Fact Sheet: President Obama’s Commitment to Employing America’s Veterans

New Initiatives, Commitments from Private Sector Including Microsoft, Siemens, U.S Chamber of Commerce Will Help Reduce Veteran Unemployment

Today, President Obama will visit the Washington Navy Yard and discuss his plans to ensure that all of America’s veterans have the support they need and deserve when they leave the military, look for a job and enter the civilian workforce. This latest commitment to servicemembers and veterans will provide a comprehensive plan to lower veteran unemployment and ensure that servicemembers leave the military career-ready through hiring tax credits, private sector commitments, and reforms that improve the way we prepare, train, and educate servicemembers for life after the military.

At the Navy Yard, President Obama will be joined by leaders from the Department of Defense, veteran representatives from the American Legion, VFW, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and representatives from Humana, Veterans on Wall Street, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Edison Electric Institute, Microsoft, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Accenture, Walmart, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Code for America, SCORE, Futures, Inc. and Siemens who have committed to hire or provide training to unemployed veterans.

Having served and defended our nation, veterans are well-trained and highly skilled and will add value to any company. But today’s veterans face unique challenges:

• As of June, one million veterans were unemployed and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 13.3 percent.
• These veterans tend to be young and many worked in sectors that were among the hardest hit by the recession.  Post-9/11 veterans were more likely to be employed in mining, construction, manufacturing, transportation and utilities—all industries that experienced significant drops in employment during 2008-2009.  
• And as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million servicemembers are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016.

We have an obligation to make sure our veterans are able to navigate this difficult labor market and succeed in the civilian workforce. The President’s reforms will not only ensure that veterans leave the service with career-ready credentials and training that translate into civilian jobs, but will help employers locate veterans with the right skills and training. Additionally, this initiative to support veterans is a fundamental part of President Obama’s strategy to lay the foundation for a stronger economic recovery that creates quality jobs for America’s workers. To continue his commitment to America’s servicemembers and veterans, the President will propose:

• Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits: A new Returning Heroes Tax Credit for firms that hire unemployed veterans (maximum credit of $2,400 for every short-term unemployed hire and $4,800 for every long-term unemployed hire) and a Wounded Warriors Tax Credit that will increase the existing tax credit for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed long-term (maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran) and continue the existing credit for all other veterans with a service-connected disability (maximum credit of $4,800).
• A Challenge to the Private Sector to Hire or Train 100,000 Unemployed Veterans or Their Spouses by the End of 2013: The President will challenge businesses to commit to hire or provide training to unemployed veterans and military spouses. Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Accenture, JP Morgan, AT&T and many other companies and non-profits have already risen to the challenge and announced new commitments to training or employing veterans. Joining Forces will lead this work with businesses and industry.
• Presidential Call for a Career-Ready Military: The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, working closely with other agencies and the President’s economic and domestic policy teams, will lead a new task force to develop reforms to ensure that every member of the service receives the training, education, and credentials they need to transition to the civilian workforce or to pursue higher education. These reforms will include the design of a “Reverse Boot Camp,” which will extend the transition period to give servicemembers more counseling and guidance and leave them career-ready.
• Transition to the Private Sector: The Department of Labor will establish a new initiative to deliver an enhanced career development and job search service package to transitioning veterans at their local One-Stop Career Centers. The Office of Personnel Management will create a “Best Practices” Manual for the private sector to help businesses identify and hire veterans.

Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits

Under the Recovery Act, employers who hired certain unemployed veterans were eligible for a tax credit of up to 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages, for a maximum credit of $2,400. This credit expired at the end of 2010.

The President will call for two new tax credits:

The Returning Heroes Tax Credit is a new hiring tax credit that will provide an incentive for firms to hire unemployed veterans.

• Short-term unemployed: A new credit of 40 percent of the first $6,000 of wages (up to $2,400) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed at least 4 weeks.
• Long-term unemployed: A new credit of 40 percent of the first $12,000 of wages (up to $4,800) for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.

The Wounded Warrior Tax Credit will double the existing tax credit for long-term unemployed veterans with service-connected disabilities.

• Maintain the existing Work Opportunity Tax Credit for veterans with service-connected disabilities (currently the maximum is $4,800).
• A new credit of 40 percent of the first $24,000 of wages (up to $9,600) for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed longer than 6 months.

The paperwork process for claiming these credits will be simplified by streamlining the burdensome certification that firms had to undertake to claim previous credits.

Presidential Challenge to the Private Sector

The President will challenge private sector firms to commit to hiring or training 100,000 unemployed veterans and their spouses by the end of 2013. Joining Forces, a landmark initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr Jill Biden, will lead this effort.  Joining Forces was established to raise awareness and rally all sectors of society (individuals, businesses, communities, philanthropists, faith-based institutions, etc) to recognize the service and sacrifice of veterans and military families and give them the opportunities and support they have earned.

Some firms already have excellent veteran-focused programs:

• The Center for Energy Workforce Development and the Edison Electric Institute worked with various public and private partners to develop a “Troops to Energy Jobs” program.  Through this program, veterans will have the opportunity to transfer their military education and experience into college credit that will bring much-needed skills to our utility companies and help meet our nation’s increased energy demands.
• Veterans on Wall Street (“VOWS”) is an initiative supported by a coalition of Wall Street banks, including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, that united to help support, educate and recruit military veterans and their families as they transition to the civilian workplace through hiring fairs, mentoring programs, an annual industry conference, and philanthropic support.

Today’s announcement includes significant commitments from a range of private sector partners:

Microsoft will offer 10,000 technology training and certification packages to U.S. military veterans over a two year period, through a partnership with the Department of Labor. The technology training and certification will be available at intermediate and advanced levels and will be delivered through e-learning, with additional in person support. This partnership is an extension of the overall Microsoft Elevate America veterans initiative, which demonstrates a total investment of $12 million cash, product and related support for U.S. veterans.

Siemens pledged to fill 10 percent of their 3,000 open positions with veterans earlier this year.  Having exceeded that goal, Siemens has increased their commitment by an additional 50 percent.  More than 450 veterans will have a new job at Siemens by the end of the year.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce will create a private sector National Veterans Employment Advisory Council (VEAC), which will be comprised of 25 of America’s biggest employers, representing every major industry and sector, to promote veteran hiring, reporting measures, and mentorship. They will also call on their federation of 2,500 state and local chambers and industry associations and more than 3 million businesses to significantly expand the scale and scope of their nationwide hiring campaign to several hundred additional cities in 2012 and beyond.

Honeywell is expanding its ongoing recruitment efforts to include a target job placement goal of at least 500 veterans in 2011 across the company’s four businesses.

Humana will provide $1 million to support the continued expansion of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program.  The EBV is a novel and ‘one-of-a-kind’ initiative designed to train veterans to create and sustain a new business.  The EBV training is provided across eight universities without any cost to the veteran, and more than 500 veterans with disabilities will have completed the program from since 2007.  Humana’s support will allow for the continued expansion of the program to additional universities across the U.S. while expanding opportunities for military family members to receive the EBV training. Humana also is announcing today a new “Veterans Initiative” whereby the company will expand its efforts to recruit and hire military veterans and their spouses in a variety of roles at the health care company.

JP Morgan Chase has developed and is executing a holistic veteran's strategy.  Two key elements include a commitment of $7.5 million to provide seed funding for the creation and launch of a “first-of-its-kind” Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University as well as the 100,000 Jobs Mission.  The 100,000 Jobs Mission was launched in March with the goal of hiring 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans by 2020. 11 corporations have joined this mission and collectively hired more than 1,300 transitioning service members and veterans through June 30th. 

Futures, Inc. has committed to launch a pilot web-based platform, US Veterans Pipeline, to help veterans connect with career exploration resources, mentors, education, and direct employment opportunities.  This collaboration represents a cross section of Fortune 500 companies, education leaders, entrepreneurs, and veteran service organizations.

AT&T is launching two new online resources: a custom military skills translator, which will enable servicemen and women to use their current Military Occupation Code or Military Occupation Specialty to find corresponding civilian career opportunities at AT&T, and the Careers4Vets program which connects interested veterans with mentors within AT&T. These new platforms will support AT&T’s ongoing veteran initiatives, including supplier diversity initiatives like Operation Hand Salute, a mentoring program that is designed to help disabled veteran businesses develop the tools and expertise to win large corporate contracts.

Accenture’s Skills to Succeed program will equip 250,000 people, including veterans, around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business.  As part of their efforts, Accenture is one of several companies underwriting NPower’s Technology Services Corp and will work with the non-profit to expand IT training, professional skills and mentoring, internships, and job placement for servicemembers and veterans. 

Code for America is creating the Veterans Employment Platform, which will offer an online military skills translator for employers across the country. Working with private sector partners such as Direct Employers and Futures Inc, and Federal agencies including Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, the Office of Personnel Management, the platform will become an essential resource for both veterans and employers.

SCORE will provide an array of free and discounted offers to help veterans and their family members with their business needs. These offers span from discounted incorporation services to free software and free assistance by certified accountants. They also will offer scholarships for their “Simple Steps for Starting Your Business” workshop series or an equivalent workshop available through any of their 350 chapters nationwide.

Walmart has previously committed $1 million to support the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans program developed at Syracuse University and involving business schools across the United States.  Building on this commitment, Walmart is now providing a $180,000 grant to V-WISE, which offers training and mentoring in business development, operations and the challenges facing women transitioning from military service to the private sector.‪ Walmart will also contribute $100,000 to support the US Chamber’s work in hosting more than 100 job fairs for veterans in cities and towns across the United States.‪‪ Walmart has also agreed to be the founding member of the US Chamber National Veterans Advisory Council, which will pull together 25 corporate members committed to hiring veterans and creating best practices for veterans employment.

Lockheed Martin is expanding its targeted series of Wounded Warrior-focused hiring events, where veterans with disabilities are invited for face-to-face interviews with hiring managers. Additionally, veterans can connect with Lockheed Martin recruiters through new, monthly Wounded Warrior employment virtual chat room sessions.

Hewlett Packard is expanding on its original $50,000 commitment to the American Corporate Partners (ACP), a nationwide mentoring program dedicated to helping veterans transition from the armed services to the civilian workforce through mentoring, career counseling, and networking during a yearlong mentorship.   As a participating institution, HP has helped recruit executives, employees and retirees to be mentors in this program and is now expanding its mentoring program to California.

A Career-Ready Military

The President will direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead a joint task force with the White House economic and domestic policy teams and other agencies to develop proposals to maximize the career-readiness of all servicemembers.

• This effort will transform the services’ approach to education, training, and credentialing for servicemembers, and bolster and standardize the counseling services that servicemembers receive prior to separating from the military. The Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, on behalf of the task force, will provide a report to the President by the end of the year, with recommendations.
• The Secretaries will provide recommendations for the development of a “Reverse Boot Camp,” which will provide an extended transition period so servicemembers receive counseling services, information about post-separation benefits, and credentialing opportunities. Reverse Boot Camp will help direct recently separated veterans to jobs and educational and training programs that will best meet their needs and leave them career-ready. The task force will also work to identify agency programs that are duplicative or not achieving their intended outcomes.

Transitioning Veterans to the Private Sector

The Department of Labor will establish an initiative to deliver enhanced job search services to recently transitioning veterans through select One-Stop Career Centers.  Servicemembers will be provided “Gold Cards” through the Transition Assistance Program (TAP). The “Gold Card” package will include a combination of core and intensive services (skills assessment, career coaching, job search assistance) over a six-month period to jump-start their job search process and reconnect them to the civilian labor force in high-demand sectors.

Additionally, the Office of Personnel Management will work with businesses to share best practices in hiring veterans in the federal government. The federal government has already made progress in bringing more veterans into the workforce. Through the President’s Veterans Employment Initiative, the government hired approximately 2,000 more veterans in FY 2010 than in FY 2009.

Working with Joining Forces, the Office of Personnel Management will develop a “Best Practices Manual” for the private sector that will help private sector companies identify and hire veterans. The manual will underscore how veterans can add value to employers’ workforces and ways that human resources departments can find veteran job applicants, place them into appropriate jobs, and ensure their needs are being met. OPM will also hold a series of meetings with the private sector to further encourage companies to launch a strong push on veteran jobs.

Presidential Memorandum--Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") declaring a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat that significant transnational criminal organizations pose to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

Organized crime is no longer a local or regional problem; it has become a danger to international stability.  Significant transnational criminal organizations have become increasingly sophisticated and dangerous to the United States, and their activities have reached such scope and gravity that they destabilize the international system.  These groups have taken advantage of globalization and other factors to diversify their geographic scope and range of activities.  They have increased and deepened their ties to governments and the international financial system, relying not only on bribery and violence, but also more and more on the ability to exploit differences among countries and to create and maintain legal facades to hide illicit activities.

The specific harms that significant transnational criminal organizations threaten today are many.  They corrupt -- and in some cases co-opt -- governments, thereby destabilizing them and weakening democratic institutions and the rule of law.  They threaten U.S. economic interests by subverting, exploiting, and distorting legitimate markets, and could gain influence in strategic sectors of the world economy.

Significant transnational criminal organizations that engage in cybercrime threaten sensitive public and private computer networks, undermine the integrity of the international financial system, and impose costs on the American consumer.  Those that engage in the theft of intellectual property not only erode U.S. competitiveness, but also endanger the public health and safety through the distribution of tainted and counterfeit goods.  Many of them also engage in drug trafficking.

Finally, significant transnational criminal organizations increasingly support the activities of other dangerous persons.  Some of these organizations are involved in arms smuggling, which can facilitate and aggravate violent civil conflicts.  Others are involved in human smuggling, exacerbating the problem of forced labor.  There is also evidence of growing ties between significant transnational criminal organizations and terrorists.

The Executive Order I have issued today is one part of a comprehensive strategy to address the growing threat of transnational organized crime.  The order targets significant transnational criminal organizations and the networks that support them, striking at the core of those networks -- their ability and need to move money.  It does this by blocking the property and interests in property of four transnational criminal organizations, listed in the Annex to the order, that currently pose significant threats to U.S. domestic and foreign economic interests, as well as to U.S. promotion of transparency and stability in the international political and financial systems.  The order provides criteria for the further blocking of persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of State:

• to be a foreign person that constitutes a significant transnational criminal organization;
• to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order; or
• to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the order.

I have delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury the authority, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order.

The order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on July 25, 2011.  All executive agencies of the United States Government are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.

I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 24, 2011.

Remarks by the First Lady and Dr. Biden at Joining Forces Military Family Cookout

New Hampshire National Guard Headquarters
Concord, New Hampshire

3:45 P.M. EDT
 
DR. BIDEN:  Hello.  Thank you, General Reddell, for that warm introduction.  And thank you and your wonderful wife, Becky, for all you’re doing, for your support of the New Hampshire National Guard & Reserve families.  We are delighted to be here and appreciate your hosting us today.  Thank you.
 
And good afternoon everyone!  It’s great to see so many Guard Members, reservists, family members, and friends of the Guard.  I want to also recognize the Gold Star families who are here with us today. 
 
I am Jill Biden, and I am proud to stand here this afternoon as a military mom.  Like you, I come from a small state with a strong National Guard that has shouldered a tremendous burden over the past decade.
 
My son, Beau, is a Captain in the Delaware Army National Guard and he recently spent a year in Iraq, so I know well the challenges that Guard families face when their soldiers are away.  And I also know how much it means when communities rally around family members who are managing in their soldier’s absence.
 
The First Lady and I came here today for a very simple reason: to say thank you to all of you for all of your service.  You and your family -- service members around the country and the world inspire us with your strength and your resilience, and that applies especially to the family members of all ages who are here today.
 
The First Lady and I are working hard through our “Joining Forces” initiative to make sure that every American understands the sacrifices that each of you as family members are making for the security of our nation.
 
And we hope to inspire more communities around the country to reach out to military families like we are doing tonight in Concord and like I saw in Portsmouth later today -- earlier today.
 
We’ve seen some incredible examples of Americans helping out with childcare for military families, lending a hand with accounting during tax season, and hosting baby showers for expectant military moms, and we want to formally applaud these efforts.
 
In fact, I’m excited to share tonight that the First Lady and I are launching the Joining Forces Community Challenge, which will recognize individuals and groups around the country who are making a difference in the lives of military families.
 
We are really excited about this program and hope you will go to our website at joiningforces.gov to learn how you can nominate a group or an individual who has come up with a creative or innovative way to make life a little easier for our military families.  The idea can be large or small, new or old, as long as it demonstrates in some way the tremendous gratitude all of us feel for our military families.
 
Every American has the ability to make a difference in the life of a military family.  That’s what our Joining Forces initiative is all about.
 
And now it’s my honor and privilege to introduce a woman who is a tireless and devoted advocate for our service members, veterans, and military families, my dear friend and our wonderful First Lady Michelle Obama.  (Applause.)
             
MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you all so much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  How are you guys doing?  Food good?  Have you eaten yet?  Good steak.  (Laughter.)  Oh, awesome.  Can we give the steak a hand?  I mean, come on, good stuff.  (Applause.)  I only had two bites, but I guarantee you after this I’m having some more. 
 
It is great to be back in New Hampshire.  And I want to thank Jill for that very kind introduction.  Jill has been just a tremendous partner in crime in this effort.  She’s a true champion of our men and women in uniform and a singular voice for National Guard and Reserve issues, both inside and outside of the White House, so I would like to give her a round of applause, too.  Yay.  (Applause.)
         
And also I want to recognize General Reddell and, again, everyone from The Meat House for donating all the delicious food, and of course, I want to thank all of you for being here today.
 
I know we have a lot of different folks represented here.  We’ve got folks from the National Guard, we have people from the Army Reserves, the Navy Reserves.  I know we have some members of Gold Star families here, as well.  I know we have moms and dads both in uniform and out of uniform.  And of course we’ve got a lot of kids, who are probably tired of sitting down and listening to grown-ups, right?  I hear that's a Bouncy House, though.  Is there a Bouncy House?  Do you want to be bouncing in the Bouncy House?  (Laughter.)  I say, go for it.  (Laughter.)  Oh, Dad said no.  Never mind.  (Laughter.)  I tried, tried to get you out of there. 
 
So I’m not going to talk long, because Jill and I are going to spend time going table to table, hopefully getting to meet you -- and him, him especially.  (Laughter.) 
 
But the reason why we’re here, as Jill mentioned, is that we have a very simple message, and that is to say:  Thank you.  Thank you for your service.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Thank you for everything that you have done for our country.
 
And unlike Jill I didn’t grow up in a military household.  But as I’ve traveled this country, visiting military bases and communities and hospitals, I have seen firsthand just what it means to be part of a military family.  You guys are serious.  You all are doing phenomenal things that we want this entire country to know. 
 
You are moms who are trying to build careers while taking night classes.  You’re dads who coach Little Leagues and who help out with projects in your own communities.  You all are teenagers who study hard and take on extra responsibilities when dad or mom is serving overseas.
 
All of you are perfect examples of the 9/11 Generation.  You’ve gone through unprecedented deployments.  You’ve helped to defend our security through a decade of war.  And you’ve strengthened our country not just as National Guardsmen and Reservists, but as teachers and as firefighters and businessmen and women, as well.
 
You represent the very best of America –- a devotion to family, to community, and to country.  And I just want to tell you that Jill and I could not be more inspired by all of you.

You all are the reasons why Jill and I have launched this nationwide initiative that we’re calling Joining Forces because we want this entire country to recognize, and honor, and support our military members and their families.  We want you to know that this country has your back.
 
And we’ve been traveling across the country, talking to the heads of large businesses and nonprofit organizations, working the levers of government, raising public awareness about what you do and how you sacrifice.
 
And we’re not just putting on some press conferences in front of a logo.  I mean, for us this is not just a show.  We’re working hard to take meaningful steps that make a real difference for you and for your families, because we have learned, whether it’s firsthand or from the stories you’ve told us, how hard it can be when a military family is called to move from base to base or city to city.  It means a new job search for your spouse, it means entirely new friends for your kids, it means a whole new routine for your entire family.
 
And we know that it only makes things tougher when you’re also trying to update your professional license to get in line with your new state’s requirements, or you’re wrangling with a school district to make sure that your kids’ previous credits count at their new school. 
 
So we’re trying to get rid of those headaches for you.  That's one of the things that Joining Forces is trying to do.  We’re working with state governments and the Department of Defense to make sure that when you’re transferred your professional licenses and certifications are transferred, too, in every single state.  We’re also working to do the same thing for your kids’ courses and transcripts, because our troops and their families serve our whole country, not just one state at a time. 
 
And with Joining Forces, we’re working on all types of issues that affect your lives, like employment and job training for military spouses, things like better classes for your children consistently across the country, and most importantly reducing the stigma around mental health issues.
 
And so far, I am proud to say that the response has been incredible.  Everyone that we have spoken to wants to get involved.  From the federal government, to our most successful businesses and nonprofit organizations, to the countless individuals who are making a difference in their own neighborhoods, Americans of all kinds are stepping up to make a difference for our military families.
 
And we’re not done.  We are not even close.  We have only just begun.  We’re going to keep pushing on tough, complicated issues that you’ve probably been struggling with for years and years.  We’re going to keep bringing more people and more businesses and more organizations into the fold. 
 
And we want to hear from all of you -- even if it’s as simple as we go around -- we want to hear from you about how we can do this most effectively.  And when we’re gone we want to continue to hear from you, either through the General or from your resource support centers.  We want to know that what we’re doing is actually having impact for you on the ground.  Let us know how we can find new ways to be helpful.  Let us know how we can improve this initiative so that it is really something that matters to you and to your families.  We want to make sure that we’re making a difference in your lives.  We want to make sure that this is something that you feel.
 
So I want to make a deal with you.  You all keep doing what you’re doing, just being outstanding, just being the best that America can be, keep setting an example for the rest of the country, and we’ll keep working to make sure that this initiative lives up to the standard that you all have set.   
 
So thank you again.  We are proud of you.  We want America to know your stories, to know your challenges, to know your successes, because you make us all proud.
 
So thank you all, and God bless, and we’ll get out there and come and shake some hands.  And kids, go play!  Can they -- they can play, they can play.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  (Applause.)
 
END
3:58 P.M. EDT