Report 2013-102 Recommendation 9 Responses

Report 2013-102: Employment Development Department: It Needs to Address Data Issues to Better Evaluate and Improve the Performance of Its Employment Programs for Veterans (Release Date: October 2013)

Recommendation #9 To: Employment Development Department

To assess whether it is doing enough to take advantage of federal requirements that federal contractors give preference to veterans when hiring, the department should determine why the reported number of veterans receiving employment with federal contractors is so low relative to the number of job referrals made and it should provide appropriate direction to the veterans employment representatives to better leverage the federal contractor job listing.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2015

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) has been providing compliance assistance to federal contractors to help them develop a plan, policies, and procedures to implement DOL regulations (see Attachment 4), including giving preference to veterans when hiring. Since the Veterans Program Unit's reorganization to the Workforce Services Branch's Deputy Director's Office, many process improvements have been implemented, as the Deputy Director found that more emphasis was needed in improvement to the Veterans Program for DOL/Veterans' Employment and Training Service reporting and program development. As such, the Veterans Program Unit has established a close relationship with the OFCCP to help federal employers respond to compliance evaluation reports (see Attachment 5). In addition, the Local Veterans' Employment Representatives in the field offices are now assisting federal employers to meet compliance requirements by helping employers register in CalJOBSSM and posting federal positions.

Outreach to federal employers allows for participation in the established 24-hour job- posting holds for veterans in CalJOBSSM. This process also provides continuous outreach to new and established federal employers and maintains federal compliance with OFCCP; however, it remains the discretion of the employer to hire a veteran. Therefore, EDD requests that this recommendation be closed due to full implementation.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

The Workforce Services Division, Program Reporting and Analysis Unit, will develop guidance on the reporting functions within CalJOBSSM that can assist the Veterans' Program, Wagner-Peyser program, and Workforce Investment Act partner staff in helping veterans apply for federal job contractor listings.

On March 24, 2014, the DOL, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, published a Final Rule that made changes to the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act. The new regulations establish specific metrics for federal contractors and subcontractors to recruit, hire, promote, and retain veterans and people with disabilities. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has been providing assistance to federal contractors to help them develop a plan, policies, and procedures to implement these regulations.

As a result of the new regulations, more businesses will be looking to State Labor Exchange Systems to help them recruit and hire veterans and individuals with disabilities. This presents a tremendous opportunity for CalJOBSSM to improve employment outcomes for the veteran population and to provide a valuable service for our business customers.

The WSB is developing an outreach process for Local Veterans Employment Representative staff throughout the America's Job Center of CaliforniaSM to contact all federal contractors who have filed letters disclosing their status. The process will inform the federal contractor of their responsibilities and offer workforce services assistance which includes matching qualified veterans with their future hiring needs.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

The Workforce Services Division, Program Reporting and Analysis Unit will develop guidance on the reporting functions within CalJOBSSM that can assist the Veterans Program staff, WagnerPeyser staff, and Workforce Investment Act partner staff on federal job contractor listings after implementation of Phase 1B. On March 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs published a Final Rule that made changes to the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act. The new regulations establish specific metrics for federal contractors and subcontractors to recruit, hire, promote, and retain veterans and people with disabilities. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has been providing compliance assistance to federal contractors to help them develop a plan, and policies and procedures to implement the regulations. As a result of the new regulations, many more businesses will be looking to Americas Job Centers and State Labor Exchange Systems to help them recruit and hire veterans and people with disabilities. This presents a tremendous opportunity for the new CalJOBSSM to improve employment outcomes for the veteran population and to provide a valuable service for our business customers.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Workforce Services Division, Program Reporting and Analysis Unit is developing guidance on the reporting functions within CalJOBS that can assist the Veterans' Program staff, Wagner-Peyser staff, and Workforce Investment Act partner staff on Federal Job Contractor Listings. Once this is complete, the Veterans Program Governance Council will work with the Workforce Services Division's Capacity Building Unit to develop training on this guidance. This training will be provided via webinar to Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser staff throughout America's Job Center of California locations. This training should be available starting in May 2014.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2013-102

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.