Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program

As the designated State Workforce Agency (SWA), DWD is in the process of preparing the 2020 – 2024 Plan, in accordance with the established timelines for submission. Service to veterans is a priority in all of Indiana’s WorkOne offices. DWD continues to work with each region to highlight and drive priority of service to veterans, and, most significantly, to drive an overall focus on helping veterans in Indiana achieve full employment.

JVSG funds are provided to states to fund two staff positions: the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program Specialist (DVOP) and the Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER). These positions are fully integrated into the WorkOne offices. The DVOP’s role is to provide individualized career services to veterans with significant barriers to employment (SBE) through case management; the LVER’s role is to facilitate employment opportunities and advocate on behalf of veterans with employers.

WorkOne offices take a coordinated approach to serving eligible veterans in order to help them overcome barriers to gaining or maintaining employment. The DVOP specialist is the WorkOne expert on programs available to assist veterans with SBE in improving their skills, helping them take the next step up in their careers. The DVOPs provide individualized career services (intensive services) within Indiana’s case management model to eligible SBE veterans. The DVOP delivers these services as part of an integrated service delivery system in accordance with the requirements of VPL 03-14 and 04-14. As outlined within IAW VPLs 03-14, 04-14 and GO Memo 01-18, 50% of Veteran receiving ICS will receive these services through the case management framework, which is defined as a receipt of a comprehensive assessment and a written plan at a minimum. DVOPs maintain an active caseload of veterans with SBE, as determined by the local needs of veterans presenting an SBE during assessment of self-attestation to WIOA/Wagner-Peyser staff. DVOPs provide a comprehensive assessment and a written plan, based on an Objective Assessment Summary (OAS) in the Indiana’s case management system (Indiana Career Connect) on all case managed clients.

VPL 03-19: This document describes additional populations eligible to receive services provided by DVOP specialists. VPL 03-14 and TEGL 19-13 stated that under 38 U.S.C. 4103A(a)(l)(C), the Secretary of Labor may identify additional groups of veterans who are entitled to receive intensive services from DVOP staff. Vietnam-era veterans have been added to the list of populations already identified as being eligible to receive services from DVOP specialists. Previous guidance, specifically VPL 04-14, identified veterans ages 18 to 24 as a priority category, as well. DVOPs will serve only those veterans and eligible spouses most in need of intensive services. As a result, DVOPs will serve a narrower group of veterans and eligible spouses, enabling the DVOPs to provide intensive services to a vast majority of the people they serve. Individualized Career Services / Intensive services include; comprehensive and specialized assessments of skill levels and service needs; development of an individual employment plan to identify the employment goals, appropriate achievement objectives and appropriate combination of services for the participant to achieve the employment goals; group counseling; individual counseling and career planning; and short-term prevocational services that may include development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills, and professional conduct to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training.

VPL 03-14 and TEGL 19-13. That guidance limits the populations of veterans and eligible persons that may be served by a DVOP specialist and defined those categories of veterans and eligible spouses who are being prioritized because they have Significant Barriers to Employment (SBE).

The populations described in this section are eligible to be served by DVOPs, in addition to those populations described in VPL 03-14, VPL 03-14 Change 1 and VPL 03-14 Change 2.

DOL’s employment programs, including JVSG, WP, and WIOA programs, individualized career (intensive services) are provided to both unemployed participants who require such services to obtain employment and to employed participants, who require such services to obtain or retain employment leading to self-sufficiency. In accordance with U.S.C. 4103A(a), DVOPs must provide intensive services to eligible veterans and eligible spouses to meet their employment needs, prioritizing service to special disabled and other disabled veterans, as defined by  U.S.C. 4211, and to other eligible veterans in accordance with priorities determined by the Secretary of Labor. The statute also requires that DVOPs place maximum emphasis on assisting veterans who are economically or educationally disadvantaged.

An eligible veteran or eligible spouse is determined to have a Significant Barrier to Employment (SBE) if he or she attests to belonging to at least one criteria below:

1. A special disabled or disabled veteran, defined in 38 U.S.C § 4211(1) and (3); Special disabled and disabled veterans are those:
   1. who are entitled to compensation (or who would be entitled to compensation but for the receipt of military retired pay) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or,
   2. were discharged or released from active duty because of a service connected disability;
2. A Homeless person, as defined in Section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a) and (b), as amended);
3. A recently-separated service member, as defined in 38 U.S.C § 4211(6), who has been unemployed for 27 or more weeks in the previous 12 months, i.e. the term of unemployment over the previous 12 months remains 27 weeks; however, the requirement of 27 consecutive weeks is eliminated;
4. An offender, as defined by WIOA Section 3 (38) 1, who is currently incarcerated or who has been released from incarceration, i.e. the expanded definition of SBE includes any eligible veteran or eligible spouse who is currently or was formerly incarcerated, removing the “within the last 12 months” requirement;
5. Lacking a high school diploma or equivalent;
6. Low-income individual (as defined by WIOA Section 3 (36));
7. A Veteran between the ages of 18-24;
8. A Veteran Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Chapter 31 Veteran;
9. A Transitioning Service Member in need of intensive services;
10. Wounded, ill, or injured Service Member receiving treatment at a military facility, or Warrior Transition Unit (MTF/WTUS); or
11. Spouses and family care-givers of such wounded, ill, or injured service members.
12. Served any part of active duty military, naval, or air service during the Vietnam era
13. (02/28/1961 – 05/07/1975).

This guidance is meant to limit the number of eligible veterans and eligible spouses who DVOP specialists serve. Limiting DVOP specialists to serving only the veterans and eligible spouses who meet the criteria. While the DVOP specialists' provision of intensive services (individualized career services) to these veterans and eligible spouses may include some core services, serving a more limited population will allow DVOP specialists enough time to devote a majority of their time to providing intensive services. The veterans who do not fall into one of the categories that are served by DVOP specialists are eligible to be served by other AJC Staff, including WIA, WP, and other AJC program staff. WorkOne uses the Veteran Self Attestation as the means to identify SBE Veterans, which are spread throughout the caseload of the WorkOne case managers. Those Veterans being identified as being most in need of DVOP services are referred to the DVOP for individualized career services. This limits the number of SBE Veterans being served by the DVOP.

WorkOne offices take a coordinated approach to serving eligible veterans in order to help them overcome barriers to gaining or maintaining employment. The DVOP is the WorkOne expert on programs available to assist veterans with SBE in improving their skills, helping them take the next step up in their careers. The DVOPs provide intensive services within a case management model to eligible veterans. The DVOP delivers these services as part of an integrated service delivery system in accordance with the requirements of VPL 03-14 and 04-14. DVOPs maintain an active caseload of veterans with SBE as determined by the local needs of veterans presenting SBE during assessment of self-attestation to WIOA/Wagner-Peyser staff.

Upon entry and individual is welcomed by staff and then staff identify those eligible veterans or eligible spouses 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. Then they direct those eligible veterans or eligible spouses with SBEs and or other additional service population criteria to the (DVOPs) for assistance with intensive services (Individualized Career Services) and case management. The DVOP is not to 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 spouses. Additionally, under no circumstances will the LEVR perform any of these functions. In the event that a DVOP Specialist is not available, the veteran or spouse 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.

DVOPs also reach out to eligible veterans that have been served by the WorkOne system who may have completed a self-registration in Indiana’s case management system (Indiana Career Connect) or are being co-case managed and/or receiving services by other WorkOne staff, to prevent unsuccessful outcomes among SBE veterans. The DVOP reaches out to assist the WorkOne partner staff, because the DVOP is the WorkOne expert on programs available to assist veterans with an SBE in improving their skills and helping them take the next step up in their careers. In the event that a DVOP specialist does not have a full case-load of eligible veterans and eligible spouses who meet the SBE criteria, the DVOP specialist may perform additional activities, in the order specified below:

1. Review all open case files reflected in the State of Indiana’s case management system (Indiana Career Connect) of current participants with a SBE or in a priority category and perform case management duties; and
2. Conduct relationship building, outreach and recruitment activities with other service providers in the local area, to enroll SBE and priority category veterans in an AJC.

LVERs are the outward-facing branch of JSVG. These positions are integrated into the WorkOne Employment Team or Business Services Team (or equivalents) and advocate for employment and training opportunities for veterans with businesses, industries, unions, and apprenticeship programs. LVER staff work closely with veteran service organizations (VSOs) throughout the state to promote employment and training services available to veterans. LVERs work closely with employers, unions, trade organizations, apprenticeship programs and other business and community groups to promote veteran hiring, training and development, and career advancement. LVERs in Indiana also partner with the Economic Opportunity Corporation, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate veterans’ employment in the state.

Additional details regarding the policy and procedures applicable to DVOPs and LVERs providing services to or on behalf of veterans are included in DWD Policy 2019-03 available at: https://www.in.gov/dwd/files/3511/2019-03_P_JVSG_Roles.pdf