By Carol L. O’Riordan In our last post, we discussed new Labor Department regulations that encourage the hiring and promotion of Vietnam-era and other veterans. In addition to the issues discussed in that post, it’s noteworthy that the new regulations mandate yearly documentation of contractor efforts to recruit and hire protected veterans. A contractor is...
Tag: Veterans preferences
New Labor Dept. Rule Tries to Enhance Hiring of Vietnam-Era Veterans
By Carol L. O’Riordan On August 27, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced a final rule intended to beef up the provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA) that promote affirmative action for certain categories of veterans in hiring and promotion by...
Labor Dept. Sets Forth New Requirements for Government Contractors
By Carol L. O’Riordan In late August 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor issued final rules that will have an effect on affirmative action obligations for all federal contractors and subcontractors in two areas: the recruitment, employment, promotion, training, and accommodation of (1) individuals with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 503, and (2) identified...
VA Tries to Improve Qualification Process for Contract Preferences
By Carol L. O’Riordan Last March, we took note of an effort by the Veterans Administration to simplify its process for qualifying businesses as veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs). We noted that without the need for congressional action, the VA was permitting applicants to correct minor issues in their applications without courting an automatic denial of...
VA Tries to Simplify Process of Qualifying as Veteran-Owned Small Business
By Carol L. O’Riordan Businesses often complain about the minutiae involved with the federal requirements for qualifying as veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs). Now, the federal government is making the whole process a bit simpler and more straightforward. As a recent article by Jill Aitoro in the Washington Business Journal points out, contractors applying to the...
VA Gives Aspiring Contractors Guidance for Certification – Part 2
In this blog, we previously recounted some highlights from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Verification Training on June 7, 2012, at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, This was an informative event hosted by WAVE — Women As Veteran Entrepreneurs. The training was aimed at helping veteran business owners who are either engaged...
VA Training Event Helps Entrepreneurs Clear Hurdles Toward Certification
ORB was delighted to attend the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Verification Training at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery on June 7, 2012. The event was hosted by our good friends WAVE — Women As Veteran Entrepreneurs — and was well attended by veteran business owners and knowledgeable personnel from the VA. The...
Sen. Snowe Seeks Data From VA About Small Business Certification Program
On Feb. 9, 2012, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Me.) wrote to Eric K. Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, noting that many veteran-owned small businesses are complaining about the struggles that they face when applying to the VA for certification as service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB’s). Many small businesses, Sen. Snowe wrote, “have reported long delays,...
Task Force Meeting Will Give Veterans an ‘Open Mike’ on Contracting
By Carol L. O’Riordan Veterans who are federal contractors under the government’s various small business programs, or would like to become contractors, will have a chance to vent their concerns or express their praise at an upcoming public meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development. The Veterans Administration is one of...
VA Changes Stance on Key Issue on Veterans’ Set-Aside Contracts
In response to a more-than-gentle nudge from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a lawsuit by veteran-owned companies, and considerable dissatisfaction on Capitol Hill, the Veterans Administration has backtracked from a prior legal position that could have reduced the impact of a 2006 law that Congress passed in order to help veterans obtain government contracts on...