By TOM HAYNIE
Veterans are coming home and we are welcoming them with open arms. However, challenges await them as they begin their transition back to civilian life. Whether returning to work under Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act or entering the workforce for the first time, the veteran faces hurdles. Yet, never before has so much help been available to assist our returning war heroes with education, training, housing, employment, career counseling, family and medical support and more.
The table at right, adapted from Bureau of Labor Statistics data, shows the number and percent of employed and unemployed veterans as compared with the nonveteran civilian population.
The following is a list of some of the programs offered to veterans today.
n Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
n Veteran Opportunity to Work Act (VOW)
n Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
n VA Yellow Ribbon Program
n O*NET for military
n Veterans Job Bank
n Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP)
n Veterans Job Bank
n Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS)
n Nevada Hire Veterans First
n Department of Labor Gold Card
n Post 9/11 GI Bill
n Montgomery GI Bill for Reserve and National Guard veterans
n Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)
n Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP)
n Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP)
n Veteran Employment and Training Act
n Jobs for Veterans Act
n Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
n Nevada Silver State Works
n Veteran Owned Small Business and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business programs (VOSB and SDVOSB)
n For other post-9/11 programs, see http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/.
According to the Department of Labor, Veterans Employment & Training Service, "The Transition Assistance Program was established to meet the needs of separating service members during their period of transition into civilian life by offering job-search assistance and related services."
The Transition Assistance Program (www.dol.gov/vets/programs/tap/) is open to service members and their spouses. The goal is to make the transition from military to civilian less difficult and less costly to the government. It has been estimated that those who participate in TAP found their first post-military job an average of three weeks sooner than those who did not participate.
The services offered by TAP include three-day workshops. Staff members from the state employment services, military family support services, Department of Labor contractors and/or Veterans Employment and Training Services facilitate the workshops. The presentations include information and training on job searches, career decision-making, current occupational and labor market conditions, and resume and cover letter preparation and interviewing techniques.
The Veteran Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 enhances TAP to ensure it is effective, measure its success and require an ongoing review of the program to strengthen it.
According to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, "Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, more veterans are getting a secondary education than ever before. Forty-eight percent of veterans using education benefits are enrolled in four-year colleges and universities, 33 percent are enrolled in two-year colleges, 8 percent are enrolled in graduate school and 11 percent are enrolled in an on-the-job training program or apprenticeship."
Roy Brown, state veterans employment services coordinator for the Nevada Department of Education Training and Rehabilitation, said that the majority of veterans returning to Nevada are with the National Guard. He has not seen a large increase in the number of veterans from other branches.
Two veteran assistance programs have similar names and are handled by different departments: The Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program for Reserve and National Guard members and the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program.
The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program was mandated by Congress in 2008 under the National Defense Authorization Act. It holds information events and activities for National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities with resources throughout the deployment cycle before, during, and the critical months after a service member returns from deployment.
Prior to deployment, attendees receive useful information to assist with the challenges of extended separation and deployment. This includes training, resources and services to help service members and their families plan ahead for deployment and/or mobilization. Subject matter areas may include financial preparation, emotional health, household support, deployment safety and other strategies to help the service members and their families transition into the deployment phase.
During deployment, events provide information, resources and services specifically to families and employers of deployed/mobilized service members. These events focus on addressing challenges and stressors associated with separation that families may experience, while providing an opportunity for families to connect with one another.
Thirty- and 60-day Post-Deployment Events focus on helping service members and their families reconnect after deployment, provide information about resources that can help reduce the stressors associated with a long separation and educate the service member and his or her family about the benefits they have earned as a result of their deployment.
The 90-Day Post-Deployment Event centers on the completion of the Post-Deployment Health Reassessment. Specific programs focus on the service member and their adjustment and reintegration process. Service members also will have the opportunity to reconnect with other members of their unit.
Additional information on YRRP available to Nevada National Guard and Reserve members can be found by contacting the YRRP Army National Guard event coordinator in Las Vegas at 702-632-0515 and in Reno at 775-384-5823 or by visiting the YRRP website at www.jointservicessupport.org/YRRP/.
The VA Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.
A veteran attending a private college, graduate school or vocational school that is a Yellow Ribbon participating school could receive additional funds for their education program without an additional charge to their entitlement. Information on the VA Yellow Ribbon Program can be found at http://gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/yellow_ribbon_program.html.
Veterans returning from military service come equipped with a work ethic that places them in the upper ranks of the kind of employees that employers are looking for, according to Brown.
He said, "A number of local employers seek out veterans for employment because of their proven work ethic and dedication to the job."
Nevada's Hire Vets First program focuses on National Guard veterans; however, any veteran can come into a Nevada JobConnect office and apply.
The Veterans Job Bank (www.mynextmove.org/vets/profile/ext/vetsjobbank) connects unemployed veterans to job openings with companies that want to hire them. The site is a new, easy-to-use, online service that enables employers to "tag" job postings for veterans. It launched with more than 500,000 job listings, a number that will continue growing as more companies tag the job postings on their own websites and add them to the Veterans Job Bank.
One of the greatest challenges is to show an employer that the veteran has transferable skills. Military terminology does not always translate easily to civilian jargon.
A number of sources have been created to help in this transition. One notable example is O*NET Online which was created for the Department of Labor. Touted as the nation's primary source of occupational information, O*NET's database contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is available to the public at no cost and is continually updated.
O*NET includes a special section for military personnel making a transition to the civilian workforce. By accessing the O*NET website at www.onetonline.org/ the veteran can link to a website called My Next Move for Veterans (www.MyNextMove.org/vets.)
Veterans will find an easy search engine where they can enter their Air Force AFSC, Army and Marine Corps MOS or Navy and Coast Guard rating. That links them to the information they need to explore related civilian careers and training, including information they can use to write resumes that highlight civilian skills. My Next Move for Veterans contains a link to an online assessment, the O*NET Interest Profiler, which provides results comparable to the Strong Interest Inventory used in TAP.
Brown said that Nevada JobConnect offices have local veteran employment representatives who contact businesses and engage in advocacy efforts with hiring managers to increase employment opportunities for veterans, encourage the hiring of disabled veterans, and generally assist veterans to gain and retain employment. The Local Veteran Employment Representative staff conducts seminars for employers and job search workshops for veterans seeking employment.
The Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specifically handles veterans with barriers to employment. Both local LVER and DVOP staff can source the full range of job development services and training programs available at both Nevada JobConnect and the VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program locations.
Veterans should check the Nevada state job bank system for available jobs which are not open to the public outside of state resources. Nevada JobConnect helps with the application process and resume construction.
"Resume building has been seen as a particular obstacle for returning veterans," said Brown.
Many returning veterans who entered the military shortly after high school have never produced a resume and it is essential that they don't lose an opportunity because of a poorly constructed one.
Also linking to MyNextMove.org/vets are other resources for veterans looking for employment.
The National Resource Directory is a website for connecting wounded warriors, service members, veterans and their families with those who support them. It provides access to services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. Some of the resources covered are benefits and compensation, education and training, employment, family and caregiver support, health, homeless assistance, housing, transportation and travel and volunteer opportunities.
The U.S. Department of Labor Gold Card provides unemployed post-9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today's job market. The Gold Card initiative is a joint effort of the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and the Veterans Employment and Training Service.
An eligible veteran can present the Gold Card at his/her local One-Stop Career Center to receive enhanced intensive services including up to six months of follow-up. The enhanced in-person services available for Gold Card holders at local One-Stop Career Centers may include:
n Job readiness assessment, including interviews and testing
n Creation of an Individual Development Plan.
n Career guidance through group or individual counseling.
n Provision of labor market, occupational, and skills transferability information.
n Referral to job banks, job portals, and job openings.
n Referral to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors.
n Referral to training by WIA-funded or third party service providers.
Many of the new benefit programs are available primarily to post-9/11 veterans. However, veterans from all periods of service should search out benefits available to them. The first step may be to research on the Internet for information and contacts. Websites for the Veterans Administration, Department of Defense, Nevada JobConnect, National Guard and others listed above would be a good place to start.
