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OPA News Release: [12/14/2004]
Contact Name: Jane Norris
Phone Number: 202-693-4676

WASHINGTON Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced that more than 1,600 veterans in 17 communities in 15 states will be placed in new jobs thanks to $3.78 million in Department of Labor (DOL) grants awarded today. In addition, DOL expects another 600 veterans to receive employment and training services as a result of these grants, which are awarded under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

"The Workforce Investment Act has expanded the eligibility criteria for veterans who might not be covered by other programs," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This again demonstrates President Bush's commitment and resolve to help America's veterans who have so honorably served our nation."

"We can now offer services to any honorably discharged veteran that served on active duty during a war or received a campaign or expedition badge, in addition to those with service-connected disabilities or who have recently separated or faced other significant barriers to employment." said Frederico Juarbe Jr., DOL assistant secretary for veterans' employment and training.

The grants, which are being awarded in California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, make possible a range of services for veterans including: assessing job skills, career counseling, current labor-market information, classroom or on-the-job training, skills upgrading or retraining, and job-placement assistance. The applicants this year have been asked to focus their training efforts on career fields where the lack of a license or a certification has become a barrier to employment. The grants are administered by public agencies and nonprofit organizations that the Secretary of Labor determines have an understanding of veterans' unemployment problems.

Authorized by Section 168 of the WIA, the grants are being awarded on a competitive basis by the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). At the end of these six-month, first-year grants, VETS will award second-year funding to the grantees that meet or exceed the performance criteria set forth in their original award.