By Donna Reuss
Alexandria, VA – November 11 is Veterans Day, designated to honor and celebrate the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. But November is also National Veterans and Military Families Month. Established by the Armed Services YMCA in 1996 to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by our veterans and military families, it has been declared every year since by presidential proclamation.
Military service is not an easy choice. Today, fewer than 1% of Americans choose to don the uniform. They often delay further education, careers, or even starting a family. But once they leave military service, at least there has been an employment head start to help them catch up to their non-service contemporaries.
The federal government is the largest single employer of veterans in the country according to the National Federation of Federal Employees. Nearly 30% of the more than 2.2 million federal employees are veterans. More than half of those have a service-connected disability, per the latest publicly available data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. No surprise, the now-Department of War is the largest employer, followed by the Department of Transportation. Other major federal employers include the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Energy, Labor, and the General Services Administration. Most of the federal workforce—just over 80%—work outside the DMV; 83% are federally employed veterans, who are found in every state, U.S. territory, and many countries around the world!
The percentage is due in large part to the Veterans Preference Act of 1944, which gives “veterans’ preference” in federal hiring, a practice dating back to the Civil War. Veterans’ preference recognizes the economic loss suffered by those who served their country in uniform, positions veterans to be more favorably competitive for government employment, and acknowledges the obligation owed to disabled veterans. Title 15.2, Virginia Code, provides for veteran hiring preference as well.
Current and eligible former military spouses also receive federal hiring preference under Executive Order 13832, Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service Appointments of Military Spouses. The policy acknowledges that frequent changes of duty stations often make it very difficult for spouses and family members to obtain meaningful employment or pursue careers, maintain professional licensure or other job requirements, and sustain family homelife.
Aside from government employment, myriad government and nonprofit organizations offer a variety of programs and resources—often for free—to assist veterans and transitioning military members seeking other civilian employment as well.
The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program helps employers recruit, hire, and retain Virginia veterans, one of the youngest and fastest-growing veteran populations in the U.S., whose modern military skills and abilities make them an invaluable talent pool. Veteran entrepreneur resources such as the Small Business Administration’s Boots to Business (B2B), the Coalition for Veteran Owned Businesses (CVOB), the Bunker Labs national network of veteran entrepreneurs, and many others educate, train, and support veterans and their spouses in starting and running their own businesses.
While not the only ones affected by the ongoing reduction to the federal workforce, veterans and military families deserve a little extra gratitude for the sacrifices they have made or continue to make to preserve and defend our country’s freedoms.
During this National Veterans and Military Families Month, show that you treasure our veterans, military members, and the ones who support them. One way is to patronize Alexandria’s veteran-owned businesses. Find the list at www.veteranownedbusiness.com/va/alexandria-city. For information or other ideas, visit the Armed Forces YMCA at www.asymca.org. Or check out the Military OneSource National Veterans and Military Families Month webpage at www. militaryonesource.mil/parenting/family-life/military-family-appreciation/.
If you are a veteran, veteran’s family member, or know a veteran who needs help, go to Virginia Board Veterans Services at www.dvs.virginia.gov/dvs; or contact American Legion Post 24 Veteran Service Officer at [email protected]. For crisis intervention and suicide prevention services, dial 988 and Press 1, or text 838255, for the Veterans Crisis Line.
