WIOA State Plan Common Elements

WorkOne offices are required to ensure that Priority of Service is observed. To further improve service to veterans, the Priority of Service to Veterans and Eligible Spouses Federal Regulations, effective January 19, 2009, provides specific guidance on how One-stop Career Center providers and Wagner-Peyser staff are to serve veterans with respect to priority of service. WorkOne offices are required to follow guidance in VPL 07-09 and its companion TEGL 10-09 to ensure that proper priority of service is granted to veterans and other eligible persons. Current policies can be found at: https://www.in.gov/dwd/compliance-policy/policy/active/. DWD Policies 2019-03, 2019-04, and 2015-08 provide additional definitions of the populations of eligible veterans to be served by the one-stop delivery system partners. For the purposes of DVOP, the definition of eligible veteran follows that outlined in United States Code Title 38, Chapter 4211, paragraph (4), subparagraph (A) (B): an individual who served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days and who received a discharge or release under conditions other than dishonorable and who was discharged or released from active duty (or a reserve component while on active duty status during wartime) because of a service-connected disability. For POS, a veteran is a person who served at least one day in the active military, naval, or air service (including reserve and National Guard components) and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, as specified in United States Code Title 38.

Veterans and eligible spouse customers should be identified upon entry at a WorkOne and allowed to move to the front of the waiting line. To assist with identifying veterans and eligible spouses, Priority of Service signs have been developed and are posted in all WorkOne offices where veterans are served. Signs are framed and displayed in a manner where the public and especially veteran and eligible persons customers can easily see them. In accordance with the priority of service sign, eligible veterans and eligible persons should notify staff upon entry into the facility. Typically, this will be near the entry point. Customers with visual impairments must be asked if they are a veteran or eligible person.

The welcome staff within our AJC's identify those eligible veterans or eligible persons with significant barriers to employment (SBE) and/or other additional service population criteria eligible to be served by Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialist (DVOPs) as found in current VPLs. The eligibility criteria for veterans and other eligible persons are further described in DWD Policy 2019-03. Welcome staff serve both as a “greeter” and to be a first point of contact for veterans and other eligible persons at WorkOne offices. Their primary role is to determine the reason for an individual’s visit to the AJC. They also provide the initial determination of whether an individual meets the definition of a veteran as prescribed by law. They may conduct an assessment to determine Priority of Service and whether a veteran has significant barriers to employment (SBEs). Veterans with SBEs are referred to a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist. If the veteran doesn’t have any SBEs, an employment services interviewer (ESI) can assist them with receiving basic career services that are available at the AJC. Once the intake staff member has determined the appropriate staff person to assist the job seeker, they make a referral.

The DVOP specialists do not perform intake duties or point of entry functions for non-SBE veterans or any functions normally assigned to other AJC partner staff or other automated procedures, thereby detracting from their ability to provide services, case management, or outreach duties related to meeting the employment needs of eligible veterans and eligible persons. Additionally, under no circumstances will the LVER perform any of these functions. If a DVOP Specialist is not available, the veteran or eligible person should be referred to the appropriate Wagner-Peyser or Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) staff in addition to scheduling or referring to an available DVOP specialist by appointment. Under normal operating circumstances, all WorkOne customers are greeted by the welcome team and moved on to the appropriate staff for assistance. 

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 differs from the definition of veteran that applies to reporting of Wagner‐Peyser services and to eligibility to receive services from a DVOP specialist. 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 but does not apply to priority of service. It is the responsibility of the program operator to ensure that policies and procedures and staff training reflect the correct eligibility definition.

Current policies pertaining to priority of service for veterans, are available at: https://www.in.gov/dwd/compliance-policy/policy/active/). The referral process for veterans and eligible persons determined to have a significant barrier to employment to  receive services from the JVSG program DVOP specialist is available in DWD Policy 2019-03, which can be found at https://www.in.gov/dwd/compliance-policy/policy/active/. These policies are being updated to reflect more inclusive definitions of other eligible persons.