Sept. 5, 2013

Speaking on Aug. 27 to a crowd of veterans and their families in Houston, Vice President Biden announced two new rules that will advance veterans’ employment, as well as individuals with disabilities. Vice President Biden announced the rules while addressing the American Legion 2013 National Convention.

The first rule affects the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and puts in place a new hiring benchmark that will, for the first time, measure the compliance of federal contractors as it relates to veterans’ hiring. The benchmark level will be set at either the national percentage of veterans in the workforce (today, that works out to 8%), or the benchmark could be set “based on the best available data and factors unique to their [the contractors] establishments.”

The second rule affects Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and establishes a goal of 7% employment of individuals with disabilities for federal contractors.

“Veterans who go off and fight for their country,” Vice President Biden said, “Shouldn’t have to come home and fight for a job.”

To read more about these rules, and possibly sign up for introductory webinars hosted by the Department of Labor, visit the official websites. For the VEVRAA rule click here, and for the Section 503 rule click here.