Weak policies, rules, and agencies which are supposed to help veteran-owned businesses secure Federal contracts aren’t up to the job. The VA Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) is too small and ineffective to be of any significant help. Veterans need better small business advocates and more outreach events that will help a small business navigate the complex system of being eligible to compete for government contracts.

CVE is designed to offer technical training and assistance. It is supposed to have a database of veteran-owned small businesses. But the office has not been able to reach beyond the local level in terms of technical assistance because it has only one small assistance center in Washington, DC. They can field phone calls and see a limited number of clients, but have virtually no impact on the national level. In addition, it can take from one month to one year for a veteran to register his business with VA. Equally frustrating, veterans cannot register multiple businesses at one time, and have to be working full-time in their registered businesses.

Veterans who own small businesses need help in understanding the rules and regulations of government contracting. It’s time for VA and the Small Business Administration to develop a comprehensive partnership that works effectively and seamlessly to help vets. 

For more information on veteran-owned small businesses, as discussed at the Joint O&I and EO: Follow-up Hearing on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Certification Process, go to:

http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/oi-and-eo-joint-hearing-topic-be-determined

Peter S. Gaytan is the author of For Service To Your Country – Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Getting the Veterans’ Benefits You’ve Earned(Citadel, 2011), available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He has served as an advocate in securing and protecting the earned benefits of America’s veterans for more than a decade. Gaytan is the Executive Director of the American Legion, the largest veterans service organization in America.

The employers list entitled “The Best for Vets 2011” featured the top 50 U.S. businesses where veterans can find work.  The criteria to make the list was based on commitment to recruiting veterans, leave policies for those in Selected Reserves and overall veteran-friendly corporate culture.

Progressive Insurance offers many veterans benefits that appeal to former U.S. service members including medical insurance, differential pay to active-duty reservists, and proactive veteran recruiting via job fairs and through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program.

Connie Dingeman, associate military recruiting manager for Progressive Insurance said, “We’ve always made it a priority to support those who support us, our military.” Dingeman went on to say, “Our culture and company objectives complement the military training vets are used to; with strong leadership and discipline, vets find Progressive to be a natural fit.”

Other insurance industry companies are also doing their part to support veteran employment. Recently teaming up with MacDill Air Force Base is Direct Auto Insurance to provide vocational training and employment for U.S. service members returning from active duty overseas. The partnership works to provide paid training for veterans in the claims department of Direct Auto.

Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and other technology companies, once said, “The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” Nothing could be more true of any man or woman who has served in our Armed Forces. Every vet is a doer.

The U. S. Census Bureau study, based on 2007 survey of business owners, found that veterans currently own 2.4 million businesses, about 9 percent of the national total. These companies employ 5.8 million people and produce about $1.2 trillion in receipts. Although the findings are based on a survey taken four years ago, the Census Bureau estimates that the number of veteran-owned businesses may be even higher (despite the economic downturn) since there are a growing number of new vets pursuing entrepreneurial undertakings.

A veteran-owned business is defined as one in which a vet ownership is at least 51 percent. Studies have shown that the success rate for veteran-owned businesses is higher than for those owned by non-vets.

The Small Business Administration (a Federal agency) Office of Veterans’ Business Development is a key contact for veterans who need to learn the mechanics of starting, sustaining, and growing a small business. This agency provides distance-learning education in how to start – and expand – your own business, as well as training in finance, accounting, and contracting. There are Veterans Business Development Officers in the SBA District Offices in every state and territory throughout the nation.

The Veterans Business Outreach Program (VBOP) can help you build a business from scratch. At Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) you can find workshops to help you plan and build a business. VBOCs can also provide help in training for international trade, franchising, Internet marketing, and accounting.

The SBA also offers loans expressly for entrepreneurial veterans.

For more information on loans for veteran-owned businesses, go to: http://www.sba.gov/content/express-programs

Peter S. Gaytan is the author of For Service To Your Country – Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Getting the Veterans’ Benefits You’ve Earned (Citadel, 2011), available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He has served as an advocate in securing and protecting the earned benefits of America’s veterans for more than a decade. Gaytan is the Executive Director of the American Legion, the largest veterans service organization in America.

Milicruit, a virtual career fair website company, will host a job fair specifically for veterans.  On June 23^rd the website opened and is free of charge to military members and their spouses.
According to a recent press release put out by Milicruit, more than 13,000 jobs are available through thousands of employers from diverse industries. Some of the high-profile employers featured on the site include Walgreen’s, General Electric, Microsoft and Pepsi.

Veterans must register to use the site and attend the virtual fair.   Upon doing so, job-seekers can complete a profile describing their background and employment objectives.

Though the environment is virtual, the experience will feel much like an actual career fair complete with an exhibit floor featuring employer booths. Attendees can click on booths they are interested in and access company information.  Prospects can chat with recruiters either in a public chatroom or through private messaging. If they like what they see, attendees can view and apply for available jobs. Employers may even conduct video interviews on the spot.

Kevin O’Brien, Milicruit vice president, pointed out that the job fair specifically designed for veterans is a great opportunity for servicemembers to connect with employers who specifically value a military background, according to the company’s press release.

The career fair along with great veterans benefits offered to job-seekers with military backgrounds, may help many vets who have been affected by the tough labor market. The 2010 jobless rate for veterans who have served since 2001 was 11.5 percent, about the national rate of 9.4 according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) has proposed aggressive new legislation to deal with the growing rate of unemployment among veterans. Today, more than one in four veterans aged 20-24 is unemployed. The bill, Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, will require all separating servicemembers participate in the Transition Assistance Program, and provide broad job skills training for all servicemembers returning home.

The proposed bill will also create new direct federal hiring authority so that separating servicemembers can begin the federal employment hiring process prior to separation which will mean that more vets will have jobs waiting for them when they leave the military.

The bill would also create a competitive grant program for nonprofit organizations that provide mentorship and job training programs that are designed to lead to job placements. It will require the Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and VA to jointly contract for a study to identify the equivalencies between certain military occupational specialty-related skills and civilian employment. It allows the Department of Defense to create a pilot program to provide paid work experience with civilian employees and contractors to facilitate the transition for servicemembers that are 180 days from separating. It would require the Department of Labor, Department of Defense, and VA to collaborate to eliminate barriers between military training and civilian licensure or credentialing for several military occupational specialties. It will require the Department of Labor to periodically check with each veteran to determine if he or she is employed and whether the veteran is interested in further assistance. It will also continue programs that provide rehabilitation and vocational benefits to severely wounded servicemembers.

For more information on the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, go to: http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=0ea542fe-c8c9-4d9a-ae4d-bc67ffa0f909

Peter S. Gaytan is the author of For Service To Your Country – Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Getting the Veterans’ Benefits You’ve Earned (Citadel, 2011), available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. He has served as an advocate in securing and protecting the earned benefits of America’s veterans for more than a decade. Gaytan is the Executive Director of the American Legion, the largest veterans service organization in America.