www.WisVets.com/Employment

Apprentices | Employment Assistance | Employment Links | Employment Reps
Entrepreneurship | HireVetsFirst | Spouses to Teachers | Troops to Teachers
Veterans Business Training Center | Vets Preference

Veterans Leaving Active Duty

Veterans transitioning from active duty should be aware that several state and federal benefits and services are tied to your discharge date. To find out more about the time frames and eligibility contact a County Veterans Service Officer.

Veterans Employment Representatives

The Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) program makes employment assistance available to all Wisconsin veterans in local one-stop job centers. The Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) are the two primary programs providing employment and training services to eligible veterans.

Veterans Representatives (DVOPs or LVERs) provide the latest information on local labor markets. They offer workshops and guidance on resume writing, job interviewing skills, and job seeking skills. They also identify training and education needs. They can help veterans make career choices by assessing aptitudes, interests, and abilities through the use of aptitude tests and career counseling.

Locate a Veterans Employment Representative at your local Wisconsin Job Center by calling toll-free 888-258-9966 or viewing the online staff directory.

Veterans as Apprentices

In Wisconsin, the Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprentice Standards reviews and approves registered apprenticeship and formal on-the-job training programs for veterans. To determine if you are eligible to get employment through apprentice or on-the-job training programs which could lead to professional certification and/or licensing, review the Apprenticeship in Wisconsin booklet and contact an Apprenticeship Standards field representative in your area.

HireVetsFirst

The HireVetsFirst program is a national initiative established by the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the Department of Labor (DOL). The objective is to assist America’s veterans seeking employment and assist employers to “Hire a Veteran First" for "American Excellence at Work”.

• State of Wisconsin PSA stressing the importance of hiring Veterans first

The HireVetsFirst website has a veteran zone and an employer zone. Employers will find resources needed to match their job openings with veterans. Veterans will find tools including the Military Skills Locator, Resume Writer, transition assistance, and job listings to assist in their employment search.

Employers can contact a Wisconsin Job Service Veterans Employment Representative to learn about the "HireVetsFirst" program and to receive a free “We Hire Veterans” display emblem. Veterans can contact Veterans Employment Representatives for career and employment assistance including local employers who "HireVetsFirst."

Veterans Hiring Preference Information

Civil Service Preference (Federal) --- Veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty during certain periods or campaigns are entitled to preference over non-veterans both in federal hiring and in retention during reductions in force.

Candidates who pass an examination are ranked by their scores. Those eligible for preference are entitled to have 5 to 10 extra points added to a passing grade of 70% or higher. Qualified veterans with a VA-approved service-connected disability (SCD) rating of 10% or more are placed at the top of most civil service exam lists.

Civil Service Preference (State) --- Veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty during certain periods or campaigns are, for their first position within the classified service, entitled to competitive preference over non-veterans.

Additionally, the noncompetitive appointment process for certain disabled veterans allows for a veteran with at least 30% service disability to be appointed to a nonprofessional or an entry professional position in the State of Wisconsin classified service without competition (i.e. no civil service examination). LTE and project positions are included in the classified service. Check with the hiring agency for more information.

Any positions open for competition that requires a civil service examination is eligible for the application of veteran’s preference points. These are points added to passing scores of civil service exams and lead to the creation of a competitive employment register. Eligible veterans are entitled to an extra 10 points added to a passing score on a state civil service examination. Veterans with a VA-approved service-connected disability (SCD) rating are entitled to points added to their passing score, depending upon their level of disability. Spouses of certain disabled or deceased eligible veterans may also have points added to a passing score. If the selection of an LTE (limited term employee) or a project appointment does not include an examination and creation of a competitive employment register, then there is no mechanism for the application of preference points.

Eligibility criteria for veteran’s preference points and noncompetitive appointments are contained within Wis. Stats. 230.16(7)(a) through (7m) and 230.275, respectively.

Purple Heart Service Foundation Veterans Business Training Center

The Veteran Business Training Center, a Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation training program to help disabled veterans find employment.  The program trains disabled veterans for positions they can work by phone from their own homes, including as customer service agents, emergency operators, and telephone representatives.

To qualify, a veteran must have a VA assigned disability rating and a copy of his or her DD-214 discharge paper.  A Purple Heart award is not required for training selection.  Veterans who want more information may complete an application online at the MOPH Service Foundation website.

Employment Assistance Opportunities

• Entrepreneurship --- Resources for Wisconsin veterans in business or interested in starting a new business.
• Helmets to Hardhats --- Helmets to Hardhats is a national program that connects National Guard, Reserve, and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career training and employment opportunities within the construction industry. Candidates can access information about careers and apprenticeships and the Helmet to Hardhats profile they complete helps communicate to hiring managers the transferable skills they acquired during their military service.
• Hire a Hero --- An online social network to help the military community connect with caring volunteers, local events, and Military-friendly employers to better the chances for obtaining a dream job. Hire a Hero provides the platform for the general public to do more than just put a yellow ribbon on their car - a chance to actively say "thank you for your service" - while helping a hero network transition into a meaningful civilian career.
• Troops to Teachers --- A U.S. Department of Education & U.S. Department of Defense sponsored program established to assist veterans and eligible members of the Selected Reserve gain teacher licensure in order to obtain employment as public school teachers. WDVA operates the Wisconsin office for the program.
• Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX) --- Members of the military leaving active duty discharged under honorable conditions unable to find employment may be eligible for UCX. Application for Unemployment Insurance, including UCX, is made by telephone:

  To file a new claim application:
  Madison:(608) 232-0678
  Milwaukee: (414) 438-7700
  Toll-free: 800-822-5246

  Have the following available:  (1) Form DD-214, (2) Social Security number, and (3) Wisconsin Driver's License number (if you have one).

• Vocational Rehabilitation --- The federal VA provides Vocational Rehabilitation to eligible disabled veterans through the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE) program. Additionally, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation offers a state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program.
• Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative --- Learn about an economic development corporation that provides quality business education, technical assistance and access to capital for small businesses throughout Wisconsin.
• Employment Links --- Employment assistance is available through many websites. Here you will find Wisconsin, military, veteran, and federal job boards as well as job search and entrepreneurial resources.