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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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For Veteran Jobseekers
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 DTAP program?
- Are National Guard members and Reservists eligible to attend Disability Transition Assistance Program (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
- As a veteran with a service-connected disability, how can EARN help me find 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 DOL’s 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 veteran’s preference apply?
- When does veteran’s preference not apply?
- Who meets the criteria for 5- point veteran’s preference?
- What are the conditions under the 5-point veteran’s preference?
- Who meets the criteria for 10-point veteran’s 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 veteran’s preference for federal government positions?
- Whom can I contact if I feel my employment rights have been violated during the federal government application process?
What is EARN’s Veteran Initiatives?
EARN’s Veteran Initiatives is a service of the Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) that was established by the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) as a shared goal between veteran’s organizations and EARN to increase job opportunities for veterans with service-connected disabilities.
Leaving the Service
Where can I go to file for unemployment after separating from the military?
You can contact your local State Employment Office 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, Veterans Affairs, Transportation and the Department of Labor’s 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 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 DTAP program?
The Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) tells you how to obtain individual counseling aimed at learning how to handle a disabling situation. 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 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 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 www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/.
Who do I contact if my military personnel records are wrong?
The National Archives and Records Administration 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.
Looking for a Job
As a veteran with a service-connected disability, how can EARN help me find a job?
You can search for positions posted by EARN employers at jobsource.earnworks.com. EARN can also help you connect with the employers in your area by linking you with a local employment service provider in our network. To find a service provider in your area, call us toll-free at 1-866-EARN-NOW (1-866-327-6669), fax us at 703-448-7545, or email us at earn@earnworks.com.
Where can I find a veterans employment representative in my area to assist me with finding a job?
Contact the Veterans Affairs Locator to receive assistance from your nearest VA office for job placement services and benefits information by calling 1-800-327-1000 or visiting www.va.gov.
Where can I get assistance with translating military experience and training to match civilian job descriptions?
HireVetsFirst is a link that provides veterans seeking employment with resources for matching employment opportunities such as: resume writer (to help write resumes and cover letters), military translator (to help align military experience and training with civilian needs), online job search websites and other helpful links. Visit http://www.hirevetsfirst.gov.
Where can I find information about DOL’s 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 Services or visit http://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/main.htm for employment and training programs for veterans, and for locations.
Where can I go if I want to start my own business?
Contact the Small Business Association at www.sba.gov to receive information about The Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development.
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?
Contact the Office of Personnel Management at 202-606-1800 or TTY 202-606-2532 or visit www.opm.gov.
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 veteran’s 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. Veteran’s 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.
When does veteran’s preference apply?
Veteran’s preference applies to all competitive service positions, including:
- Permanent (career) jobs
- Temporary positions
- Term appointments
When does veteran’s 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 VEOA (the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act allows veterans to compete and be considered for federal government status positions but cannot use their veteran’s preference).
Who meets the criteria for 5-point veteran’s preference?
- Service members who served on active duty in the armed forces during a war, campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge 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.
What are the conditions under the 5-point veteran’s preference?
- Must have been separated from the military under honorable conditions.
- Doesn’t include military retirees at the rank of Major or Lieutenant Commander (unless they are disabled).
Who meets the criteria for 10-point veteran’s 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.
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 veteran’s preference for federal government positions?
- A formal letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) 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.
Whom can I contact if I feel my employment rights have been violated during the federal government application process?
Contact the Office of Personnel Management or the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment information page for assistance and information for veterans who are experiencing problems and feel that their rights have been violated.
