April 2018

Academic Credit for Military Experience

By: NVTI Staff Writer

 One of the challenges members of the Uniformed Services face is completing a college degree – whether the degree is a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree due to the member’s change of duty station. Some states recognize this challenge and provide college credit for the member’s active duty/reserve/guard experience. Information about this subject is available on the Education Commission of the States (ECUS) website at https://www.ecs.org/academic-credit-for-military-experience-state-profiles/. This article summarizes key information from the ECUS website.

The website provides detailed information about each state’s program for academic credit for military service. There is also a comparison tool where you can quickly see how each state compares to other states in giving academic credit for military experience. This comparison tool is built around four topics and the resulting comparison deals only with that specific topic. The four topics are: 

When you select an individual state profile, you can find more information on whether or not the state has a policy to award academic credit for military experience.

The ECUS web site can be a valuable tool for DVOP specialists who have clients interested in earning a college degree.  We recommend you become familiar with the site before you use it with your clients.

Veteran is Firmly Planted in the Working World Again

By Leo Kay on April 11, 2018
Sean McMillen has taken an unorthodox path in the professional world, with stopovers as a soldier in the U.S. Army, an egg inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and an independent nursery owner. Now – thanks to support from a disabled veterans assistance program – he’s enjoying his most satisfying career yet, working as a grain inspector for a company in Oregon.
A self-described city kid, Sean discovered a passion for gardening in his early twenties when a friend gave him an orchid. After a stint in the Army, Sean decided to open his own farm and nursery outside of Portland, Oregon, where he still lives.
Unfortunately, when business took a downturn, Sean had to close his nursery and seek a new career path. By his estimate, he was about six months away from homelessness, with no viable job prospects in sight. He also suffered from the effects of a back injury he incurred during an Army exercise.
That’s when he reached out to a program in Portland, supported by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, that helps disabled veterans reintegrate into the civilian workforce. He credits the staff with helping him tighten up his resume, navigate the job search process, and, perhaps most importantly, “get motivated again.”
Within a few months, a large company that was opening its first office in his area offered Sean a position as a certified grain inspector, and he accepted. On any given day at his new job, he travels around the Pacific Northwest to collect samples for certification from a grain silo in Yakima, Washington, or even a tanker in Seattle Harbor with a load of wheat bound for international markets. 
He regularly refers other veterans to the program that helped him get back on his feet. “I don’t think a lot of people know these programs are out there,” Sean said.
Veterans can visit veterans.gov or call 1-877-872-5627 to learn about the employment services available near them, including one-on-one assistance at an American Job Center.
Leo Kay is the regional public affairs director for the Labor Department in San Francisco.

Employment Situation of Veterans – 2017

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their 2017 Employment Situation of Veterans on March 22, 2018. The numbers for last year were positive – a 3.7 percent unemployment rate in 2017, down from 4.3 percent in 2016. This is the lowest veteran unemployment rate in 17 years. Some key highlights from the report were:

  1. The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans edged down to 4.5 percent in 2017. The jobless rate for all veterans declined to 3.7 percent.
  2. The unemployment rate for male veterans fell to 3.6 percent in 2017, and the rate for female veterans changed little at 4.1 percent.
  3. Among the 370,000 unemployed veterans in 2017, 59 percent were age 25 to 54. About 37 percent were age 55 and over and 4 percent were age 18 to 24.
  4. The unemployment rate of veterans varied across the country, ranging from 1.7 percent in Maine and Vermont to 7.3 percent in Rhode Island.

To access the news release which includes the tabulated data, click here.

March DOL VETS and VSO Meeting

The monthly meeting between U.S. Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS) and personnel and leaders from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) around the country was held at the DOL Headquarters in Washington D.C. on March 30, 2018.
The meeting primarily focused on the 2017 Employment Situation of Veterans report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released on March 22, 2018. The numbers for last year were positive – the lowest veteran unemployment rate in 17 years. Some key highlights from the report were:

  • The unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans edged down to 4.5 percent in 2017. The jobless rate for all veterans declined to 3.7 percent.
  • The unemployment rate for male veterans fell to 3.6 percent in 2017, and the rate for female veterans changed little at 4.1 percent.
  • Among the 370,000 unemployed veterans in 2017, 59 percent were age 25 to 54. About 37 percent were age 55 and over and 4 percent were age 18 to 24.
  • The unemployment rate of veterans varied across the country, ranging from 1.7 percent in Maine and Vermont to 7.3 percent in Rhode Island.

To access the news release which includes the tabulated data, click here.
The meeting ended with a brief discussion on services and resources from various VSOs:

  • The DC Metro Business Leadership Network will be hosting its 7th Annual Wounded Warriors Symposium entitled: Building and Maintaining a Culture of Veteran Inclusion on June 27th in Reston, VA. Click here for more information.
  • The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) will be hosting a Military and Veteran Networking Forum on September 20, 2018 at the National Air and Space museum in Washington DC. Click here for more information.
  • Disabled American Veterans (DAV) will be hosting 150 career fairs, 24 of which will be virtual. Click here for more information. In addition, DAV posted a guide on hiring and retaining disabled veterans which can be found here.

As always, visit dol.gov/vets and veterans.gov for more employment, transition, and training resources, and news.

Use of the links on this page to find training information, resources, and a multitude of other information to assist you with your important mission. This project is funded by Department of Labor Veterans' Employment & Training Service (DOL-VETS) contract number DOL-OPS-16-D-0022. It does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner. Contact Management Concepts at NVTI.ManagementConcepts@ManagementConcepts.com for information on re-use permission.