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Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
Executive Summary
Enacted on November 7, 2002, the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-288) has the overall objective of "revising and improving employment, training, and placement services furnished to veterans." One provision of the Act requires workforce development programs funded in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide priority of service to veterans and, under certain circumstances, spouses of veterans (see Appendix A for a complete listing of the 20 programs affected by this provision).
The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) contracted with The Urban Institute to collect and synthesize information about service delivery for veterans among some programs that are already providing veterans with priority of service. Since the Employment Service (ES) funded under the Wagner Peyser Act already had a veterans' priority of service requirement, there is some experience in the workforce development system that can be drawn upon for implementing the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002. The strategies for serving veterans that are described in this report pre-date P.L. 107-288, are meant to be illustrative not exhaustive, and serve as examples of the way in which future priority workforce development services may be provided to veterans. It is not the purpose of this report, however, to supercede guidance regarding implementation of the Jobs for Veterans Act that has been and will continue to be provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.1
Research Questions and Methodology
This report is based on work completed over a seven-month period from March to September 2003 and addresses four categories of research questions:
- How is priority of service currently implemented for veterans? Which strategies seem to be relatively effective in informing veterans of services available, reaching veterans, and serving veterans? How are self-service activities and other electronic tools currently used in serving veterans?
- Are there strategies being used to apply priority of service to other populations that might be useful in serving veterans? What does priority of service mean within the context of the various DOL workforce development programs?
- Given the service delivery strategies that are currently being used to apply priority of service provisions, what alternative strategies, or models of strategies, might be considered for expanding the veterans' priority more generally? How can self-service activities and other electronic tools best integrate veterans' priority?
- What types of technical assistance might be most useful to state and local programs as they refine or adopt veteran priority of service policies?
In order to address these question areas, this report is based on a four-pronged methodology including:
- Information gathering, including a background review of available literature or reports on existing priority of service to veterans.
- Hands-on exploration of existing electronic tools including state labor department, workforce investment agency, or employment department websites. This electronic review was designed to help understand how various websites or electronic tools currently target veterans, as well as how they might be adapted to improve a focus on veterans.
- Discussions with experts to identify existing service delivery models in the programs to which the Jobs for Veterans Act applies. The experts included representatives of numerous national workforce development member organizations and veterans' organizations, and state and local veterans' representatives (e.g., DVETs and DVOPS and LVERs). In addition, input was received from 18 states identified through the discussions with experts. Of these 18 states, nine are states with the greatest population of veterans and together represent nearly 48 percent of the total veteran population in the United States.
- Site Contacts. After consultation with experts, three local programs were selected and
visited to conduct individual interviews and observe service delivery procedures—Grayslake, Illinois; Durham, North Carolina; and Washington, DC.
Through these discussions and visits, various strategies that are currently being used to apply service priority were identified, both those that are procedural in nature (e.g., using specialists such as DVOPs and LVERs) and those that are transactional or interactive (e.g., self-service resources, electronic tools, job listings).
Findings
Discussions with experts, in-depth interviews with local veterans' representatives, and visits to a small number of local programs revealed a wide range of current program strategies that are used to provide priority of service to veterans, as well as some strategies currently used in serving non-veteran populations (e.g., individuals with disabilities, migrant and seasonal farmworkers) that may be useful for providing veterans' priority of service. A broad range of
service delivery strategies is presented, in keeping with the high degree of flexibility that characterizes the workforce investment system and the discretion that program administrators have in designing systems and service delivery models.
Two categories of program strategies are identified:
- Procedural Strategies. State and local workforce development offices currently use several strategies to serve veterans within their regular office operations; and
- Electronic Web-Based and Other Self-Service Strategies. Given the increased reliance on the Internet in recent years, there has been an explosion in web-based, self-service strategies in the publicly-funded workforce development system.
Procedural strategies that give veterans priority can be described as those involving decisions about the ways in which staff, services, and/or workforce development systems are designed and operated. Five types of procedural strategies were identified including:
- Outreach Activities. Outreach activities currently being used by workforce development programs target both potential program participants (e.g., veterans or other special population groups) as well as employers. In some cases, programs have developed more directed outreach strategies to serve veterans with special difficulty accessing services such as incarcerated or homeless veterans. Some states also target outreach to employers—informing employers of the availability of 24-hour job order holds for veteran applicants or emphasizing the valuable skills that veterans bring to the workplace.
- Intake and Registration Procedures. Registration procedures that identify veteran status for all registrants or customers who enter a local One-Stop Center can facilitate priority of service at the initial as well as at subsequent visits. Veteran status can be determined immediately upon entry to the One-Stop Center or via pre-registration online. Some One-Stop Centers offer incentives to veterans who register such as additional assistance for veterans provided by veterans' representatives.
- Client Flow Adaptations. The general flow of customers through a One-Stop system can sometimes be modified in ways that improve services to veterans at various points in the system, from the front desk to referrals to programs within and outside of the One-Stop Center. Examples of client flow adaptations include allowing veterans to bypass general reception, and scheduling assessment times reserved for veterans.
- Role of DVOPs and LVERs. As One-Stop Centers evolve, the role of veterans' specialists is changing in some locations, as DVOPs and LVERs learn to take fuller advantage of all the services available in a One-Stop Center environment, and as One-Stop Center managers learn how to integrate veterans' staff into One-Stop Center systems. DVOPs and LVERs are involved in outreach to employers, participation in job fairs (some for veterans-only), job development, providing assistance with electronic job search tools, and performance monitoring, in addition to monitoring job postings, providing individual job search, and facilitating the provision of intensive services to veterans.
- Integration/collaboration with other programs. One-Stop Centers provide an opportunity to integrate veterans' priority into all office/program services by cross-training staff or by developing or revising state or local procedures, administrative policies, or guidelines regarding service to veterans through each program. A number of states already offer veterans' priority of service in other Department of Labor programs.
Service priority also operates within an interactive, self-directed, and predominantly electronic service environment. State and local workforce agencies and program operators have
expanded the concept of service priority beyond the temporal dimension (i.e., veterans or other priority groups get the "first shot" at a service slot or job opening) to include numerous alternative strategies for self-service priority of service. These strategies fit within two categories:
1. Informational Strategies. Several state and local websites offer veteran-specific legislative, entitlement, and contact information that surpasses the detail and scope of information provided to other subpopulations or the general public. In addition, the majority of,
if not all, local One-Stop Centers have non-web-based, self-service strategies including employment and training resource rooms and access to local job listings.
The electronic service environment was examined through an Internet exploration for all 50 states and the District of Columbia that included labor, workforce, or employment department websites. The results of this search are presented in Appendix B.
Four prototypical web-based models were identified:
- The Integrated Model combines extensive information on the state website with numerous links to external sources of information. Examples include: Alaska and California.
- The Centralized Model contains nearly all information on the website, with relatively few links to external sources. Examples include: New Hampshire and Oklahoma.
- The Gateway Model uses numerous links to gather together a rich source of varied information, while on-site content is minimal. Examples include: Colorado and Iowa (some regions).
- The Generalized Model requires that veterans access the same employment information and resources as the general public, with little or no veteran-specific information. Examples include: Georgia and Hawaii.
2. Job Matching Strategies. Many state job matching websites provide veterans with the option of self-identifying, which allows for various priority options within the job matching system. States that have job matching systems have implemented a two-pronged strategy—highlighting veteran applicants for employers while simultaneously encouraging veterans to selfidentify. Generally, registering applicants are presented early-on with a screen requesting information on veteran status. Veterans are encouraged to self-identify by being told that the information will be made available to employers searching for workers.
In addition, some states have pursued more informal options to increase veterans' priority in job matching systems such as providing veteran job applicants with more extensive assistance in entering resumes or other information into the job matching database. This reduces the extent to which such systems are truly models of self-service, but shows the flexibility with which different resources can be combined to implement priority of service in an electronic environment.
Conclusions
The Jobs for Veterans Act gives states and localities much latitude in implementing priority of service for veterans in DOL-funded programs. This approach is consistent with the flexibility afforded by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), in allowing local workforce development boards and One-Stop Centers to determine how best to meet the employment and
training needs of veterans. Based on discussions with experts and on-site interviews and observations, there are three suggested approaches that program administrators may want to consider when implementing the new priority of service provisions.
1. Establish Priority of Service Goals. Performance measurement and goal-setting can help to clarify the intent of priority of service and serve as a motivating force for all program staff. Possible goals include both those already included in workforce development programs and newly developed goals that are veteran-specific. Extending veterans' service measures (albeit with somewhat different target numbers) to non-veteran and non-Wagner-Peyser staff will increase awareness of veterans' priority of service in DOL programs and is one way to encourage all staff to: include veteran status as an inquiry for all customers, document veteran status in all programs, and coordinate with veterans' representatives and other staff of veterans' employment programs or services to assure that appropriate referrals are made.
Technical assistance should focus on clarification of DOL/ETA guidance as it develops, performance measurement theory and practice, and meetings that bring together staff from different programs to discuss definitions and goals for priority of service.
2. Consider Local Office Procedural Modifications. Procedural modifications that can be uniquely tailored to local operations to improve priority of service to veterans include, but are not limited to:
- Increased interprogram/interagency collaboration to better coordinate with co-located partner programs;
- Changes in registration and/or assessment procedures that may help program operators ensure that each veteran seen obtains the services and benefits to which he or she is entitled, and receives services that address individual needs as determined through assessment and/or case management;
- Modifications to data collection and reporting systems. To fulfill DOL's requirement under the Jobs for Veterans Act to report on whether veterans are receiving priority of service and whether they are being fully served by programs and grants covered by the legislation, program operators will need to collect veteran status information from individuals served by their programs or grants;2
- Physical changes at the program site. Possible changes may be as basic as improving signage, directing veterans to the veterans' service area and allowing them to bypass the main reception desk, or informing veterans that they will receive priority of service for a wide range of programs.
Program operators would benefit from technical assistance that shares the growing body of research literature on best practices. This literature could form the basis of technical assistance meetings, conference calls, or webcasts. In addition, on-site consulting related to client flow and staff training would be useful to programs as they implement priority of service.
3. Improve Self-Service Resources and Electronic Strategies. A number of state websites hold job orders for veterans, bring veterans to the top of the applicant list, and/or "flag" job applications from veterans. State workforce development websites can also be redesigned to improve access by and information for veterans. Strategies include additional links to other programs that provide priority of service to veterans, "veterans-only" job listings, and online e-mail links to veterans' representatives.
Based on the review of state websites, the following criteria may be useful in evaluating websites and identifying areas for improvement:
- Visibility of information. Are veterans' services/priority of service mentioned on the home page? Are there obvious links?
- Types of information (e.g., applicable legislation, job opportunities, training opportunities, other services),
- Active as well as passive features. Can the user e-mail for on-line assistance? Is an
electronic response provided? Is a toll-free number posted on the website?
- Evaluation component. Is there a user satisfaction survey on the site? Are user comments or suggestions solicited?
Analysis of website statistics such as number of users or "hits" per month, time spent at the site or at a particular page, search topics being used, and where possible, user characteristics will assist program operators in evaluating and improving their electronic tools.
Technical assistance should inform program operators and staff about the various electronic options that are available, the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the costs and ease of implementation. Training on the specific technologies selected and on monitoring and evaluating the use of the technology will enable program operators and staff to use electronic tools to their full potential.
Implementing priority of service as required under the Jobs for Veterans Act is in its early stages and it will evolve with the WIA One-Stop Career Center system. This report presents
promising practices for serving veterans that have already been implemented in ES programs, as well as lessons learned from programs serving other special populations. This information, along with additional guidance and technical assistance from DOL/ETA, will assist One-Stop Center partners as they continue to work together to ensure priority of service to veterans and improve services to all One-Stop Center customers.
Notes from this section
1 Program operators of affected programs should consult the U.S. Department of Labor Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 5-03 issued on September 16, 2003 and subsequent guidance issued
separately for each DOL/ETA affected program.
2 U.S. Department of Labor. "Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 5-03." September 2003.
Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
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