Articles Discussing Affirmative Action and Veterans

On August 1, 2018, the DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) opened the filing season for the 2018 VETS-4212 report. The VETS-4212 report is an annual report that provides information regarding the number of protected veteran employees in each job category, as well as the number of protected veteran new hires for the preceding 12-month period by job category. Covered federal contractors and subcontractors must file the 2018 VETS-4212 report if they held a federal contract or subcontract valued at $150,000 or more at any point during calendar year 2017. The deadline for filing the report is September 30, 2018.

OFCCP has announced the new Veteran Hiring benchmark will be 6.4% effective March 31, 2018. Affirmative Action Plans in effect until the March 31, 2018 date should utilize the prior year’s benchmark of 6.7%.

On March 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced that it was lowering the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark to 6.4 percent from 6.7 percent. The change applies to affirmative action plan (AAP) years starting on or after March 31, 2018.

VETS has announced a 45-day extension to the 2017 VETS-4212 filing deadline. The deadline has been extended from September 30, 2017 to November 15, 2017. In a post on it’s website, VETS stated

Coming out of the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act), signed by President Trump on May 5, the U.S Department of Labor has created the HIRE Vets Medallion Program. The program will award employers who “recruit, retain, and employ veterans, and who offer charitable services in support of the veteran community.”

The U.S. Department of Labor has published proposed regulations implementing Executive Order 13706, requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to give their workers the ability to earn up to seven days (56 hours) of paid sick leave each year.

On February 25, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited proposed rule1 to implement Executive Order 13706,2 which requires that covered federal government contractors provide employees with up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, including paid leave for family care. President Obama issued the executive order while renewing his call on Congress to pass federal legislation mandating paid leave for private sector employers.

As anticipated, the U.S. Department of Labor has published its proposed regulations implementing Executive Order 13706 – Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors. Today’s publication in the Federal Register initiates a 30-day public comment period. The comment period will close March 28, 2016.

In August 2015, OFCCP released an infographic designed to assist veterans understand whether or not they were covered under the protections of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) for affirmative action purposes. The infographic spawned recent discussions surrounding the implications and interpretations of OFCCP’s definition of a protected veteran.

Today, as a country, we celebrate our nation’s veterans and recognize all they have done. We give our sincerest appreciation to all those who have sacrificed and given their service for our country.

Executive Summary: The Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has issued its final rule implementing the reporting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA). As discussed in our prior Alert, VETS issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in February 2014, setting out its proposed revisions to the rule.

As new regulations from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) go into effect, the OFCCP has released guidance and materials to help covered contractors comply with the new requirements. The new resources include a hiring benchmark database, an updated outreach resources directory, and a Spanish language Section 503 self-identification form.

Executive Summary: The Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in which the agency proposes revising the regulations addressing reporting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA).

The DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to rescind the filing of the annual VETS-100 form and revise the filing of the VETS-100A reports. The proposal would make the following six changes: