Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention
Nashville, Tennessee
August 27, 2002

Good afternoon everyone. And thank you Commander Goldsmith for that nice introduction. I also want to commend you for your leadership during this time of great challenge for our country.

I would also like to take a moment to note the recent passing of former Secretary for Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown. As Commander Goldsmith recently noted, Jesse was a great champion of America’s veterans.

I also want to salute the 2.7 million members of the VFW for their service and their good works—particularly in the aftermath of September 11^th.

Every American was deeply affected by that tragedy.

But we have turned an act of terror into a renewed sense of national unity and determination. Our resolve, in no small part, is due to the sacrifices of the men and women of who serve in the armed services.

The events of September 11^th helped us appreciate their patriotism, bravery, and skills.

All veterans deserve the best from the country you have served so selflessly.

As Secretary of Labor, my mission is to ensure that you—America’s veterans—are a key part of our national strategy to build the workforce of the 21^st century.

I am all too familiar with the fact that America faces a widening skills gap. As our economy becomes increasingly service orientated and globalized, we will need to rely even more on the talents and disciplined work ethic that veterans offer.

That’s why the President and I chose Fred Juarbe to be the Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training at the Department of Labor. His 30 years with the VFW offers us firsthand knowledge of how to leverage the strengths that veterans bring to the labor market.

Today I’d like to talk to you about some important new initiatives we are launching to better serve the veterans’ community.

First, we are developing three initiatives to better target PROVETS resources on areas of critical need. The Promoting Re-employment Opportunities for Veterans program focuses on placing transitioning service members in career building jobs.

One of the areas we are targeting through this program is health care, where there is an acute shortage of skilled professionals. We are working with the private sector, state and local governments and our partners in other federal Departments to leverage these—and other—emerging employment opportunities for veterans.

This program is being implemented in places like:

• Maryland, where DOL’s VETS agency is designing a cooperative program between Johns Hopkins University, Maryland State agencies and the Department of Defense to help veterans expedite the licensing and certification requirements they need to find good jobs in the health care industry.

• San Diego, California, where we’ve launched a pilot job-training program with Kaiser-Permanente. It will not only serve veterans, but the spouses of military veterans as well.

• And in Georgia, where we have undertaken a unique study to determine how we can assist a large retail chain in transferring the seniority and other benefits of military spouses between stores.

One of the keys to developing effective relationships with local governments and employers is our network of veterans’ employment representatives. You know them as Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists and Local Veterans Employment Representatives. They understand the special employment and training needs of veterans. They know what it takes to succeed in the civilian labor market.

To make better use of their talents, I have directed VETS to develop a new prototype for the roles and responsibilities of DVOPS and LVERS. We want to preserve the distinction between them, but extend their reach. One way to do this is to give states more flexibility in using these valuable assets.

In particular, we want to free up disabled veterans’ representatives, so they can concentrate more on case management and help those who are difficult to place. We will redirect the focus of local veterans representatives to aggressive employer outreach. Our goal is to turn these employment representatives into talent scouts for veterans. I am giving them a new mission. That mission is to find out where the new jobs are at the local level, to learn what skills are needed, and then to help veterans position themselves to take advantage of these opportunities.

Your organization is a leader among veterans’ service organizations in recognizing the importance of training and career development for the future of the American workforce. That is why, when I reauthorized the Department of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training, I asked Jim Magill, your Director of Employment Policy, to serve as chair.

I was pleased to attend the committee’s first meeting in June. I am looking forward to hearing its recommendations on important issues, particularly on ways to improve our transition assistance programs for separating service members.

Another issue of special concern to me is homeless veterans. One of the charges that President George W. Bush gave his administration is to make sure that no one is left behind. I am proud to serve as one of the four co-chairs of the President’s Interagency Task Force on Homelessness. Through our Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Project, we are ramping up our efforts to help these men and women regain their self-sufficiency and their self-respect. I look to you, and the leadership of the VFW, for your special insights on ways to help this community.

Our armed forces are constantly adapting to new threats posed by terrorism and the challenges of supporting peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. In the same way, our workforce must adapt to the changing needs of the 21^st century workplace so that we can remain competitive and strong.

The U.S. military spends $14 billion annually on training. Servicemen and women work with the most sophisticated equipment.They learn state-of-the art technology. This puts veterans ahead of the human resource curve. Our job is to reach out to employers and to let them know that America’s veterans have skills that can help any organization prosper and grow.

An important part of this effort is to make sure that employees and employers know the law, USERRA—the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

With more than 90,000 reservists and National Guard members now on active duty, we want to make sure all returning service members and their employers understand their USERRA rights and responsibilities.

That’s why the VETS team at DOL has conducted more than 750 USERRA briefings and presentations to guard and employer groups since September 11^th. We’ve also developed on-line programs that answer your questions about USERRA and direct you to information that is easy to understand. You can find them by clicking on “The USERRA Advisor” on the DOL VETS’ home page. One of the most prominently featured new items on the VETS homepage is a guidance memorandum on the Family and Medical Leave Act. It will help returning reservists and National Guard members and their employers understand their rights and obligations under this important legislation.

I’m also delighted to announce that VETS has just brought on line its e-VETS Internet portal. It puts hundreds of web sites containing all sorts of information about benefits to veterans just one click away.

As more and more reservists are called to active duty in the war against terrorism, effective outreach will be more important than ever. We want to use every high-tech tool at our disposal to get the word out about the opportunities, protections and programs available to veterans and our citizen soldiers.

But sometimes, there’s no substitute for old fashioned, face-to-face conversations. That’s why I recently met with the executive directors of all the major veterans’ service organizations. Your Executive Director, Bob Wallace—who is recognized in Washington as a true leader among veterans—was part of that group.

That brings me to my last, and one of our most important, initiatives.

I’ve spoken today about many programs that involve the private sector in our efforts to serve vets. But there is more we can do.

The non-military sector of the federal government is a great source of good paying, stable jobs. These jobs are particularly sought after in times of economic uncertainty. And, to paraphrase the old Uncle Sam recruiting poster, “We want you!”

I am a strong supporter of Veterans Preference in federal hiring. I want the U.S. Department of Labor to be a model for other federal agencies when it comes to hiring veterans. As you know, there are special hiring authorities to enable veterans to come on board quickly and easily. I’ve instructed my senior management team to use these tools to ensure that the Labor Department takes full advantage of this pool of skilled professionals.

But I’ve gone a giant step further. The Department of Labor has teamed up with the Office of Personnel Management to ramp up the Veterans Preference program in ALL federal agencies. We have developed a power point presentation to disseminate to all federal hiring managers. It explains two things:

• the pool of skilled talent that veterans provide, and

• what Veterans Preference is and how to use it.

In the near future, my team at VETS will launch this program throughout the country using its regional representatives.

With your continued support, we can ensure that our nation’s veterans take their place as leaders in the 21^st century workforce.

You are the backbone and strength of our country in times of war and tragedy. Now it’s our turn to be there for all of those who bravely served, during their transition from military to civilian employment.

I think I speak for all Americans when I say this is not a responsibility, but an honor!

Thank you for inviting me here today. God bless you. God bless America.

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