A bill that benefits Texas Veterans and Employers - James Jeffrey

Print this Article | Send to Colleague

One Texas lawmaker is doing her best to help veterans after their military service — something that could also benefit employers looking for talented and motivated workers.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, has filed legislation that would help veterans and their families translate specific training into civilian occupational licenses and ease the transition from military service to the civilian workforce.

The Society for Human Resource Management Texas State Council’s "Patriotic Promise" program aims to establish a recruitment platform for veterans and build veteran human capital for employers. It highlights the top 10 reasons to employ veterans as follows:

Accelerated learning curve: Veterans have the proven ability to learn new skills and concepts, and enter workforces with identifiable and transferable skills, proven in real-world situations. Such background can enhance an organization's productivity.

Leadership: The military trains people to lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation and inspiration. Veterans understand the practical ways to manage behaviors for results, even in the most trying circumstances.

Teamwork: Veterans understand how genuine teamwork grows out of a responsibility to one's colleagues. Military duties involve a blend of individual and group productivity.

Diversity and inclusion in action: Veterans have learned how to cooperate with many different types of individuals regardless of diverse race, gender, geographic origin, ethnic background, religion and economic status, as well as mental, physical and attitudinal capabilities.

Efficient performance under pressure: Veterans understand the rigors of tight schedules and limited resources. They have developed the capacity to know how to accomplish priorities on time, in spite of tremendous stress, and understand the critical importance of staying with a task until it’s done right.

Respect for procedures: Veterans have gained a unique perspective on the value of accountability and can grasp their place within an organizational framework. They know how policies and procedures enable an organization to exist.

Technology and globalization: Veterans are often aware of international and technical trends pertinent to business and industry. They can bring the kind of global outlook and technological savvy that all enterprises of any size need to succeed.

Integrity: Prospective employers can take advantage of a veteran’s track record of integrity, often including security clearances. This integrity translates into qualities of sincerity and trustworthiness.

Conscious of health and safety standards: Veterans have been trained to be aware of health and safety protocols both for themselves and others. Individually, they represent a drug-free workforce that is cognizant of maintaining personal health and fitness. On a company level, their awareness and conscientiousness translate into protection of employees, property and materials.

Triumph over adversity: Veterans have likely proven their mettle in mission critical situations demanding endurance, stamina and flexibility. They may have overcome personal disabilities through strength and determination.

Van de Putte has also filed Senate Bill 981, which would help veterans with burn injuries receive assistance toward air-conditioning costs during the summer heat. Burned veterans, many of whom have lost their sweat glands and epidermal insulation, are at greater risk than most people of overheating — a threat with potentially deadly consequences, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

To read more about legislation that could benefit veterans and employers click here for the ABJ @ The Capitol in-depth weekly story in the April 19 issue of the Austin Business Journal.

Bill seeks to streamline occupational opportunities for Veterans and their spouses

James Jeffrey Contributing Writer- Austin Business Journal Email
Veterans and their spouses in Texas would get a boost toward using their skills and licenses acquired during military service to find jobs if legislation making progress at the Capitol is passed.


Senate Bill 162, filed by State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, was passed favorably out of the Texas Senate April 2. The bill aims to help veterans and their families apply specific training toward civilian occupational licenses. It requires state agencies issuing occupational licenses to provide expedited licensure for military service members, their spouses and veterans holding current licenses as long as those licenses are substantially equivalent to Texas’ licensing requirements.

Texas’ veteran population stands at just under 1.7 million, the second largest in the U.S. after California, and is projected to grow as overseas operations and the military’s size are reduced.

"This bill is rooted in a simple philosophy that after service members fight for our country they should not have to then fight for a job back home," Van de Putte said. "Expediting the licensure process for service members, spouses and veterans with substantial skill sets will get them back into Texas’ civilian workforce with the speed they deserve."

In 2012, Texas’ veteran population contained about 967,000 individuals — 18 and older — eligible for civilian employment. Of those, 815,000 had full-time jobs, 103,000 had part-time jobs, and 49,000 were unemployed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The resulting unemployment rate of 5 percent compared favorably with Texas’ nonveteran unemployment rate of 6.6 percent, but the rate for veterans of the second Gulf War stands at 8.3 percent, according to the BLS. Others claim it’s closer to 13 percent.

Smoothing a rough transition

Retraining for civilian qualifications costs money and takes time that could result in an available job being lost, said Jim Brennan, a small business owner and director of research and resources for the Texas Coalition of Veteran Organizations. This legislation would reduce costs borne by veterans and shorten the time it takes to become eligible for civilian jobs, smoothing the transition for the surge of veterans and families expected during the next 18 months.

Research shows that veterans who haven’t assimilated into the workforce within 30 days of discharge become increasingly vulnerable to veteran-related problems, Brennan said. Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries are concerns for some employers worried about increased liability. Veterans, in turn, can become reluctant to discuss issues they fear might disqualify them from jobs — a situation not unique to veterans.

Educating employers

Nonveteran employees can also have PTSD from a variety of experiences, said Brennan and Bob Cartwright with Texas State Council’s Society for Human Resource Management. Both agreed the best way to mitigate the effects of PTSD for veterans affected is employing them as quickly as possible.
Nevertheless, some employers don’t understand how to interpret veterans’ skills and incorporate them into the civilian workplace, Cartwright said. He’s spoken to CEOs — some veterans themselves — who acknowledged that those hiring in their human resources departments didn’t appreciate the transferability of veterans’ skills.

Assessment tools, such as Waco-based Profiles International Inc.’s Transition Coach, are available to interpret military qualifications and match them to employers’ needs. The Texas State Council offers programs, such as Operation Job Match and The Patriotic Promise, designed to educate employers and HR leaders on best practices to manage veteran talent.

"The dollars spent on training the military are very significant," Cartwright said. "It doesn’t make sense to redo that training."

Not just a paycheck

The Texas Workforce Commission supports any legislative initiative to help veterans successfully transition to civilian life and to incentivize employers to hire from a talented group of people, said its director of communications, Lisa Givens.

Senate Bill 10, also filed by Van de Putte, and its companion, House Bill 3545, filed by State Rep. Jose Menéndez, D-San Antonio, would enable veterans to apply military qualifications toward college credit. Another bill of Van de Putte’s, SB 981, would give veterans with burn injuries assistance toward air-conditioning costs during the summer heat.

SB 162 has been referred to the House Committee on Defense and Veterans’ Affairs, while its companion legislation, House Bill 45, filed by State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, passed favorably out of the House on April 11.

Employers in large cities are well-placed to benefit from these bills as veterans usually settle in or close to metropolitan areas, said Paul Melton, president of the Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars.
And most employers find that veterans make good employees.

"There’s more than just the job, and veterans get that," said Roy Grona, adjutant for the Texas VFW. "They put everything into it."

James Jeffrey
Contributing Writer
Austin Business Journal