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1.                    Participating in a five state licensing and certification pilot project that is funded by the USDOL Veterans Employment and Training Service (USDOL/VETS).  The goal is to develop an electronic shell of information guides for military personnel that will inform them about certification and licensing requirements and help them prepare to meet those requirements prior to their separation from the military.  The pilot projects will:

•            Gather and catalog information about certification and licensing requirements and guidelines for the chosen occupations.

•             Gather and catalog information from the military services about training that is pertinent to the certification and licensing requirements of the chosen occupations.

•             Correlate and cross-walk the above information.

•             Obtain recognition from credentialing entities for military training and experience that can expedite the certification and licensing process.

1.                    Moving beyond the USDOL/VETS research database project to help veterans earn civilian licenses and certifications – and place them in jobs.  The project currently is focused on five occupational clusters: commercial driving, information technology, aircraft mechanics, metalworking and stationary engineering.  Activities are funded primarily by Ohio General Revenue Fund (GRF) Workforce Development dollars and include:

•             Promoting the Veteran Certification project via the Internet and print materials.

•             Building partnerships and alliances with licensing and certifying organizations, state agencies, veterans organizations, and employers.

•             Training OBES Vet Reps to screen and qualify veterans for participation in the project and facilitate the action needed to obtain occupational credentials.

•             Development of grant agreements with two commercial driver licensing centers to provide low cost licensing services to veterans. The maximum cost per veteran would be $250.00.

1.                    Extending our ability to license and certify veterans through a  JTPA Title IV-C grant for $50,000 from USDOL/VETS.  This funding enables us to provide licensing and certification assistance for disabled, recently separated, or Vietnam-era veterans.

Accomplishments to Date

                There have been hundreds of hits on Ohio’s veteran licensing and certification website since the beginning of April, 1999.  While there is no way to know how many of these veterans have used this information to pursue credentialing on their own, Ohio has been working with seventy-two veterans or soon-to-be-separated military personnel who currently are at some stage of the licensing and certification process in one of five areas:  metalworking, stationary engineering, information technology, airframe and power plant maintenance, and commercial driver licensing.  This includes military personnel located in Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Hawaii, Maryland and California who have contacted Ohio for licensing and certification information. 

                Ohio focused primarily on helping veterans earn a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). Since the project began credentialing veterans earlier this year, five veterans have received their CDL by downloading an experience verification form that is available from the project website and submitting it to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  These veterans obtained a waiver of the driving and inspection tests for commercial truck driver and only had to complete a written exam to obtain their CDL. 

                Ohio has been able to verify that nineteen veterans received their CDL and obtained employment through the pilot project.  Twelve of these recently separated veterans were unemployed at the start of the program.  The average length of unemployment for these veterans was reduced to nine weeks as a result of the licensing project.  This was a five week reduction in Unemployment Compensation Ex-military (UCX) benefits compared to all other UCX recipients in Ohio.  The veterans were receiving an average weekly UCX benefit amount of $275.  The CDL program already has saved the Department of Defense over $16,500 in UCX benefits.

                The average starting wage for these veterans is $11.65 per hour through CDL licensing.  The average wage for entry job orders filled in Ohio for the period ending 6/30/99 for Motor Freight was $10.51 per hour and for the transportation industries was $8.45 per hour.  This has already added approximately $275,000 in taxable income in the State of Ohio in less than one year.  Just imagine what will happen with a continued and expanded licensing and certification program in the State of Ohio and nationwide.

                Ohio’s average cost per placement is approximately $500.00 per veteran at this time.  The expenditures and returns in wages and deceased UCX benefits show that this program is not a hand-out, but is an opportunity. The expenditure of $500 per veteran resulted in an average UCX savings of $1375, providing DOD a net savings of $875 per veterans. Based upon Ohio’s estimated average UCX claim, the project has the potential to save DOD approximately $70 million dollars a year for 1/3rd of the separating veterans.

Partnerships:

                Partners in the Ohio Military Veteran Licensing and Certification Project include the following organizations.  Those marked with an asterisk (*) are members of the advisory committee that was formed to provide guidance in the development and operation of the project:

                American Legion, Department of Ohio*

                AMVETS, Department of Ohio *

                Commercial Drivers License of Northern Ohio

                Disabled American Veterans, Department of Ohio*

                Federal Aviation Administration

                Gasel Transportation, Inc.

                Laurel Oaks Vocational Center

                MPW Industrial Services*

                National Institute of Metalworking Skills

                North Central Technical College

                Ohio Bureau of Employment Services*

                Ohio Department of Commerce - Industrial Compliance Division

                Ohio Department of Public Safety - Bureau of Motor Vehicles

                Ohio Governor’s Office of Veterans Affairs*

                Ohio State Approving Agency *

                Ohio Technical College

                U. S. Coast Guard, Ninth District Headquarters, Cleveland, Ohio

                U. S. Department of Defense

                U. S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training *

                U. S. Department of Labor - Veterans Employment and Training Service *

                U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs

                Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Ohio*

                Vietnam Veterans of America, Department of Ohio*

                Wright Patterson Air Force Base - Dayton, Ohio

Publicity:

                The Ohio Bureau of Employment Services (OBES) held an initial media event in November 1998 to announce the pilot project grant for providing licensing and certification services to separating and recently separated military personnel.  The media event received substantial coverage from the print and electronic media in Ohio.  The project has been bombarded with contacts from employers and other organizations wishing to join forces to provide licensing and certification services to separating military personnel, as a result of the initial press conference and subsequent newspaper articles and radio spots.  The media attention has led veterans statewide to inquire about certification and licensing.

                The project provides licensing and certification information on-line.  The first Internet-based information (Commercial Drivers Licensing) was published at http://www.obes.org in January 1999.   Additional credentialing information on metalworking, stationary engineering, and Federal Aviation Administration licensing for aircraft mechanics has been added to the site.   The project is able to reach thousands of separating military personnel with information about civilian licensing and certification through the web site.  The process of obtaining information through the Ohio website to create portfolios and military documentation necessary for civilian credentialing is made easier.  This allows military personnel to document military education, training, and experience prior to separation.

                Project staff are attending events and functions throughout the state to promote civilian licensing and certification to Ohio’s employers and training organizations, which are joining forces to help develop and provide these services to veterans.

                Since the beginning of 1999, the licensing and certification project has worked with the Ohio Department of Public Safety - Bureau of Motor Vehicles to enhance the ability of separating veterans to gain Ohio Commercial Drivers Licenses. Web-based information, that was previously not available, is located at   This will allow separating military veterans to begin the Commercial Drivers Licensing process and obtain the civilian license prior to separation from the military.  The experience verification form to allow “grand fathering” is available on-line.  This allows separating military personnel or recently separated veteran to have waived the driving and hands-on CDL test.  The website also includes a sample CDL written exam, and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) physical examination form.  Ohio’s project is working with CDL testing organizations and truck driver training programs, such as CDL of Northern Ohio, Gasel Transportation, Tri-County Vocational School, and Washington County Career Center.  A three day refresher course has been developed to prepare military trained veterans for CDL licensing in Ohio.  This course is the result of private and public sector partnerships with truck driver training programs, CDL testing organizations, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and private sector employers.  This course provides every attribute to be a success.  It will be easy to establish nationwide.

                Ohio is working closely with the Ohio Department of Public Safety - Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to gain total reciprocity for military trained personnel for the Ohio Commercial Drivers License.  The U. S. Army 88M training provides identical training that is required for the CDL in Ohio.  BMV is investigating the possibility of an automatic issuance of the CDL for residents who have a valid Ohio drivers license and were trained by the Army as an 88M.

                The Ohio pilot project is working with the Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Industrial Compliance to license stationary engineers, referred to as steam engineers in Ohio.  A program has been developed that allows a direct transfer of funds from OBES to Industrial Compliance to help veterans who are sitting for the Ohio Steam Engineers licensing exam.  This information is web-based and readily available to veterans.  Industrial Compliance has toll free telephone numbers and processes to apply for the state exam available through their website   The names of schools in Ohio that provide additional and/or refresher training for this license are available through    Ohio’s consortium of college and university physical facility directors are interested in coordinating statewide recruitment for veterans who are trained in stationary engineering.

                The Ohio pilot project developed an Airframe & Power Plant (A&P) licensing program in southern Ohio.  A three month refresher course was developed that will prepare veterans for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) A&P licensing exam, and most important, prepare them for work in the civilian air transportation industry.  The Ohio State Approving Agency (SAA) is in the process of approving this program for VA educational benefits. The FAA has agreed to screen military personnel for qualifications to sit for the exam and identify veterans who may need additional preparation for entry into the civilian workforce.  The refresher program was developed in cooperation with Laurel Oaks Vocational Center.  The first class of veterans should be entering into the program this summer.  Airborne Express, a major cargo carrier located in Wilmington, Ohio, has agreed to offer employment to participants who complete the program and obtain their A&P aircraft maintenance or mechanic license.

                As an adjunct to the project, a process was developed to contact separating military personnel who are returning to Ohio.  The Governor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs (GOVA) receives military DD214 discharge forms.  GOVA is unable to efficiently use this information due to lack of staff, equipment, and funding.  OBES Veterans Services and Workforce Strategies Divisions developed a computer database and provided it to GOVA for data entry of the records. The SAA hired a Veterans Affairs (VA) work study veteran student to do data entry for these records and is helping to design an informational brochure for veterans.  The Ohio Veterans Employment and Training Council will provide funding for printing the brochures.  The database template will be shared with members of the Great Lakes Regional Veterans Employment and Training Council.

                AMVETS, Department of Ohio, in cooperation with OBES and other veterans organizations,  submitted a grant proposal to the U. S. Department of Labor - Veteran’s Employment and Training Service to fund a licensing and certification center.  The center will be located in Columbus, Ohio and serve all veterans returning to Ohio.  The Ohio State Legislature established a budget line item for the 1999-2001 budget for the center.  The center will employ two (2) full time employees to help veterans obtain licenses and certifications and will develop refresher courses for various careers.  DVOPS/LVERs will provide Ohio Transitional Assistance Program (OTAP) workshops to prepare veterans for employment.

                OBES completed a district-by-district training of all Local Veteran’s Employment Representatives and Disabled Veteran’s Outreach Program Specialists in licensing and certification.  Plans are being made to provide information sessions for County Veteran’s Service Officers and their staff.

Recommendations for the Future Direction of Veteran Credentialing  

                The Ohio Bureau of Employment Service’s goal is to make the veteran licensing and certification program a permanent service of  the Veterans Services Division and USDOL/VETS.  A permanent nationally funded licensing and certification program for separating military personnel and recently separated veterans will save tax dollars currently being spent on unnecessary duplicate training programs that do not recognize military education, training, and experience.  Ohio’s licensing and certification program shows that a strong national program will provide employers with skilled personnel, reduce the average length of unemployment and increase average starting wages.

                Approximately 250,000 military personnel leave active duty annually.  One-third of these veterans had military careers for which civilian credentials exist.  OBES registers approximately 15,000 returning veterans every year, with one-third  needing civilian credentials to obtain employment consistent with their military education, training, and experience.

Recommendations:

                Create and fund a permanent USDOL/VETS Licensing and Certification Coordinator;

2.             Create and fund, through the DVOP/LVER Grant, a State Veterans’ Licensing and Certification Coordinator;

3.             Encourage Department of Defense (DOD) to provide military training information to the USDOL/VETS to share with the DVOPS/LVER funded coordinators;

4.             Standardize the entry levels of military technical  training for all branches of the military.   An example,  Basic Electricity and Electronics being taught from the same curriculum for all branches of the military;

5.             Create  a National Veterans’ Credentialing Exchange (Electronic 1-Stop Resource Center) that military personnel and veterans may access through the Internet.  This will provide information through linkages to individual states and civilian credentialing organizations;

6.             Create a consortium of key states to develop a national veterans credentialing program. This consortium would be responsible for developing licensing and certification processes for new occupations and would help implement veterans credentialing in all states.  This would help ensure consistency throughout the nation; and7.   Encourage the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to develop regulations that will allow veterans to use the educational benefits for licensing and certification training.

ATTACHMENT

Dear Ray and Trish,

      Just wanted to drop you a line, to let you know I completed my two week truck driving class and received my C.D.L.

      I would like to thank you both for working to help veterans of this country to find a place in life.  I know that it took many long dedicated hours to set up this program for us vets, and your job as was ours is taken for granted by so many people.

      The school and instructor were outstanding!  If you need a reference for your program I have no objection using me.

Thanks again,

Respectfully yours

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