by On February 29, 2024, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued updated resources to support federal contractors in meeting their obligations to veterans. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/vevraa. Under the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), federal contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from engaging in discriminatory employment practices against veterans and are required to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, and retain covered veterans. This includes requiring covered employers to develop strategic plans to meet their obligations (i.e., affirmative action plans for veterans).
If it has been awhile since you’ve looked at the OFCCP VEVRAA resources, you will find some fresh tools to use with both employees and HR team members. The recently released VEVRAA resources, for example, include a video highlighting the importance and benefits of self-identification for applicants and employees. Another video guides stakeholders in identifying which veterans are protected. Under Tools for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors, there are resources that serve as a map of best practices for employer compliance including tools like:
- Establishing a veteran hiring benchmark, either using the National VEVRAA Hiring Benchmark or establishing a benchmark specifically for your organization;
- Sample VEVRAA Affirmative Action Plan;
- Updated VEVRAA FAQs; and
- Promising Practices, summarizing successful compliance practices .
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/compliance-assistance/outreach/vevraa
