United States Department of Labor

Veterans

ODEP works with and supports a number of Department of Labor initiatives that provide training and employment services to veterans and returning service members with disabilities.

Gold Card

DOL's Gold Card initiative provides post-9/11 era veterans who are unemployed with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today's job market. Eligible veterans can present their Gold Cards at their local American Job Center to receive enhanced intensive services including up to six months of follow-up, including:

• Job readiness assessments, including interviews and testing;
• Career counseling;
• Referrals to job banks and job openings;
• Referrals to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors;
• Monthly follow-up for up to six months.

For more information, go to http://www.dol.gov/vets/goldcard.html.

My Next Move

My Next Move at www.MyNextMove.org/vets is a DOL resource where veterans can use a simple and quick search engine to enter their prior military experience (branch of service and military occupation code or title) and link to the information they need to explore information on civilian careers and related training, including information they can use to write resumes that highlight related civilian skills.

Elevate American Veterans

DOL and Microsoft have joined forces to create Elevate American Veterans, an initiative that provides veterans in various communities with vouchers for no-cost training that can lead to important industry recognized credentials. In addition, Microsoft will provide in-person support to ensure veterans and their spouses are successful in their training and certification, and the local workforce areas will help connect the veterans and their spouses to potential employers in their area. For more information about this initiative, including where the vouchers are being distributed, visit http://www.microsoft.com/veterans.

Feds Hire Vets

FedsHireVets.gov is a web portal sponsored by U.S. Office of Personnel Management in partnership with the Departments of Labor, Defense, Veterans Affairs, and other Federal agencies, providing federal employment information for veterans, transitioning service members, their families, and federal hiring officials. The site has a wealth of information on opportunities and special hiring authorities, practical tips on things like building an effective resume, and success stories.

Elaws Advisors

DOL's eLAWS "advisors" help employees and employers learn their rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws, and there are three specifically relevant to veterans:

• The e-VETS RESOURCE ADVISOR assists veterans, service members and all those who support them to quickly and easily navigate information on a range of topics, including benefits and compensation; education and training; employment; and thousands of other services and resources: http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/vets/evets/menu.htm.
• REEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS — DOL's Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor helps employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under USERRA.
• VETERANS' PREFERENCE — The Veterans' Preference Advisor explains preferences veterans may be entitled to in federal employment opportunities.

Additional Resources

TOOLS FOR VETERANS IN THE WORKPLACE — For information on accommodations in the workplace that may be helpful to veterans, see the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Veterans and Service Members page Veterans Employment Resources.

DISABILITY.GOV — For links to the Department of Veterans' Affairs Employment Center and many other resources for veterans with disabilities, be sure to check out www.disability.gov.