hiring 8,000 Veterans. According to recent survey data, from approximately one- third of health centers, during the past two years more than 600 new hires have been Veterans - representing approximately 8% of new hires. About one- third of those new hires were in non- clinical positions. HHS is working with the Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that Veterans are aware of health centers as potential employers as well as health care providers. o In September 2013, HRSA awarded nearly $2.3 Million in grants for the new Veterans- to- BSN (VBSN) program. This new grant program aims to increase the enrollment and graduation of Veterans from accredited baccalaureate 9

11 (BSN) nursing programs across the country. Nine projects were funded through HRSA s Bureau of Health Professions. Each project focuses on developing processes for awarding academic credit for prior military medical training, as well as help Veterans progress through and graduate from an accredited BSN program by offering supportive services such as mentorship, academic and social support services, as well as training faculty members at grantee institutions. The VBSN program will prepare and assist Veterans for practice and employment as baccalaureate- prepared nurses in local communities. Developing online tools to boost Veteran employment: To connect Veterans with employment opportunities posted online, the Department of Labor, in partnership with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, launched the Veterans Jobs Bank, an easy- to- use tool to help Veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them. Additionally, the Department of Labor launched My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows Veterans to enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. o Progress update. Since November 7, 2011, the My Next Move for Veterans website has received more than 1,238,093 visits through December 31, 2013, with over 4.7 million page views. Additionally, since going live in November of 2011, the Veterans Job Bank has showcased over 2.7 million jobs and has supported over 1.8 million job searches. Increasing access to intensive reemployment services: Post 9/11 Veterans are now able to download the Veteran Gold Card, which entitles them to enhanced reemployment services including six months of personalized case management, assessments and career counseling at their local American Job Center. o Progress update. Approximately 396,590 new Post 9/11 era Veterans were enrolled in DOL s Veteran s Gold Card from November 11, 2011 through July 30, Of those new enrollments, 205,695 were offered and accepted a staff assisted or intensive service within the month of enrollment. This is a percent rate of service receipt within the month of enrollment. (Note: Includes self- service and/or virtual enrollments within the overall counts of Veterans enrolled.) Connecting military spouses with employers: Through the Joining Forces initiative and the Department of Defense s Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), more than 44,000 military spouses have been hired and more than 1.2 million jobs have been posted on the MSEP jobs web portal. 10

12 Key Measure 3: Gain 100,000 commitments to hire Veterans from the private sector by a. Progress Update. As of November 2013 the Joining Forces initiative led to 380,000 Veteran and military spouse hires, and companies pledged to hire another 435,000 Veterans and military spouses by the end of 2018, with major commitments from: a. Blackstone, which committed to hiring 50,000 Veterans across its portfolio companies in the next five years. b. JPMorgan Chase, which leads the 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of 101 private sector companies that have hired 92, 869 Veterans and commits to hiring 100,000 Veterans by c. U.S. Bank, which committed to doubling Veteran hiring during 2012 and

13 Strategy 4: Enable Veteran entrepreneurship. Providing the tools and resources that enable more Veteran entrepreneurship: Helping more Veterans start businesses through increased access to capital: Veterans own nine percent of all U.S. firms and more than 2.4 million Veteran- owned businesses employ more than 5.8 million individuals. The Small Business Administration s Veteran entrepreneurship program track provides transitioning service members with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to evaluate opportunities and become successful entrepreneurs as they transition out of the military. o Progress update. In Fiscal Year 2012, SBA supported nearly $2.1 billion in lending to over 2,800 Veteran- owned small businesses, including Patriot Express loans and microloans. Veterans Advantage, a new loan initiative intended to facilitate lending to Veteran- owned small businesses so that they have the tools they need to start and grow their businesses, began on January 1, 2014 and will run through September 30, Veterans Advantage will reduce the up- front costs to 0% for Small Business Administration Express loans over $150,000 and up to $350,000 approved to small businesses owned by qualified Veterans. Supporting Veteran firms with the new Quick App for surety bonds: In August 2012, SBA announced a new streamlined application to help small business owners bid and compete for contracting opportunities. The Quick App for surety bonds under $250,000 combines two applications into one to make it easier and faster for small businesses and contractors, including Veteran- owned small businesses, to compete for contracts. Service- Disabled Veteran- Owned Small Business contracting: The Service- Disabled Veteran- Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Concern Procurement Program allows Federal agencies to set acquisitions aside for exclusive competition among SDVOSB concerns. o Progress update. For the first time ever, the goal of 3% of SDVOSB spent in federal contracting funds was met in FY Veterans Business Outreach Centers: The Veterans Business Outreach Program (VBOP) is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and mentoring, and referrals for eligible Veterans owning or considering starting a small business. The SBA has provided grants to 15 12

14 organizations across the country to serve as Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC). Launching Boots to Business, a public- private partnership to train transitioning service members in entrepreneurship: The Boots to Business program uses a multi- phased approach to introduce transitioning service members to the fundamentals of small business ownership and to the SBA tools and resources available to them. o Progress update Through the end of Calendar Year 2013, 6,120 service members from the Marine Corps, Navy, Army and Air Force bases across the country have participated in the Boots to Business program. The Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities SBA and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University s Entrepreneurship Boot camp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) offers cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship service to post- 9/11 service disabled Veterans. The EBV program is designed to open the door to business ownership for service- disabled Veterans by developing skills through quality, real- time instruction and activities associated with launching and growing a small business, and by helping these Veterans leverage programs and services that enable them to start, manage, and grow successful small firms. o Progress Update. In FY 2013, 185 service- disabled Veterans from eight renowned colleges and universities completed the program. Since 2011, 56% of EBV graduates have started a new business. Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V- WISE) consists of an online training program and an in- person three- day conference where participants are exposed to accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators from across the United States. The program includes two tracks of training: (1) a growth track tailored to those participants already in business; and (2) a startup track focused on potential future entrepreneurs. Courses include business planning, marketing, accounting/finance, operations/production, human resources and work life balance. o Progress update. Since the inception of V- Wise, 1066 female Veteran, spouses and companions of Veterans have been trained. Key Measure 4: Increase number of Veteran entrepreneurs by 20 percent. 13

15 Through the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2013, the Small Business Administration and its resource partner network counseled or trained 150,741 Veteran and service disabled Veteran small business owners. In addition, since 2009, SBA has nearly doubled the number of SBA Veteran Business Outreach Centers nationwide. Accomplishments Since the announcement of the President s commitment to improve career readiness for Veterans, reduce overall Veteran unemployment, and put Veterans to work, and his challenge to the country to improve economic opportunities for Veterans, a number of significant and effective improvements have occurred. Examples include: The unveiling of the Joining Forces initiative challenged private industry to commit to hiring Veterans. Private industry accepted the President s challenge and responded by hiring 380,000 Veterans and spouses and with a commitment to hire 435,000 more. Clearly, private industry made a public commitment to hire Veterans and has proven they hold to that commitment and even expanded their commitment to hire more Veterans and spouses. The Department of Defense, in collaboration with the VA, DOL, OPM, ED, OPM, and the SBA, have implemented a comprehensive change in transition preparation for Service members leaving the service and transitioning to civilian life. The DOD Transition to Veterans Program office (TVPO) was established to oversee the implementation of the redesigned Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and TVPO has published new Career Readiness Standards (CRS) that Service members must meet prior to separation. A new curriculum, Transition Assistance Program - Goals, Plans, Success (Transition GPS), provides a multifaceted set of skills- building modules that teaches Service members how to meet CRS, e.g., produce a 12- month post separation budget. The curriculum is a cross- agency effort with VA, DOL, and SBA staff delivering workshops at military installations across the globe. The interagency partners converted the entire Transition GPS curriculum to a Virtual Curriculum (VC), now available to Service members worldwide, 24/7. Veterans and family members can also access the VC from the VA and DOL websites. The DOD published new policy that requires Commanders, or the Commanders designees, to verify, prior to separation, each Service member s CRS and to document this readiness on an new Defense form that becomes part of the Service member s permanent personnel file. Necessary warm handovers of the transitioning Service member to VA or DOL staff are also codified on the form. The DOD s Defense 14

16 Manpower Data Center built a web service that will allow data sharing with interagency partners to track implementation progress and to discover the long- term outcomes of the entire interagency effort. The Military Services will develop and implement plans to embed the Transition GPS curriculum and the redesigned TAP processes across the military lifecycle by the end of Similar to the Joining Forces initiative, the 8 Keys to Success initiative is aimed at providing assistance to Veterans on our nation s educational campuses. To date over 400 colleges and universities have formally agreed to help Veterans achieve success while on their campuses and enrolled in their classes. Legislation supporting the hiring of disabled Veterans has been enacted. This legislation is focused particularly in the area of hiring disabled Veterans by providing tax incentives/credits to employers helping Veterans who have significant barriers to employment caused by service connected disability. The passage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill is, perhaps, the most comprehensive modification to education benefits for Veterans, their spouses, and dependents in years. Since its full implementation in 2010, over 1.1M Veterans, spouses, or dependents have applied for and received support from this program. This is a significant enhancement to the quality of life for our Veterans, their spouses, and their children. All branches of our Armed Services are addressing the education of their members on Veteran benefits, not only at transition, but throughout the period of service of the Member. The Departments of Labor and Veteran Affairs have established both bilateral and unilateral efforts to help Veterans with service related disabilities. The DOL s Gold Card, America s Job Centers, and My Next Move along with VA s Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and VA s Therapeutic and Supported Employment Services Programs provide complementary services to help Veterans with physical and mental barriers to employment learn to overcome their disabilities and find meaningful employment. Complementing this effort is DOL s America s Heroes at Work which is a web- based toolkit found at designed to assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to include transitioning Service members, Veterans, and wounded warriors in their recruitment and hiring initiatives. The VA s Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), aimed at unemployed Veterans between the ages of 35 and 60, helped train 15

17 and educate Veterans, making them job ready and able to compete in the labor market. As of 16 January 2014, the program had 143,139 applicants of which 126, 601 were approved. Expiring in March 2014, the program trained a total of 74,793 Veterans. The VA and the National Chamber of Commerce teamed together to develop a Guide to Hiring Veterans. This resource provides information and resources specifically for employers to help their efforts in hiring Veterans. A comprehensive document, this Hiring Guide provides details on DOL, VA, DOD, and other government- wide programs available to support employment initiatives. Working to meet the President s Executive Order to establish a consolidated web portal for Veteran employment, multiple organizations have teamed together to leverage government capabilities to construct a unified Internet presence. This Internet presence is for both Veterans and employers to use for employment purposes. For Veterans, the entry point currently is For employers, the current entry point is At the end of FY13, 6,700 employers were registered in VetSuccess.va.gov. Transparent to Veterans and employers is a linkage of systems from DOL, VA, and DOD resources that allow for posting of resumes and job announcements, and will ultimately, provide a means for employers to search resumes and connect with potential Veteran candidates. The Employment Portal of ebenefits.va.gov links to the Veteran Job Bank, which has 2.7 million posted jobs available for searching by Veterans. The Academic Credentialing Task Force was established. This Task Force brings DOD, Department of Education, and VA together to identify, support, and share promising strategies for institutions of higher education to use when evaluating military training and experience. The goal of this task force is to award appropriate amounts of academic credit for the skills and knowledge Service members gain through their service. A Task Force on expanding military license and credential portability was created and is working to break down the barriers that prevent Military members and their spouses from receiving licenses and credentials that are recognized by the various States to ease employment opportunities for our Veterans and their spouses. This is especially important for Service members transitioning out of the Services who have learned skills that are quickly transferrable to the private sector if credential requirements match. Equally as important is the transferability of credentials for working military spouses as they follow their Service member across the country due to transfer orders. 16

18 The VA s Vocational Rehabilitation and Education (VR&E) Program, has worked to expand its assistance to Veterans in their efforts to become job ready despite service connected disabilities. In the past year, VR&E has increased the number of rehabilitations by over 13% (576) rehabilitations. This is a significant increase for those Veterans who received the support they needed to become job ready and able to compete for employment opportunities. Veterans who used these resources saw a 480% increase in their salary because of the skills learned in through the various programs. Support to Veterans on campuses. The Veteran Success On Campus program has a formal presence on 94 college campuses around the country. This presence is in the form of counselors that can help Veterans access government programs to help them with medical or rehabilitative issues. These counselors can also help Veterans with the transition to college life and academics as necessary. Numerous Veteran Support Organizations, local Chambers of Commerce, and States have provided many more incentives and programs at the local level that support our nation s Veterans, their families, and dependents. All these initiatives are designed to increase the quality of life for those of our nation who have served and sacrificed to keep our Nation free. While unemployment rates for our Veterans have, in the aggregate, decreased over the past two years, there is still much to be done to ensure that as our Nation s military reduces in size after ten plus years of conflict, that the future generation of Veterans is supported in its efforts to obtain meaningful employment and a higher quality of life. These efforts have lead to an overall decrease in Veteran unemployment over the time of the CAP Goal. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show that the overall unemployment rate for all Veterans is at its lowest point since the initiation of the CAP Goal at 5.5% compared to a national unemployment rate of 6.4%. We recognize that certain sub- categories of the Veteran population still have employment challenges, but continued efforts will target these segments to assist them in finding meaningful employment. However, initiatives like the ones highlighted above have leveraged the nation s willingness to hire Veterans and their spouses, have provided form and function along with real discernible means to provide an economically stable and secure life for our Veterans and their families. Future Actions While this FY Cross Agency Priority Goal has reached the end of its goal cycle, per timeframes included in the GPRA Modernization Act, this cross- agency 17

19 effort will remain an administration priority. Efforts related to this goal will continue to be implemented using a variety of performance management approaches and will be led by the VA in coordination with DOL, DOD, SBA, HHS, and OPM. To receive updates on other Cross Agency Priority Goals from the FY cohort, please visit performance.gov. Maintaining forward progress is the key to success. Steps already in place will continue, and measures and programs under development will continue to move forward to provide the best care and support for our nation s Veteran population. Examples of potential future performance measures could be: The number of military members who meet Career Readiness Status prior to separation and the number of Service members meeting VOW compliance as this number shows DOD, VA, and DOL collaboration. Efforts to connect with employers to determine skills gaps will inform efforts to educate and train Veterans to meet the needs of employers and, potentially, lead to a better fit of the Veteran with the employer. Contributing Programs and Other Factors Agencies contributing in part or in whole to this goal include the following: Offices of the First Lady and Dr. Biden (Joining Forces) Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Defense Department of Labor Department of Health and Human Services US Office of Personnel Management Small Business Administration The Federal government is just one of a number of stakeholders that are dedicated to reaching this goal. To accomplish this goal, non- Federal agencies also bring their unique assets to collaborations in order to change the way we support successful Veteran reintegration into society. Additional References National Resource Directory: ebenefits Portal: My Next Move for Veterans: Veteran Gold Card: Joining Forces: Hiring Our Heroes: 18

20 Veteran Recruiting: VetSuccess Federal Employment Information for Veterans 19