Certain Contractors Must Establish Hiring Benchmarks for Protected Veterans

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has posted a new annual benchmark for use by contractors required to establish a hiring benchmark for protected veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA).

Background
VEVRAA regulations require that each contractor who is required to develop a written affirmative action program (AAP) also establish a hiring benchmark for protected veterans each year, either by establishing its own benchmark (by taking into account the five factors listed here) or by adopting the national benchmark (equal to the national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force) provided by OFCCP.

Under either approach, contractors must compare the percentage of employees who are protected veterans in each of their establishments to the hiring benchmark set for that establishment. Contractors should use the result of this comparison when assessing the effectiveness of their veteran outreach and recruitment efforts.

Annual Benchmark Adjusted to 6.9%
OFCCP maintains a VEVRAA benchmark chart that is updated annually and is intended for use by contractors who choose to set a VEVRAA hiring benchmark using the annual national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force.

According to the chart, the new annual national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force is 6.9%. If using the annual national percentage of veterans as a benchmark, then a contractor would select whichever percentage is effective when the AAP year begins.

Note: According to OFCCP, contractors who wish to establish their own customized benchmark should visit the agency's website for further details.

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