Vets job programs: What you really need to know - Civilian Jobs, Military to Civilian transitions, Jobs for Veterans - Navy Times

Vets job programs: What you really need to know

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office revealed a tangle of federal government programs established to help veterans find work. The report examined six such programs, run by the Labor and Veterans Affairs departments, describing who the programs serve, what they do and other important facts. The six and what you need to know if you apply:

Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program

Who it’s for: A broad group of veterans, with those who are disabled or face significant barriers to employment receiving first priority.

What it does: Employment counseling, training, and job referral and placement.

What you should know: The GAO found that this program overlaps some others, and federal officials have discussed restructuring it so that it focuses more on the vets most in need of employment help. Change could be on the way.

Employment Representative Program

Who it’s for: Prior active-duty veterans who were not dishonorably discharged, disabled veterans and others.

What it does: Employment counseling, training, and job referral and placement.

What you should know: Veterans generally get connected to this program by first going through the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program.

Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program

Who it’s for: Homeless veterans.

What it does: GED assistance, literacy and remedial academic support, employment counseling, training, and job referral and placement.

What you should know: This is one of the federal government’s most comprehensive employment programs, but it serves a comparably small number of veterans: fewer than 16,000 between July 2010 and June 2011.

Transition Assistance Program

Who it’s for: Service members transitioning out of the military and their spouses.

What it does: Employment counseling, job-readiness training and job search help.

What should you know: The program received less funding than any other on this list in fiscal year 2011 but used that $7 million to work with more than 140,000 service members over that period.

Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program

Who it’s for: Veterans who are disabled or face significant barriers to employment.

What it does: GED assistance, literacy and remedial academic support, employment counseling, training, and job referral and placement.

What you should know: The Labor Department is attempting to defund this program because of its high cost per veteran served.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Who it’s for: Disabled veterans.

What it does: GED assistance, literacy and remedial academic support, employment counseling, training, and job referral and placement.

What you should know: To qualify for this program, veterans must typically have a 20 percent disability rating and difficulty finding employment.