Blog Post

Fighting Veteran Unemployment
Posted by Tom Tarantino on April 19 2012

In 2012 IAVA is tackling veterans’ unemployment on every front, in both the public and private sectors.  We are asking the country to address new veteran unemployment in six ways:

• 1. Create a Veterans Jobs Corps. (Public sector)
• 2. Hire vets. Work with IAVA to find them. (Private sector)
• 3. Defend veterans against job discrimination by fighting for USERRA enforcement and educating the private sector. (Public and private sector)
• 4. Incentivize the public and private sectors to implement veteran hiring preference.
• 5. Encourage veteran entrepreneurship through TAP training and corporate partnerships
• 6. Protect career-ready education programs for veterans by protecting the New GI Bill College, graduate school and vocational school benefits.

In 2012, IAVA's legislative work is particularly focused on number six: protecting career-ready education programs for veterans by protecting the New GI Bill college, graduate school and vocational school benefits and encouraging veteran entrepreneurship through TAP training and corporate partnerships.

 Almost one million veterans have chosen to use their education benefits when they leave service in order to get the critical skills and training they need to be successful in the workforce. Everyone knows that a great career requires a great (career-ready) education including college and graduate schools, vocational and technical training and training for entrepreneurs. Our vets deserve it for their service and our country needs them to lead.

This year, we’re asking the House and Senate to fight veteran unemployment by protecting education benefits that make college and vocational training possible, and enhance training for veteran entrepreneurs. With quality career-ready education and support, our veterans will be able to transition into meaningful careers and lead America as the New Greatest Generation.

To tackle this issue IAVA is asking Congress to do three things:

• 1. Improve transparency in all vocational and higher education programs so veteran students get the career-ready education they deserve
• 2. Fix loopholes and reduce fraud in the way New GI Bill tax dollars are spent so that all tax dollars are efficiently spent preparing veterans for employment
• 3. Expand training for veteran entrepreneurs so veterans who want to start their own businesses have the skills to do so.

IAVA is supporting the following legislation to tackle veteran unemployment in 2012:

House of Representatives

H.R. 4057 (Bilirakis)- Creates a comprehensive online tool that will inform veterans of all their educational and career training options. This tool will use data from Dept. of Ed and the State Approving Agencies to help veterans make choices that meet their needs.

H.R. 4390 (Grijalva)- This bill will curb aggressive and sometimes fraudulent recruiting practices by prohibiting schools to use government funds for marketing and recruiting.

H.R. 4052 (Stutzman)- This bill establishes an Excellence in Veterans Education Award.  This will be issued to GI Bill friendly schools by the VA based on the level of support schools give to their student veterans. It will provide an unbiased (and not marketing driven) way for student veterans to choose “Vet Friendly” schools and receive quality job training.

H.R. 4055 (Speier)- This bill will address a loophole in federal regulations (90-10 rule) that prevents the market from weeding out for-profit schools that do not provide the training veterans need to be successful in the workforce.

H.R. 4051 (Stutzman)- This bill extends the TAP program to facilities outside military bases. It will allow veterans to re-take TAP and access additional training such as the new expanded entrepreneurship boot camp after they have left service, or completed school.

Senate

S.2241 (Murray)- This bill will help ensure that veterans will receive quality job training when using their DoD or VA education benefits. It will collect data on student and institutional outcomes, educate consumers through improved counseling services, protect student veterans by curbing fraudulent recruiting and establish methods to ensure overall student success.

S. 2179 (Webb)- This bill will protect student veterans by ensuring schools and programs of education at schools are tied to legitimate educational and job training programs. It will mandate that schools report data on student success and services available at the school. It will also improve oversight of schools receiving DoD and VA benefits as well as individual counseling available to student veterans. Finally, it will provide a means for students to report fraud, waste and abuse by schools.

S. 2116 (Carper)- This bill will address a loophole in the federal regulations (90-10 rule) that prevents the market from weeding out for-profit schools that do not provide the training veterans need to be successful in the workforce.

S. 2246 (Boozman)- This bill extends the TAP program to facilities outside military bases. It will allow veterans to re-take TAP and access additional training such as the new expanded entrepreneurship boot camp after they have left service, or completed school.

S. 2296 (Hagan)- This bill will curb aggressive and sometimes fraudulent recruiting practices by prohibiting schools to use government funds for marketing and recruiting.

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