Sen. Franken strongly supports a new tax credit that is now available to Minnesota employers who hire veterans. The credit can be as high as $9,600 per veteran for for-profit employers or up to $6,240 for tax-exempt organizations.

The way it works is that employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed for more than six months are eligible for a new tax credit of up to $5,600 per veteran hired; if the veteran has been unemployed for between four weeks and six months, the employer's tax credit is up to $2,400. Employers who hire veterans with service-related disabilities may be eligible for the maximum credit of $9,600, which is an expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The new tax credits and the expansion of the WOTC were passed as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which was enacted last November.

"With the unemployment rate for Minnesota's post-9/11 veterans at three times the state average, we have to do everything we can to create jobs for them after their service is done," said Sen. Franken. "This tax credit will help create opportunities to put our veterans back to work by providing an incentive for Minnesota businesses to hire them.  I challenge every employer to recognize the invaluable skills and training that our veterans offer."