Employment of Veterans

Original Issuance Date: July 1, 2015
Last Revision Date: July 30, 2018

1. Policy Purpose

 The purpose of this policy is to increase the number of veterans and veterans with a service-connected disability rating employed by UW System institutions.

2. Policy Background

 The affirmative action provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) prohibit job discrimination and require federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified Vietnam era veterans, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, veterans who served on active duty during a war on in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, and Armed Forces service metal veterans.  This law is enforced by the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS).

 All federal contractors and subcontractors with contracts exceeding specific thresholds must take affirmative action to hire and promote qualified targeted veterans.  In addition, each year they are required to file a report which shows the number of targeted veterans in their workforce by job category, hiring location, and number of new hires.

Executive Order #137 announced the creation of a state-wide program aimed at increasing the number of veterans and veterans with a service-connected disability rating that are employed in state government.

Effective April 27, 2016, 2015 Wisconsin Act 386 established the Wisconsin Veterans Employment Initiative, and it created Wis. Stat. § 230.042, which requires that state agencies, including the UW System, must:

1. Prepare and implement a plan to employ qualified veterans with the goal of making the ratio of the number of veterans holding permanent positions in the agency to the total number of individuals holding permanent positions in the agency equal to or greater than the ratio of the number of veterans in the state civilian labor force in the preceding fiscal year to the average number of individuals in the state civilian labor force in the preceding fiscal year, as determined by the council on veterans employment.
2. Prepare and implement a plan to employ qualified veterans with a service-connected disability rating with the goal of making the ratio of the number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating holding permanent positions in the agency to the total number of individuals holding permanent positions in the agency equal to or greater than the ratio of veterans with a service-connected disability rating in the state civilian labor force in the preceding fiscal year to the average number of individuals in the state civilian labor force in the preceding fiscal year, as determined by the council on veterans employment.

3. Policy Definitions

Please see SYS 1225, General Terms and Definitions, for a list of general terms and definitions.

Active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran: A veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

Armed Forces service medal veteran:  Any veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985 (61 FR 1209, 3 CFR, 1996 Comp., p. 159).

Disabled veteran: (1) A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or (2) A person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

Recently separated veteran:  A veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of the veteran’s discharge or release from active duty.

Service-connected disability rating: A rating in which a Department of Veterans Affairs adjudicator determined that a veteran was disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service

4. Policy

 It is the policy of the University of Wisconsin System to practice nondiscrimination and take affirmative action in employment with respect to both veterans and veterans with a service-connected disability rating of at least 30%.  Nondiscrimination requires thorough, systematic efforts to prevent discrimination against veterans from occurring or to detect it and eliminate it as promptly as possible.  The affirmative action obligation requires proactive recruitment and outreach measures, including considering the noncompetitive appointment of qualified disabled veterans.

Wis. Stat. § 230.042 authorizes the Wisconsin Council on Veterans Employment to require UW System institutions to adopt a Veterans Employment Plan of Action, under which the institutions must strive to meet goals established by the Council.  Appendix 1 provides a template of a Veterans Employment Plan of Action for institutions to customize and adopt.

The director of human resources at each UW System institution, in collaboration with the affirmative action officer and/or other appropriate institution offices, is responsible for ensuring that the plan of action is followed.

5. Related Documents

Executive Order #137
Jobs for Veterans Act
Wis. Stat. § 230.042, Wisconsin veterans employment initiative 
Wis. Stat. § 230.275, Noncompetitive appointment of certain disabled veterans
Regulations Implementing VEVRAA
America’s Heroes at Work: A DOL toolkit for hiring veterans

6. Policy History

 Revised: 07/30/2018

Appendix 1

UW Institution Name

Veterans Employment Plan of Action

I. Authority
The Wisconsin Veterans Employment Initiative, under authority of Wis. Stat. § 230.042, is a statewide program aimed at increasing both the number of veterans and the number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating employed in state government. These provisions also establish a Council on Veterans Employment, the purpose of which is to advise and assist the Governor in establishing a coordinated, government-wide effort to increase the number of veterans employed in state government. Pursuant to the authority set forth in Wis. Stat. § 230.042, UW-__________ adopts and implements this Veterans Employment Plan of Action.

II. Policy 

UW-__________ has prepared and will implement this plan to take affirmative action to employ veterans and veterans with a service-connected disability rating. The percentage of disabled and non-disabled veterans in the state civilian labor force will be determined and announced by the Department of Workforce Development for each fiscal year. With this information, the Council on Veterans Employment will establish the employment goals for state employers.

For fiscal year 2017-2018, as established by the Council on Veterans Employment, for large state employers (a group that includes UW System) the statewide goal is to employ nine (9) percent veterans and one (1) percent veterans with a service-connected disability rating.

III. Guidelines and Procedures

A. General

1. To enhance veteran recruitment efforts, UW-_________ will use veteran-focused job boards and other web-based recruitment and hiring resources.
2. When requested, human resources staff will provide veterans with up-to-date veteran employment information and information on ways a veteran and/or a veteran with a service-connected disability rating may apply for vacant positions.
3. Human resources staff may assist veterans by making referrals when appropriate.
4. Partnerships should be established with local and national recruiting sources for referral of qualified covered veteran applicants and with the Veterans Administration Medical Center job placement programs.
5. To recruit veterans, vacant positions may be posted on the following veterans job boards:
   • Wisconsin Jobs for Vets (Announcements that are in TAM are automatically posted on this DWD Job Center website)
   • U.S. Department of Labor, Hire a Veteran
   • Hire Veterans
   • Military.com, Veteran Hiring
   • Hiring Our Heros
6. Covered student veterans should be actively recruited.
7. To ensure compliance with federal requirements, UW System Service Center guidelines for the collection of and the input of veteran and veteran disability rating information must be followed. Veteran and veteran disability data will be requested via the appropriate self-identification form from all new employees during employee onboarding. Veteran recruitment and hiring data will be reported as part of UW_________’s affirmative action program in compliance with federal regulations.

B. Noncompetitive Appointment of Disabled Veterans

A disabled veteran with a 30% or more service-connected disability rating may be appointed without a recruitment. Following are guidelines for such an appointment:

1. UW-__________ will allow for the noncompetitive appointment of qualified veterans with a 30% or more service-connected disability rating. When a vacancy occurs in a position, a disabled veteran may be appointed on a noncompetitive basis. Nothing in this policy, however, requires the institution to make such a noncompetitive appointment.
2. If UW-__________ considers the appointment of a qualified disabled veteran to a vacant position on a noncompetitive basis, the institution must offer an interview for the position to any disabled veteran who has expressed an interest to the institution in applying for the position and who appears to have the skills and experience suitable for performing the duties and responsibilities of the position. If a disabled veteran is appointed as a result of this procedure, other applicants (i.e., applicants who are not disabled veterans) will not be interviewed.
3. UW-__________ may make a noncompetitive appointment of a disabled veteran only if all of the following occur:
   • The disabled veteran is qualified to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position.
   • The disabled veteran has served in the U.S. armed forces and is included on U.S. armed forces permanent disability list with a disability rating of at least 30%, or the disabled veteran has been rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as having a compensable service-connected disability of at least 30%.
   • The disabled veteran presents written documentation from an appropriate department of the federal government certifying the existence and extent of the disability. This certification must have been issued within the year preceding appointment.
   • The disabled veteran is not currently employed (with an expectation of continued employment) at a UW System institution or at any State of Wisconsin agency.
4. Any recruitment that targets hiring a disabled veteran may be done prior to posting a vacant position or may be done concurrently with other recruitment efforts.
5. When a targeted recruitment fails to attract any disabled veterans, a new application deadline may be established and additional targeted recruitment activities may be undertaken.

C. Procedures for Positions Posted as Open Recruitments

When a recruitment to fill a vacant position does not target disabled veterans, disabled veterans may nevertheless request a noncompetitive appointment for any posted position. Such an applicant may be considered for employment either before or along with other applicants.

D. Other Procedures Related to the Hiring of Veterans with a 30% or Greater Service-Connected Disability Rating

If UW-__________is aware, through any source, of a veteran with a 30% or greater service-connected disability rating, it may contact that veteran to determine qualifications for and interest in any vacant position, regardless of whether the veteran has specifically applied for such a position

E. Reporting

UW System Administration will provide the Council on Veterans Employment with data related to the employment of veterans as appropriate.