The Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and
Training Service (VETS), through cooperative efforts with, and grants to,
each state, offers employment and training services to eligible veterans
through two principal programs:
Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists develop job and
training opportunities for veterans, with special emphasis on veterans with
service-connected disabilities. DVOP specialists provide direct services to
veterans enabling them to be competitive in the labor market. They provide
outreach and offer assistance to disabled and other veterans by promoting
community and employer support for employment and training opportunities,
including apprenticeship and on-the-job training.
DVOP specialists work with employers, veterans' organizations, the
Department
of Veterans' Affairs and
Defense,
and community-based organizations to link veterans with appropriate jobs and
training opportunities.
DVOP specialists serve as case managers for veterans enrolled in
federally-funded job training programs such as the
Department
of Veterans Affairs' Vocational Rehabilitation program, and other veterans
with serious disadvantages in the job market. DVOP specialists are available to
those veterans and their employers to help ensure that necessary follow up
services are provided to promote job retention.
The Department of Labor provides grant funds to each state's employment
service to maintain DVOP specialist positions in the state. The staffing
formula and current appropriations level support about 1,400 DVOP specialists
nationally. DVOP specialists are employees of the state and are generally
located in state employment service offices. About one-quarter are stationed
full- or part-time in locations other than employment service offices.
DVOP specialists may be stationed at regional offices and medical or
veterans' outreach centers of the
Department
of Veterans' Affairs, state or county veterans' service offices, Job
Training Partnership Act program offices, community-based organizations, and
military installations.
To contact a DVOP specialist, call or visit the nearest State Employment
Service (sometimes known as Job Service) agency listed in the State Government
section of your phone book.
Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVERs) are state employees
located in state employment service local offices to provide assistance to
veterans by:
- supervising the provision of all services to veterans furnished by
employment service employees, including counseling, testing, and identifying
training and employment opportunities;
- monitoring job listings from federal contractors to see that eligible
veterans get priority in referrals to these jobs;
- monitoring federal department and agency vacancies listed at local
state employment service offices and preliminary processing of complaints from
veterans about the observance of veterans' preference by Federal
employers;
- promoting and monitoring the participation of veterans in
federally-funded employment and training programs;
- cooperating with the
Department
of Veterans' Affairs to identify and aid veterans who need work-specific
prosthetic devices, sensory aids or other special equipment to improve their
employability; and
- contacting community leaders, employers, unions, training programs
and veterans' service organizations to be sure eligible veterans get the
services to which they are entitled.
Usually, one full-time LVER is allocated to local employment service
offices for each 1,100 or more veterans who registered for assistance in the
preceding year. One half-time LVER is allocated to offices at which at least
350 veterans registered for help. This formula and the current appropriation
level for the program support about 1,300 LVERs employed nationwide. State
Employment Service Agency management may deviate from the allocation formula in
the actual assignment of positions to specific locations.
For more information about Department of Labor employment and training
programs for veterans, contact the VETS office nearest you, listed in the phone
book in the United States Government under the Labor Department or visit our
site: http://www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/main.htm.
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