Have you ever thought about the troops and just how much
they have sacrificed for this country?
Have you ever wondered about why job applications always ask you
questions about whether you served in the US military? Today’s post about Equal Employment
Opportunity type laws will probably help you in answering those questions. As always, please feel free to leave your own
comments and opinions at the bottom.
EEO Laws - VEVRAA
To date, America’s longest war, the Vietnam War stretched
from 1955 to 1975. As an exercise in
stopping the spread of communism, Americans fought valiantly alongside the
South Vietnamese in bloody combat for decades.
In the course of war over 58,000 Americans had lost their lives and over
300,000 were wounded. The Vietnam Era
Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) was one of a number of
laws that were created to offer some protections for those Vets returning and
attempting to fit back into society. It
was created with the Vietnam Vet in mind, but applies to other veterans as
well. Generally speaking, federal contractors,
and sub-contractors with contracts over $100,000 must follow the guidelines
established under this act. It was
expanded and revised later by the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA)
Affirmative Action
and Discrimination
Under the VEVRAA, those employers that fell under the
umbrella must not discriminate against veterans. They must ensure that veterans are not
intimidated or retaliated against due to their veteran status. Additionally, those employers subject to the
act would be required to favor certain kinds of veterans in their hiring and
selection process. Types of veterans
that must be favored include:
--- Disabled veterans
--- Recently separated veterans (up to 3 yrs)
--- Veterans with a campaign badge
--- Vietnam era veterans
When posting jobs, employers must list most job openings with
local State employment services. There
are additional veteran preference provisions, but those were established and
expanded under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA).
Official complaints of discrimination and failure to
comply with the Affirmative Action provisions may be made with the Office of
Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) or through the local Veteran's
Employment Representative at a local State employment service office. Enforcement of the VEVRAA is also done
through the Veteran’s Employment and Training Service (VETS). Employees that feel they may have been
violated against must file in writing with VETS within 60 days of the alleged
infraction.
Employers subject to the VEVRAA should take care to
remember that failure to follow this law could open them up to lawsuits and the
possibility of losing their government contracts.
And remember all
of you Human Resources professionals: Be
Human... Be a Resource... Be a Resource
for Humans.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are by the author Trevor Stasik, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any employer or any other organization. Please note, this information is based on my understanding and is only to be used for informational and educational purposes. Do not take what I am writing as advice. Seek your own legal counsel and/or see a tax accountant before making business or personal decisions. The author of this post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
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