By JASON MATTHEWS
Veterans over 55—and increasingly those over 65—now make up nearly half of all living U.S. veterans. Yet despite their experience and motivation, they often encounter outdated systems built for younger jobseekers [1].
One in four veterans are between the ages of 70 and 79, challenging the outdated stereotype that most veterans seeking employment are young or recently separated [2]. Some older veterans are seeking meaningful work after retirement; others are returning to the labor market due to rising costs, caregiving changes, or reduced social support.
Whatever brings them back—financial pressure, life changes, or a need for connection—older veterans return with decades of experience, leadership, and a mission-driven mindset. Yet too often, they face structural barriers and outdated assumptions that delay or derail reintegration.
This article explores how workforce providers can better support this growing population through three core themes:
- Still Ready to Serve: Reframing aging veterans as capable contributors—not retired or “done,” but eager to serve their communities in new ways.
- Bridging the Gap: Addressing unique challenges like isolation, outdated skills, and digital exclusion with empathy and practical strategies.
- Aging Forward: Adapting the workforce system through flexible training, community partnerships, and coaching tailored to where older veterans are today.
Older veterans represent an underleveraged talent pool—ready to contribute when given targeted support. Through targeted strategies and reframed mindsets, service providers can unlock their potential and deliver better outcomes for individuals and the communities they serve.
Still Ready to Serve:
A growing number of veterans over age 65 are turning to workforce programs for support. Many veterans are accessing services for the first time, often prompted by rising healthcare costs, the loss of a spouse, or financial insecurity in retirement [3]. Legacy training models—built for younger jobseekers—often fail to meet the needs of older veterans. Older veterans may not have the time or need for multi-year degrees. Instead, they benefit from short-term, hybrid, or credential-based training that values experience and accommodates different learning styles [4].
Older veterans are often overlooked by systems built around younger jobseekers. They face practical barriers—outdated resumes, limited digital skills—and perceptual ones, such as ageism or self-doubt. Health issues, caregiving responsibilities, and transportation can further complicate the path to employment.
Practitioner Takeaway:
“Use the intake process to identify older veterans’ experience early and align referrals with their desired contribution—not just job titles.”
This is where targeted support from DVOPs, LVERs, and HVRP case managers is essential. By meeting older veterans with empathy and adapting services to fit their goals and circumstances, workforce professionals can help them stay engaged, valued, and meaningfully employed.
Bridging the Gap – A few strategies that can make a difference:
- Leverage Community Partners: Collaborate with senior centers, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), and local nonprofits to expand supportive services, peer connections, and non-traditional work opportunities [4].
- Adapt Job Coaching Approaches: Emphasize skills translation for modern roles, help older veterans identify age-friendly employers, and celebrate their strengths and experiences.
- Bridge the Digital Divide: Provide one-on-one guidance or referrals for basic tech training (such as through local libraries, Goodwill, or AARP Foundation programs) to empower veterans to navigate digital applications and remote work [5]. Compile an updated, locally relevant list of tech-training providers to share with veterans serving staff during intake.
- Employ EPs to Build Confidence: Create Employment Plans (EPs) that reflect not just job placement goals, but the veteran’s self-defined purpose and legacy—especially important for those seeking meaningful “encore careers” [NVTI-1].
Effective engagement of older veterans depends on relevance, realism, and respect for their evolving goals. When service providers adjust their strategies with intention, they don’t just help veterans bridge the gap—they drive real outcomes by helping veterans connect their past service with their present identity and future ambitions.
Practitioner Takeaway:
“Every DVOP, LVER, and HVRP staff member should maintain a current list of digital literacy partners and age-friendly employers to support older veterans at intake.”
Aging Forward – Preparing the Workforce System:
To serve older veterans effectively, the workforce system must embrace age-sensitive practices that recognize their unique strengths and experiences, along with the barriers they may face.
Practical Employer Engagement Strategies:
Many employers remain unaware of valuable incentives like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and federal bonding programs—tools that can lower risk and ease the path for hiring older workers [6]. To close this gap, service providers must proactively engage employers before the veteran ever applies. That means highlighting the mission-driven qualities older veterans bring and positioning them as strategic assets. Career centers should also explore elder-inclusive pipelines, such as internships (not just for youth), short-term on-the-job training, and mentorship roles that honor and leverage veterans’ experience. These aren’t exceptions—they’re smart, scalable strategies that create shared value for businesses, veterans, and the communities they serve.
Real-World Examples for Best Practices
1. Emphasizing Transferable Military Skills
Northrop Grumman recognize leadership, strategy, and communication as assets veterans bring to civilian roles, encouraging translation of service into marketable skills [8].
2. Workshops Featuring Older Veteran Success Stories
Programs like the Bay Veterans Workshop foster purpose and peer learning through hands-on sessions. The UTAVBOC Spark Incubator showcases older veterans launching successful ventures with structured support [9][10].
Additionally, workforce professionals must be trained to recognize and interrupt age-based assumptions that can unintentionally limit outcomes. NVTI’s 9610: Career Coaching for Special Populations – Serving Older Veterans provides DVOPs and other veteran-facing staff with tools to identify age-specific barriers, promote realistic job attainment, and reframe veteran capabilities in ways that empower informed decision-making. The course emphasizes confidence-building, digital inclusion, and targeted employment strategies to help older veterans succeed in today’s workforce. Complementary trainings such as 9620: Advanced Case Management and related microlearning modules further support providers in shifting the narrative from ‘aging out’ to ‘evolving forward’ [NVTI-2][NVTI-3].
System-Level Shifts: The future of veteran services depends on our ability to design systems that reflect the full age spectrum of those who served—including veterans in their 50s, 60s, and beyond [7]. Yet, most workforce programs still default to models built for younger, recently transitioned service members. To stay relevant and effective, JVSG and HVRP grantees must move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and instead adopt flexible messaging, training, and outreach that address the specific realities of aging veterans. Age-sensitive service design doesn’t require new systems—just informed adjustments to existing practices just as we do for veterans facing homelessness, disability, or substance use.
Practitioner Takeaway:
“Engage employers early. Before older veterans arrive, identify businesses open to experience-based hiring, flexible roles, or mentorship pipelines.”
Sources
[1] Department of Veterans Affairs, FY 2021 Total Number of Veterans, Veteran VA Users, and Veteran VA Healthcare Users by Sex and Age Group https://www.data.va.gov/dataset/FY-2021-Total-Number-of-Veterans-Veteran-VA-Users-/6fsh-rj6s/data_preview.
[2] U.S. Census Bureau, Veterans by Age and Period of Service (2023). https://data.census.gov/table?q=Veterans+by+age&tid=ACSST1Y2023.S2101
[3] Department of Veterans Affairs, VA News – VA delivered all-time record care and benefits to Veterans in fiscal year 2024 https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-delivered-all-time-record-care-and-benefits-to-veterans-in-fiscal-year-2024/
[4] National Library of Medicine – Effectiveness of Instructional Strategies Designed for Older Adults in Learning Digital Technologies: A Systematic Literature Review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8754191
[5] AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP): https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/scsep/
[6] U.S. Department of Labor – Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wotc
[7] AARP Foundation Back to Work 50+ Program. https://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/back-to-work-50-plus/
[8] U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Hiring Veterans | Northrop Grumman Careers https://www.northropgrumman.com/careers/veterans-transitioning-to-civilian-careers-job-search-and-networking-strategies-old
[9] Bay Veterans Workshop and Learning Center – Hey Bay City (2023) https://www.heybaycity.com/stories/bay-veterans-workshop-and-learning-center/
[10] Spark for Veterans – UTAVBOC Program (2023) https://vboc.uta.edu/success-stories/
NVTI Sources
[NVTI-1] Employment Plans (EPs): http://nvti.org/on-demand-learning/microlearning/serving-veterans/#:~:text=Completing%20the%20Employment%20Plan
[NVTI-2] 9610/SOVS: Career Coaching for Special Populations: Serving Older Veterans https://www.nvti.org/training/class-descriptions/
[NVTI-3] 9620: Advanced Case Management https://www.nvti.org/training/class-descriptions/