New site connects veterans with employment

Nearly a year ago, Senator Coons stood outside the U.S. Capitol with Senators Patty Murray, Jon Tester, and Mark Begich to announce the introduction of the Hiring Heroes Act. The prospects for their legislation promoting employment for veterans seemed dark, since only ten bills had been signed by the President at the time, and only one of those was not naming a courthouse or a temporary extension to keep federal agencies running.

But the challenges facing veterans were worth fighting against, including high unemployment and a daunting transition to civilian life. Chris and his colleagues were committed to making progress, and with the help of veterans themselves, their bill garnered 40 bipartisan cosponsors. Eventually, the bill became the centerpiece of President Obama’s VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which was signed into law on November 21, 2011.

Last week, a tangible result of those efforts went live for service members and veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new website to guide veterans through job-related benefits available under the law. For service veterans, it includes an easy-to-read guide to the additional Vocational and Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits now available for service-connected disabled veterans, as well as the additional benefits under the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program to help veterans find work in high-demand jobs. For transitioning service members, it has a section on a number of newly or more widely available benefits for seamless transition from duty to civilian life. And for employers, it provides resources on how to access the tax credits and other incentives provided if they hire veterans.

There’s still a long way to go in fulfilling the commitment we made to our veterans, particularly in the area of processing their benefits claims. But we’ve already made progress from last May, and Chris is committed to making more in the year ahead.