NATIONAL VETERANS EMPLOYMENT & EDUCATION COMMISSION Paul E. Dillard Texas Chairman Joseph C. Sharpe Jr. District of Columbia Director The National Veterans Employment & Education Commission and its two standing subcommittees Employment and Veterans Preference, and Veterans Education, Other Benefits & Homeless are responsible for ensuring that America's veterans have the opportunity to provide, with honor and dignity, the economic necessities of life for themselves and their families. In order to achieve this goal, the commission and its committees work closely with government, NGOs and private-sector agencies such as the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Military.com, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Microsoft, the Small Business Administration (SBA), PNC Bank, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Prudential and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The National Veterans Employment & Education Commission continues to spearhead The American Legion s efforts to provide veterans with comprehensive education benefits, new employment and business opportunities. This commission is also heavily engaged in the fight to end homelessness among veterans. NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT & EDUCATION COMMISSION FORUM On Monday, Feb. 27, the National Veterans Employment & Education Commission assembled in Jefferson West, Concourse Level, Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C., to address education, employment and small business concerns regarding veterans and their families. The meeting started with an update from Colonel Adam Rocke, director, Soldier for Life Program, on the data and trends of transitioning soldiers into the civilian workforce. The Soldier for Life Program connects Army, governmental and community efforts to build relationships that facilitate successful reintegration of soldiers, retired soldiers, veterans and their families in order to keep them Army strong and instill their values, ethos and leadership within communities. Listed below are some of the data from the Soldier for Life presentation. 250,000 servicemembers transition 135,000 are soldiers 60 percent of soldiers are married
10 percent of enlisted retire; 30 percent of officers retire from the Army Army is 85 percent male 7 percent of enlisted have 4-year degree 1. The top 5 transitioning military specialties: 1) Infantry; 2) Quartermaster (Logistics); 3) Field Mechanics; 4) Engineers; 5) Signal/Communications 2. The top 5 bases transitioning from: 1) Ft. Bliss; 2) Ft. Hood; 3) Ft. Bragg; 4) Ft. Carson; 5) Ft. Campbell 3. The top 5 state transitions by the numbers: 1) Texas; 2) California; 3) Florida; 4) North Carolina; 5) Georgia Barbara Carson, associate administrator, Office of Veterans Business Development, Small Business Administration, briefed the commission on the multiple resources that are available for veteran entrepreneurs, such as the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University s (IVMF) V-WISE program, Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs), Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), SCORE chapters, and their roles in promoting veteran business. Carson also mentioned the statistics that veterans are 45 percent more likely to start a business than their civilian counterparts; consequently, 2.4 million, or 1 out of 10 small businesses in the United States are owned by veterans, and these veteran-owned small businesses have generated 1.2 trillion dollars in receipts within the last year. In addition, Parisa Featherson, program manager, Personal & Professional Development, Marine & Family Programs, Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS), briefed the commission on the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) program that Marines go through. The Marine TAP program includes an employer panel and career fair at the end of the TAP course, which the other service branches do not include. The Transition Readiness Seminar (TRS) has emerged from a one-time training event into a self-guided approach located at every Marine Corps installation delivered throughout a Marine s military career. The Marine For Life Cycle model which begins at recruitment and is extended to veteran Marines, has now incorporated transition readiness action points across the Marines service to enable them to gather resources and information to align with their future goals and aspirations. The Marine For Life Cycle approach allows the Marine to meet required career readiness standards prior to attendance at the TRS. Furthermore, Robert Worley, director, Education Service, VA, discussed the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and other educational benefits within VA. He noted that as of Feb. 23, VA had issued $72.8 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to 1,731,226 individuals since program inception in August 2009. Worley also mentioned that a new law requires institutions to submit to VA no later than one year after enactment an annual report on the academic progress of students receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. VA will include this information in its annual reports to Congress. In addition, the threshold for compliance surveys has also changed. Now, VA will need to conduct a compliance survey on institutions offering approved courses with at least 20 veterans of beneficiaries enrolled. Previously, the enrollment threshold was 300
veterans. VA must survey each institution at least once every two years. Lastly, the commission hosted a corporate and public sector panel in order to discuss issues that may hinder veterans from obtaining gainful employment as well as opportunities for them in high-growth industries. Topics included: how industry is leveraging veteran employees to recruit new veterans; attracting older veterans (over 45) into the workforce; outreach and retention; veterans preference; hiring freeze; and veterans getting into the cybersecurity field. The forum speakers included: Derek Fronabarger, chief of staff, Student Veterans of America (SVA); Linda Brooks-Rix, co-chief executive officer, AVUE Technologies; Timothy Green, director, Office of Strategic Outreach Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Barbara Debbage, foreign service IT recruiting manager, U.S. Department of State; Edna Vega, senior recruitment advisor, U.S. Department of State; Mark Escherich, program analyst, Veterans Recruitment & Hiring Programs, U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Hakeem Basheerud-Deen, director, Veterans Services, Office of Personnel Management (OPM); Michael Michaud, former assistant secretary, Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Thomas Dawkins, workforce development & education director, Microsoft Corporation; Florent Groberg, director, Veterans Outreach & the Eastern Region Community, The Boeing Company; Patrick O Leary, veterans affairs manager, United Parcel Service (UPS); Anthony Paolino, military & veterans affairs liaison, General Dynamics; and Heather Strawn, senior director of federal government affairs, AbbVie, Inc. FINANCIAL LITERACY AND VETERAN RESUME WORKSHOPS On Friday, Feb. 24, the National Veterans Employment & Education Commission hosted Financial Literacy and Veteran Résumé Workshops at the Washington Hilton. The workshops were designed to help veterans, servicemembers and their spouses find meaningful careers in the civilian workforce, expand their networks and gain the tools necessary to stand out throughout the hiring process. Speakers for these workshops included Rodney Rolland, human resources director, The American Legion, and Judy Viccellio, partner, New York Life. Following the morning workshops, attendees were able to mingle with each other and prospective employers during a networking luncheon. The forum speakers included: Lt. Col. Adam Grim, employment director, Soldier for Life; Sonny Sandelius, operations for academy programs, SANS CyberTalent; Donald Mills, FDM senior project analyst, Fannie Mae, FDM Group; John Tansill, head of veteran initiatives, FDM Group; and Thomas Abernethy, associate director, Accenture Federal Services. The new job fair/workshop dynamic The American Legion and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce created really has stepped outside the box, benefiting frustrated job seekers. The opportunity to polish and use the skills they have been refining during their job searches seemed to tremendously benefit participants. Job seekers stated that the workshops along with the job fair were very informative and filled with quality job opportunities.
Finally, in this 2016 Veteran Economic Opportunity Report focusing on the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative (VECI), VA provides a condensed update of the national portrait of the veteran population, and offers a framework for community-based engagement. VECI was a pilot program offering tailored local support that improves veterans economic success in 25 of the most populated metropolitan areas across the country. Listed below are some key findings in the report. Much emphasis remains on transitioning servicemembers and assisting them in effectively utilizing their educational benefits. In 2010-2015, DOD separated an average of 309,000 servicemembers. 90 percent of them were enlisted. We have seen an increase in positive education outcomes of transitioning enlisted personnel. During the period of 2010-2015, enlisted transitioning servicemembers increased their 4-year college degree attainment to 7 percent from 3 percent. While the increase of educational attainment has increased for transitioning military, Post-9/11 GI Bill flexibilities also support short-term training, on-the-job training programs (OJT) and registered apprenticeships. These opportunities provide an opportunity for further exploration and education. 1 out of 4 post-9/11 veterans are employed by the government industry (federal, state, local), followed by manufacturing, and professional and business services. While median income declined for the general population and veterans, both male and female veterans still trend significantly higher wages than their non-veteran counterparts. Other Key Findings Post-9/11-era veterans attain 11 percent higher median earnings than non-veterans with similar demographic characteristics. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is key in improving the economic opportunity of veterans and their families. Women veterans are doing well compared with their male and non-veteran female peers in both career earnings and education. Women veterans attain 14 percent higher median earnings than non-veteran women with similar demographic characteristics. Women veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill had a 10 percent higher completion rate compared with male veterans for all ages combined, an 8 percent higher completion rate across all individual age groups, and a 5 percent higher completion rate when compared with female students in the general population cohort. VETERANS HOMELESSNESS The National Veterans Employment & Education Commission hosted a homeless veterans site visit at the U.S. VETS facility in Washington, D.C. With 21 residential sites and nine service centers in 13 cities across six states, D.C. and the territory of Guam, U.S.VETS personnel go into local communities to find homeless veterans and guide them to crucial services. The range of services includes housing and employment assistance, as well as access to veterans benefits and treatment for mental and/or physical disabilities and substance abuse.
On the site visit, The American Legion received a briefing from U.S.VETS about their programs and services. U.S.VETS is the nation s largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive services to at-risk and homeless veterans. In addition, we had conversations with several veterans about the program and how helpful it has been in assisting them with becoming more independent and hopeful for the future. The American Legion s Operation Comfort Warriors Program donated $4,800 worth of comfort items and necessities to the U.S.VETS facility during the tour. The inkind donation was well received by U.S.VETS. VA and HUD reported roughly 40,000 homeless veterans on a single night in January 2016 (2016 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress). VA has taken decisive action toward its goal of ending homelessness among our nation s veterans. To achieve this goal, VA has developed a plan to assist every homeless veteran willing to accept services to retain or acquire: safe housing; needed treatment services; opportunities to retain or return to employment; and benefits assistance. Also, VA has implemented a prevention initiative Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF), which is VA s primary prevention program designed to help veterans and their families rapidly exit homelessness, or avoid entering it. The American Legion continues to place special priority on the issue of veterans homelessness. With veterans making up approximately 11 percent of our nation s total adult homeless population, there is plenty of reason to give the cause special attention. Along with various community partners, The American Legion remains committed to seeing VA s goal of ending veterans homelessness come to fruition. Our goal is to ensure that every community across America has programs and services in place to get homeless veterans into housing (along with necessary health care/treatment) while connecting those at-risk veterans with the local services and resources they need. VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP The National Veterans Employment & Education Commission conducted a Veterans Small Business Workshop on Friday, Feb. 24, at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C. Approximately 30 veterans and military spouses participated in this event. Participants traveled from as far away as New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as Maryland and Virginia. The workshop, Boots to Business Reboot, was specifically designed for servicemembers, veterans and spouses who own their own businesses or are thinking of starting one. The intensive entrepreneurship course was created by The American Legion in collaboration with local small businesses such as Vets GSA LLC, Goldschmitt & Associates LLC, and the National Veterans Small Business Coalition. The workshop featured informative sessions presented by Charles McCaffrey, director, Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), National Capital Region. Topics at the workshop included: Introduction to Business Ownership; Basics of Opportunity Recognition; Understanding Markets and Competition; Small Business Economics; Picking the
Right Legal Entity for your Business; Financing your Business; Introduction to Business Planning; and Business Resources. Following the informational sessions, participants were invited to a networking luncheon where they interacted with federal and private-sector representatives. Our commission understands that for many veterans, entrepreneurship is a viable option, especially for those veterans who may find the job market tough to navigate. Consequently, The American Legion recognizes how important it is that we assist and advocate on behalf for our veterans who are self-employed. This is why The American Legion is one of the few veterans service organizations that have invested in tangible programs and services for veteran entrepreneurs. The American Legion's Small Business Task Force is a consortium of accomplished veteran business owners who have volunteered to advise the Legion on legislative matters that pertain to veteran businesses. The group of 30 members shares their experiences -- ranging from the public and private sectors -- to help inform the National Veterans Employment & Education Division on matters relating to federal contracting for veterans, procurement and other areas that affect veteran business owners. CAREER FAIR The National Veterans Employment & Education Commission of The American Legion collaborated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to host a hiring event on Friday, Feb. 24, in the International Terrace, Terrace Level, Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C. This event started with an opening ceremony, which included speakers Cara Lustig, senior associate, events, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation; Timothy Green, director, Office of Strategic Outreach, Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS); Verna Jones, executive director, Washington, D.C. Office; and Legion National Commander Charles E. Schmidt. There were 65 employers from various industries and over 225 attendees that participated in the career fair. In addition, the smaller roundtables (at the career fair) gave prospective employers opportunities to engage job seekers in a more personal manner, creating a relaxed atmosphere where veterans felt comfortable practicing their pitches and seeking job opportunities. The American Legion manned a table at this event. The table was manned by Ariel De Jesus Jr., assistant director, and Donna Woods, assistant director, Human Resources Division. These staff members discussed how The American Legion assists veterans with reintegrating back to their local communities. Additionally, they answered servicemembers /veterans questions about benefits and described our programs, as well as explained how to become a member. The employers and participants at this event were pleased with the outcome. The employers stated that the participants were professional and qualified. The participants liked that employers were from different industries and willing to hire veterans.
AWARDS SELECTION The Commission s Awards Subcommittee met to select winners in the Employer of Veterans and Employment Service awards categories. Winners include: SMALL EMPLOYER: MEDIUM SIZE EMPLOYER: LARGE EMPLOYER: Precision Moulding & Woodworks, Inc. New Bern, N.C. Lowe s Improvement Center, Inc. Rapid City, S.D. Sansone Auto Mall Avenel, N.J. ENHANCE THE LIVES OF THE DISABLED: Lone Survivor Foundation Houston, Texas EMPLOYER OF OLDER WORKERS: LVER OF THE YEAR: DVOP OF THE YEAR: ES LOCAL OFFICE OF THE YEAR: MICHAEL GUTY HOMELESS VETERANS OUTREACH: Ken s Super Fair Foods & Shell Express Aberdeen, S.D. Reginald Parker Houston, Texas Bradley Aune Fargo, N.D. Eau Claire Job Center Eau Claire, Wis. Department of Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. ACTIVITIES 2015 2016 During the 2016 holiday season, the National Veterans Employment & Education Division sponsored a clothing drive for U.S.VETS. This organization assists homeless veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support. U.S.VETS houses 85 homeless veterans in their newly renovated facility in Washington, D.C. Additionally, we assisted in the planning and execution of the annual Stand Down (Winterhaven) at the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center. A total of 804 homeless veterans were provided services at this event. Finally, as The American Legion continues to address credentialing of servicemembers and veterans, a plan has been created to properly oversee the successful accomplishment of such an
endeavor. The purpose of credentialing servicemembers and veterans is to decrease the unemployment rate, ensure that military training is on par with their civilian counterparts, and guarantee that America can take full advantage of a skilled labor force. Accordingly, the National Veterans Employment & Education Division is taking several steps to accomplish this task: Host a working group meeting every quarter to ensure that stakeholders are provided an environment to exchange ideas, credentialing programs/initiatives, and new legislation that will be supportive and informative in our credentialing efforts; Work with members of Congress to create federal legislation to fill in gaps on credentialing barriers where state legislation has no jurisdictions; Work on a third credentialing summit that will highlight the progress made, while discussing future initiatives for additional impact.