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Veteran Speakers Network (VSN)EARN’s Veteran Speakers Network (VSN) helps businesses understand how to navigate the various resources available for hiring, retaining, managing and promoting veterans with disabilities. The VSN accomplishes this by speaking at events, conferences and other national speaking engagements. I am interested in having a member of the VSN speak at my event. I am interested in finding out more about or joining the VSN. |
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EARNWorks for Veterans –
Frequently Asked Questions for Veteran Jobseekers
If you have a question that is not addressed below, please contact us at: 1-866-327-6669 (M-F, 9 AM – 5 PM, EST) or earn@earnworks.com. We will typically respond within 24 hours of receiving a message or email.
Leaving the Service
- Where can I go to file for unemployment after separating from the military?
- I am a service member with a service-connected disability waiting for medical discharge in a couple of months. How can I receive training and information that will help me transition back into civilian life?
- What benefit will I get from attending a Disability Transition Assistance Program (DTAP)?
- Are National Guard members and Reservists eligible to attend DTAP classes upon leaving active duty status?
- Am I a veteran when released from active duty in the reserves?
- How do I get a copy of my DD214 and other military personnel records?
- Who do I contact if my military personnel records are wrong?
Looking for a Job
- Where can I get information about choosing a career and finding a job?
- Where can I find a veterans employment representative in my area to assist me with finding a job?
- Where can I get assistance with translating military experience and training to match civilian job descriptions?
- Where can I find information about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) employment and training programs for veterans?
- Where can I go if I want to start my own business?
Working for Federal Employers
- Where can I go to find out about how preference and special hiring authorities for veterans operate within the federal personnel system?
- Are veterans given priority on hiring when applying for positions with federal contractors?
- Are veterans given priority on hiring when applying for positions with the federal government?
- When does Veterans’ Preference apply?
- When does Veterans’ Preference not apply?
- Who meets the criteria for 5- point Veterans’ Preference?
- What are the conditions under the 5-point Veterans’ Preference?
- Who meets the criteria for 10-point Veterans’ Preference?
- What are some of the opportunities that 10-point veterans have when accessing federal jobs?
- What documentation do I need in order to claim Veterans’ Preference for federal government positions?
- Whom can I contact if I feel my employment rights have been violated during the federal government application process?
Leaving the Service
Where can I go to file for unemployment after separating from the military?
You can contact your local State Unemployment Insurance agency for information on unemployment insurance, job placement and referrals, employment and training programs, career and labor market statistics, payroll tax filing and workforce services.
I am a service member with a service-connected disability waiting for medical discharge in a couple of months. How can I receive training and information that will help me transition back into civilian life?
There is a partnership among the Departments of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), Transportation (DOT) and the Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), to give employment and training information to armed forces members within 180 days of separating from the military. Service members leaving the military with service-connected disabilities are offered the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP). DTAP includes the normal three-day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop plus additional hours of individual instruction to help determine job readiness and address the special needs of veterans with service-connected disabilities.What benefit will I get from attending a Disability Transition Assistance Program (DTAP)?
DTAP includes curriculum of the normal three-day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop plus additional hours of individual instruction to help determine job readiness and address the special needs of disabled veterans. Service members who are separating or retiring for medical reasons should request information from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Vocational Rehabilitation Program in order to apply to this program.Are the National Guard members and Reservists eligible to attend DTAP classes upon leaving active duty status?
Yes. National Guard members and Reservists leaving the military with a service-connected disability are offered the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP), which includes the normal three-day Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop plus additional hours of individual instruction to help determine job readiness and address the special needs of disabled veterans.Am I a veteran when released from active duty in the reserves?
Yes. As of July 1, 2006 Reservist and National Guard personnel receive veteran status once they are released from active duty.How do I get a copy of my DD214 and other military personnel records?
Contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to receive assistance with locating proof of military service, locations of military service records, correcting service records and discharges, and replacement of service medals and awards. You can also visit NARA's Web site for more information.Who do I contact if my military personnel records are wrong?
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can assist military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy or Coast Guard with correcting service records and discharges, locating proof of military service, locations of service records, and replacement of service medals and awards. You can also visit NARA's Web site for more information.Looking for a Job
Where can I get information about choosing a career and finding a job?
The Job Services & Employment Resources section of the National Resource Directory (NRD) provides information on counseling services and online tools to help you get a job and advance in the career of your choice, as well as links to government and private sector job listings with military-friendly employers. The NRD is a collaborative partnership among the Departments of Defense (DoD), Labor (DOL) and Veterans Affairs (VA).Where can I find a veterans employment representative in my area to assist me with finding a job?
Use the Veterans Affairs Office Locator to find your nearest VA office for job placement services and benefits information or call 1-800-827-1000.Where can I get assistance with translating military experience and training to match civilian job descriptions?
HireVetsFirst is a comprehensive career Web site that provides resources for matching employment opportunities with veterans. Resources for veteran jobseekers include resume writer (to help write resumes and cover letters), military translator (to help align military experience and training with civilian needs), online job search Web sites and other helpful links.Where can I find information about the Department of Labor’s (DOL) employment and training programs for veterans?
Call 1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365) to reach the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) or visit their Web site for employment and training programs for veterans, and for locations.Where can I go if I want to start my own business?
Visit the Small Business Administration’s Web site or read about the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act.Working for Federal Employers
Where can I go to find out about how preference and special hiring authorities for veterans operate within the federal personnel system?
Visit the USAJOBS Veteran’s Employment Resource Center or contact the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at 202-606-1800 or TTY 202-606-2532.Are veterans given priority on hiring when applying for positions with federal contractors?
Veterans with service-connected disabilities are highly sought by federal contractors but do not receive Veterans’ Preference points during the application process as they would for federal government positions.Are veterans given priority on hiring when applying for positions with the federal government?
Yes, veterans with service-connected disabilities receive preference in appointments to federal jobs. The federal government appreciates your sacrifice; therefore, Congress enacted laws to prevent veterans seeking federal employment from being penalized for their time in military service. Veterans’ Preference recognizes the economic loss suffered by citizens who have served their country in uniform, restores veterans to a favorable competitive position for government employment, and acknowledges the larger obligation owed to veterans with service-connected disabilities. For more information, visit the USAJOBS Veteran’s Employment Resource Center.When does Veterans’ Preference apply?
Veterans’ Preference applies to all competitive service positions, including:- Permanent (career) jobs
- Temporary positions
- Term appointments
When does Veterans’ Preference not apply?
- Internal promotion procedures (when two candidates are competing for a position internally).
- Positions filled non-competitively (transfers, reassignments, etc.).
- Veterans applying under Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA allows veterans to compete and be considered for federal government status positions but cannot use their Veterans’ Preference).
Who meets the criteria for 5-point Veterans’ Preference?
- Service members who served on active duty in the armed forces during a war (a war declared by Congress), a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized (El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia and Haiti), or between 4/28/52 and 7/1/55 (Korean War).
- Service members on active duty (other than training) for more than 180 consecutive days, anytime between 1/31/55 and 10/15/76 (Vietnam).
- Service members who served at any time during the Gulf War from 8/2/90 through 1/2/92.
- Service members who served for more than 180 consecutive days, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on the date prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law as the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
What are the conditions under the 5-point Veterans’ Preference?
- Must have been separated from the military under honorable conditions.
- Doesn’t include military retirees at or above the rank of Major or equivalent (unless they qualify as disabled veterans).
Who meets the criteria for 10-point Veterans’ Preference?
- Service members who have a compensable service-connected disability rating.
- Service members who are receiving disability-related compensation from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Service members who received the Purple Heart.
- A spouse of a veteran unable to work because of a service-connected disability or an unmarried spouse of certain deceased veterans.
- A mother of a veteran who died in service or who is permanently and totally disabled.
What are some of the opportunities that 10-point veterans have when accessing federal jobs?
- 10-point veterans may apply at any time (before or after a vacancy announcement is posted).
- For positions filled from an inventory (a large pool of candidates where resumes are held over a period of time), 10-point veterans can request to be added even if it is closed to other applicants.
- Service members can request that their applications be kept and notified for future vacancies for similar positions for up to 3 years.
What documentation do I need in order to claim Veterans’ Preference for federal government positions?
- A formal letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense (DoD) that shows the existence of a compensable service-connected disability.
- Valid disability documentation must be dated after 1990. (Before 1990, disability documentation had to be validated every 12 months. Disability documentation dated after 1990 is permanent and can always be used.)
- DD214, which verifies dates of service, honorable discharge, etc.
