The Dead Letter Veterans Preference Act: How the Federal Government is Failing to Lead by Example in Hiring Veterans
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Authors
Eiler, Kent A.
Issue Date
2013
Type
Journal Article
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Abstract
FIRST PARAGRAPH(S)|The issue of veterans' unemployment is receiving considerable attention with the U.S. economy in its longest slump in decades. As U.S. involvement in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq comes to a close, and the drawdown of service-members from all branches of the U.S. military seems imminent, many observers worry veteran unemployment will increase. The reported unemployment rate for Gulf War II veterans has, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ping-ponged back and forth: from 8.9% in July 2012, spiking upward again to 10.9% in August 2012, and down again to 9.7% in September 2012; these statistics are well above the general population's unemployment rate that is around 8%. Politicians on all sides of the political spectrum claim to support action that will alleviate veteran unemployment and assert veterans bring invaluable skills to the civilian workforce. In this environment, one would think the federal government itself would take whatever steps it could to hire veterans. In practice, however, neither the executive branch nor the legislative branch has undertaken meaningful steps to maximize the federal government's role as a model employer. Congress has not passed significant legislation on the federal government's hiring practices since 9/11. Additionally, the federal government's Office of Personnel Management ("OPM") has designed rules for the government's hiring practices that effectively strip veterans of preference when they apply to a broad range of positions in the executive branch...
Description
Citation
46 Creighton L. Rev. 343 (2012-2013)
Publisher
Creighton University School of Law