The Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program provides federal funding through a formula grant to state agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The funds are used to hire dedicated staff that provide individualized career- and training-related services to eligible veterans and eligible persons with employment barriers and other authorized populations, and that help employers in filling their workforce needs with job-seeking veterans.
Staff
The JVSG funding supports Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist, Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER), and Consolidated DVOP/LVER (CODL) staff.
DVOP specialists provide individualized career services to eligible veterans and eligible spouses experiencing employment barriers and to other additional populations authorized by law, with an emphasis on assisting veterans who are economically or educationally disadvantaged. Veterans facing these barriers include veterans experiencing homelessness and unemployment.
LVER staff conduct outreach to employers to advocate for the hiring of veterans. They also work with businesses, contractors, and employer organizations to develop career opportunities for veterans.
CODL staff serve in a dual role as a DVOP specialist and an LVER.
Authorization
Title 38, United States Code, Section 4102A (b) 5 (38 U.S.C. §4102A(b)5) authorizes funds provided to each state to support the staff described above, and the reasonable costs associated with operating the JVSG program.
Roles and responsibilities are defined in 38 U.S.C. §4103A for DVOP specialists and 38 U.S.C. §4104 for LVER staff.
Funding Allocation
Most JVSG recipients’ funding allocations are determined by a ratio that reflects the total number of veterans seeking employment in a given state to the total number of veterans seeking employment in all states.
Some recipients are allocated a minimum amount of funding to ensure that a certain level of staff can be maintained, particularly in states with a large number of sparsely populated rural counties.
Administration
Every four years, states submit a JVSG State Plan to describe how JVSG services will be integrated within the state workforce delivery system, the populations of veterans that will receive targeted services, performance goals, and other information.
The JVSG State Plan is incorporated into each annual grant award as the grant statement of work.