WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Beginning July 1 ,2016,the DET Administrator for the Jobs for Veteran State Grant will pull a monthly monitoring report within DJL of the Delaware AJC’s( Dover, Pencader ,Fox Valley and Georgetown) to monitor Priority of Service to veterans compliance and performance ,with specific emphasis on access to all DET programs where applicable dependent upon funding availability and employment. The core areas of concentration shall be all DET Programs to include Training and Apprenticeship. Beginning May 1, 2017 Delaware LVERS&39;S will provide weekly data on Priority of Service utilization to veteran clients in their weekly reports. This data will be used to determine actual performance outcomes, develop a data benchmark and performance indicator for tracking beginning July 1,2017 . To further support compliance refresher training will be provided to all AJC staff on an ongoing basis; including DVOPS, LVERS and Business Service Representatives on the use of Priority of Service for veterans to maintain system integrity, continuous quality improvement and sustainability.(DET Policies and Procedures 6 - Priority of Service will be updated to reflect service delivery and system changes as applicable)

LE Policy 6 Veterans Priority of Service.

BACKGROUND

Veterans and eligible spouses (covered persons) are given priority of service for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services provided under all Delaware Division of Employment and Training (DDET) funded programs. Veterans and eligible spouses are entitled to precedence for such services.

This means that a veteran or eligible spouse either receives access to a service earlier than others, or if resources are limited, the veteran or eligible spouse receives access to the service instead of others.

Veterans must first meet program eligibility requirements in orders to obtain priority of service.

VETERAN: A veteran who is eligible or spouse of an eligible veteran who is entitled to receive priority of service is a person who has served at least one day in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released from service under any condition other than a condition classified as dishonorable is a covered person. This definition includes Reserve units and National Guard units activated for Federal Service.

It is important to note that the definition of veteran in the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA), the Priority of Service Regulations and TEGL 10-09 and 3-14 differs from the definition of veteran that applies to reporting of Wagner-Peyser services and to eligibility to receive services from a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist or a Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) staff member.

The veteran definition that requires the individual to have over 180 days of active service still applies to Wagner-Peyser reporting and to eligibility for DVOP and LVER services but does not apply to priority of service in DOL-funded employment and training programs. It is the responsibility of DDET to ensure that policies and procedures and staff training reflect the correct eligibility definition.

Eligible Spouse: As defined in 38 U.S.C. 4215 (a), means the spouse of any of the following:

1. Any veteran who died of a service connected disability;

1. Any member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, at the time of application for the priority, is listed in one or more of the following categories and has been so listed for a total of more than 90 days:

1. Missing in action;

1. Captured in the line of duty by a hostile force; or

1. Forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power.

1. Any veteran who has a total disability resulting from a service-connected, as evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs or veteran who died while such a disability was in existence.

PROCEDURE:

Individuals eligible for priority of service will be notified by:

• Priority of Service signs will be prominently displayed near the entrance of all America Job Centers (AJC) and in all resource rooms to encourage veterans and eligible spouses to self-identify.
• Veterans’ Priority Statement is posted at the home page of Delaware JobLink (DJL). It can be found at https://joblink.delware.gov.
• Verbal notification during group or one-on-one orientations and assessments.
• Verbally for any new work registrant who comes into any of our four local AJC offices and satellite office/s.
• Priority of Service handouts is given to all veterans who come into any of our four local AJC offices and satellite office/s.
• Giving Veterans first preference on all job orders entered by DET staff in Delaware JobLink.
• Onlyregistrants identified as veterans with Significant Barriers to Employment (SBE) and eligible spouses are referred to the Disabled Veterans Outreach Person (DVOP) who will provide them with individual career services.
• With the exception of veterans with SBEs, all other veterans are referred to other staff for services if there is a need.
• Job Referral Specialists give a maximum of 48 hours for job referrals only for eligible veterans and then eligible spouses. During the 48 hours, Job Referral Specialists routinely conduct veteran file searches, matching qualified veterans to recently posted jobs. (The second 24 hour hold must include other eligible persons, i.e. spouses, children of veterans, veteran caregivers, etc.)
• Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) conduct employer outreach and job development in the local community, on behalf of all American Job Center veterans.
• LVERs can “greet” veterans who come into a Career One-Stop Center, but solely for the purpose of explaining the services offered at the Career One-Stop Center and introducing a veteran to the appropriate staff member that will help them and only if the LVER happens to be in the office and are not otherwise busy at the time.
• As individual requests for training funds come through, individuals eligible for priority of services are identified. Priority will be provided per Intensive Training Policy 17 - Procedures for Approving Cases.
• LVERs and DVOPs should inform front line staff of Priority of Service and other policies and procedures as they pertain to the veteran population.
• Beginning May 1, 2017 Delaware LVERS&39;S will provide weekly data on Priority of Service utilization to veteran clients in their weekly reports.
• Priority of Service in each AJC office will be monitored by the DETJVSG Program Administrator on a monthly basis to ensure POS compliance for all veterans and access to all DET programs where applicable dependent upon funding availability and employment opportunities.
• Core program areas of concentration shall be all DET Programs with specific emphasis on Apprenticeship and Training.

Issued 8/31/2015, revised 9/24/2015, 5/23/2016, 4/25/17 (Updates Responsibility for Monitoring Report, and compliance.