VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011
Implementation & Future Impacts
Curtis Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Karen Gross
President, Southern Vermont College
Robert
S. Carrington
VETERANS
BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
Special Assistant to the Director for Private Sector Engagement
Transition to Veterans Policy Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense
February 27, 2013
President’s Task Force
•
5 August 2011 -- In a speech at the Washington Navy Yard, President Obama
outlined his plan to reduce Veterans unemployment
– “You fought for us and now we are fighting for you -- for the jobs and opportunities you
need to keep your families strong and to keep America competitive in the 21st
century…." -- President Obama
•
November 21, 2011 -- President signed VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011
•
Task force formed
– Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor later joined by Department of
Education and the Small Business Administration
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Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to
Hire Heroes Act of 2011
•
Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) provides one year of Montgomery GI Bill
benefits ($1,564/month) to up to 99,000 Veterans
– Must be 35-60, unemployed, and without access to other VA education benefits
•
Improved transition of Veterans to civilian employment through expanded Vocational
Rehabilitation benefits
•
Enhanced tax credits for employers that hire Veterans
– $2,400, up to $9,600, depending on Veteran’s circumstances
•
Transition Assistance Program (TAP) made mandatory for all transitioning Servicemembers
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Current Legislation
Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2013
• Introduced in Senate on January 22, 2013
• Extends VRAP to March 31, 2016 (currently expires from March 31, 2014)
• Adds 50,000 “slots” during period April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015
– Adds another 50,000 April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2016
VRAP Extension Act of 2013
• Introduced in House on February 6, 2013
• Would extend VRAP to June 30, 2014
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Components of Transition GPS
MOC
Crosswalk
Goal, Plan, Success
PreSeparation
Counseling
Core Curriculum
VA Benefits
Briefing I
Topics for
Family
Consideration
Financial
Planning
Seminar
Special Issues
Technical
Training Track
DOL
Employment
Workshop
Education
Track
CAPSTONE
Event
Entrepreneurship
Track
VA Benefits
Briefing II
Individual
Transition Plan
Review
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Features of Revised Transition
Assistance Program
The focus of current efforts are to reform the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) into a
standardized, cohesive, modular, mandatory training activity to ensure career readiness.
•
Four major components consisting of:
– Pre-separation Counseling
– Transition Goals, Plans, Success (GPS) Core Curriculum
– Transition GPS Tracks (Technical Training, Education & Entrepreneurship)
– Capstone Activity
•
TAP transitions into Transition GPS with a Military Life Cycle focus
•
Based on select goal of Service to seek employment, higher education, technical training or starting
a small business
•
Focus is on ensuring that separating Service members are career ready by meeting required career
readiness standards
•
Reflects linked, interagency effort with Departments of Defense, Labor & Veterans Administration,
the Small Business Administration , and the Office of Personnel Management
VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
REDESIGNED SERVICE MEMBER TRANSITION SUPPORT
Vet Success
•
Veterans Success on Campus (VSOC) places experienced Vocational Rehabilitation counselors
on campuses to ease the transition of Veteran-students into academic life
– VSOC counselors provide basic academic counseling and guidance and can coordinate VA
healthcare and benefits services
– 8 campuses in FY2011, additional 24 in FY2012 -- adding 52 counselors in FY13
•
VetSuccess.gov seamlessly links together Veterans and employers seeking to hire them
– Provides military skills translators and resume assistance for Veterans
– Searchable databases of resumes and job postings
•
Veteran support services offered on-campus, such as The California State University system
•
Department of Education
– Grants with Connection to Veterans
– Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success
– Veterans Upward Bound Program
– Troops to Teachers Program
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Measuring Veterans Success
•
VA began tracking student retention data in 2009
•
Working with the National Student Clearinghouse to determine students’ success under the
MGIB
•
VA, DOD, ED Gap Analysis
•
Principles of Excellence and Implementation
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Questions?
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