Challenges of the Twenty-Year Veteran Seeking Federal Employment - Research Proposal Example

? Challenges of the Twenty-Year Veteran Seeking Federal Employment Introduction The Federal Executive branch has been recognized to be the principal owner with regard to Veteran employees in the United States. A huge number of Veterans are believed to be engaged presently in different agencies throughout the country as well as the world. The Federal government is learnt to comprise augmented number of Veterans as its employees in comparison to the other private segments. It has been further found that the Federal government even plans to increase its recruitment of Veterans in the various fields of services. Employing Veterans by the government is not only considered to be morally appropriate but is also believed to be advantageous from the business point of view (Purcell, 2011). It is considered to be quite beneficial as the government is often believed to put in noteworthy amount of resources for the reason of training as well as development with regard to the military service workforce. The insistent steps taken towards keeping hold of the evolutionary military service workforce within the government aid in making the most of their return on the made investments. This also facilitates the government to make recruitments and fill up the places that entails higher requirements in the Federal agencies (Department of Veterans Affairs, 1997). Problem or Opportunity Statement The main problem of this research study will be ascertained considering the general and the specific issue being identified in the present research. The contribution of the twenty-year veterans’ towards the country has always been immensely valued by the government in all respect. Their valuable service towards the country needs to be respected by way of facilitating them to lead a normal life after the end of their service. The twenty-year veterans’ were found to witness challenges while seeking federal employment after the completion of their service in the armed forces. This is proving to be discouraging for the twenty-year veterans’ as they are being held back from leading a normal life post service. The main challenges faced by the twenty-year veterans’ along with the causes are considered to be the problem which is aimed to be explored in this study. Purpose Statement The purpose of this study will be to focus on the various challenges faced by the twenty-year veterans while seeking federal employment. The study will also intent to identify the causes triggering the challenges along with suggesting suitable solutions. Conceptual Theoretical Framework The aim of this research will be to identify the challenges faced by the twenty-year veterans while looking for federal employment. The research will relate to the laws favoring the appointment of twenty-year veterans’ in federal employment and the other relevant laws related to the preference and disabilities along with the needed steps that is required to be undertaken in this context. Research Questions The research questions in relation to the topic of the research identified are: The kind of challenges witnessed by the veterans’ The role of the Veterans’ Preference Laws in overcoming the challenges Literature Review From the time period with regard to the Civil War, considerable extents of preference in the course of selection in relation to the Federal jobs are being provided to the Veterans related to the Armed Forces. Taking into consideration the degree of sacrifices made with regard to those individuals offering their services in the field of Armed Forces, the Congress passed laws with the intention to avoid or check veterans on the lookout for Federal service from being reprimanded owing to the amount of time spent by an individual in the field of military service (Howell, 2011). According to the regulations, the physically disabled veterans or the ones who rendered their respective service in relation to dynamic responsibility with regard to the Armed Forces in the course of definite particular time phases or even in military movements would enjoy certain inclination. The mentioned kind of individuals would be allowed certain preferences compared to the non-veterans in terms of employing from the aggressive selections of qualified individuals as well as in withholding in the course of cutback in the force (Damp, 2008). Preference relates to employing for numerous positions in the Federal service and aids in offering a consistent system with the help of which the extraordinary concern is provided to the qualified or competent veterans (Howell, 2011). The inclination towards the Veterans identifies the fact of economic loss that is experienced by those citizens who have indulged themselves in offering their service towards their country being in uniform, reinstates those veterans to quite a constructive competitive position in relation to the government employment and accepts the larger responsibility with regard to the disabled veterans (Damp, 2008). Preference with regard to appointment relates to the permanent as well as temporary positions with regard to the aggressive and probable services with relation to the managerial branch. Preference has been stated not to be applicable for the positions of managerial branch regarding which substantiation from the Senate is considered to be mandatory or to Senior Executive Service. The legislative along with the judicial branches relating to the Federal Government are also considered to be free from the laws pertaining to the Veterans’ Preference Act. An exception is observed in definite circumstances when such positions are offered in the field of competitive service, for instance Government Printing Office (Bertoni, 2009). Preference is also believed to apply in making appointments from the examinations pertaining to civil service that are carried out by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) along with the agencies that fall under the assigned examining authority. The preference is regarded to be applicable for majorly accepted service jobs entailing Veterans’ Readjustment Appointments (VRA) and in instances when the agencies are found to make temporary, overseas and term restricted selections. However, the preference relating to the Veterans’ was found not be applicable in quite a few definite instances like reassignment, transfer or reinstatement, promotion and alteration to a lower grade (Guerin & Delpo, 2011). The preference regarding the veterans’ does not entail the requirement of any kind of an agency to make use of or apply any specific procedure related to appointment. Agencies are believed to entail wide range of power under the relevant law to appoint from any suitable source of qualified individuals involving extraordinary appointing authorities (Bertoni, 2009). An agency might take into concern those candidates who are already employed in the field of civil service from a merit promotion record which was prepared by the agency itself. The agency might also relocate a present employee, shift a particular employee from certain other agency or even restore a past Federal employee. To add further, the agencies also need to provide precedence to the relocated employees prior to making use of the examinations related to the civil service and other related methods of appointing (Guerin & Delpo, 2011). The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) which was passed in the year 1998 offers that a particular veteran or any other chosen or entitled individual who holds the thought that the constitutional rights regarding preference in relation to that particular individual has been dishonored entails the complete liberty to give a written protest to Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) with regard to the U.S. Department of Labor. It also needs to be mentioned in this context that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is considered to hold the obligation for the reason of putting into effect and deducing the regulations with regard to the inclination or preference for the veterans’. On receiving of an application of initial grievance which needs to be brought into notice by 60 days of the supposed infringement, an exploration or enquiry gets initiated by the VETS. This investigation is carried out by the VETS for the reason of ascertaining the accuracy of the infringement of the rights related to the veterans’ preference as claimed by the veteran (United States Department of Labor, 2012). If it gets ascertained by the VETS that the particular instance possesses merit then every possible endeavor would be undertaken to resolve the particular issue. In case a particular resolution does not get announced or addressed in a well-timed way or in instances related to appeal, the applicant might go for the option of bringing the issue to the forefront of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) (Guerin & Delpo, 2011). The Department of Labor’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP) in collaboration with the VETS came up with an interactive as well as online method known as the Veterans’ Preference Advisor to aid veterans comprehend certain issues. This particular mentioned method helps the veterans to comprehend the eligibility criterion which would help the veterans’ avail the benefits with regard to the veterans’ preference. It also provides an explanation to the veterans’ regarding the kind of preference which could be availed by them i.e. the veterans’. The advantages related to the preference would also be communicated to the veterans’. There are certain required steps for the reason of providing a grievance in the written form arising out of the malfunction of a particular Federal Agency towards offering those particular stated advantages. The Advisor has been learnt to show the way to the inquirer with the help of an array of queries for the reason of ascertaining the adequate qualifications. The Advisor is also believed to offer certain information or details as well as lessons for the reason of recording a grievance. It is also believed to be noteworthy to consider the mentioned way to be the initial step towards offering general information. However, the mentioned way fails in providing certain recommendations with regard to the entitlement of the veterans’ inclination (U.S. Department of Defense, 2011). A veteran has been mentioned to meet up to the definite eligibility necessities under ‘section 2108, title 5 of the United States Code’ for the reason of qualifying for the preference criterion. The general required conditions that are needed for the reason of qualifying for preference entail the condition of a respectable or a usual discharge. The military retirees holding the position of lieutenant commander, major or above all these mentioned positions are not considered to qualify for the preference criterion (United States Office of Personnel Management, 1997). However, in case if the mentioned individuals are found to be disabled veterans then they would be considered appropriate for preference. The active responsibilities relating to guard as well as duty for the intention of training would not be considered eligible for preference. It has been also stated under the general conditions regarding preference that in the course of submitting an application with regard to the Federal jobs, the qualified veterans need to state their respective preferences on the provided applications or resume (United States Department of Defense, 2012). The Types of Preferences 5 Point Preference An individual is stated to be sanctioned a veterans’ preference of 5 point on the fulfillment of certain laid down conditions. The service of an individual of veteran needs to be in the course of a war entailing the period of December 7 in the year 1941 all the way through July 1 in the year 1955. The service needs to be for in excess of 180 successive days except for the reason of training. The duration of 180 days also needs to entail the period after 31st of January in the year 1955 and prior to 15th of October in the year 1976. The service also needs to entail the course of the Gulf War entailing the time period of August 2 in the year 1990 till the period of January 2 in the year 1992. The service provided by the veteran even needs to engage a movement or journey owing to which a movement medal was authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or any movement badge entailing Lebanon, Panama, Southwest Asia, Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Grenada, Somalia, Bosnia and Haiti, all are considered to be eligible for preference. It was stated in this respect that any individual or veteran declaring for a 5 point preference would be then approved a provisional ‘5 point veteran preference' for the intention of referral (United States Department of Defense, 2012). 10 Point Preference An individual is granted or is considered to be eligible for a veteran 10 point preference on the fulfillment of any of the definite condition from the laid down criterion. An individual is considered to be eligible for a veterans’ 10 point preference if that individual was a previous member with regard to the Armed Forces. The individual should also satisfy the condition that the separation from the service was done under respectable conditions and also involves a disability that is related to the service. The disability needs to account for less or equal to 10 percent and no kind of payment was given or provided by the Veterans Administration (United States Department of Defense, 2012). An individual for the reason of qualifying for the veterans’ 10 point preference needs to be a previous member with regard to the Armed Forces. The individual also should have been separated from the service under respectable conditions along with entailing a disability which was related to the relevant form of service. The disability needs to account for a minimum of 10 percent but should not be in excess of 30 percent. The individual or the member also needs to entail the receipt of compensation involving the disability on behalf of the Veterans Administration. An individual is also considered to be eligible for the veterans’ 10 point preference for being a mother or spouse of a particular veteran who is considered to be occupationally disabled owing to the service related disability. An individual would also be granted the 10 point preference if that individual is a mother or widow/widower of a late wartime veteran. An individual would also be granted the 10 point preference if that particular person entails a disability which needs to be related to the service and it should account for at least 30 percent or even more than that figure. However, it needs to be mentioned in this context that the individuals claiming for the above mentioned type of preferences needs to submit the relevant and the needed documents along with a formal statement stating the related criterion (United States Department of Defense, 2012). Challenges Faced by the Veteran in Seeking Federal Employment Few challenges were identified in the course of twenty-year veterans’ seeking Federal Employment. The absence of apparent leadership with regard to the significance and value of appointing veterans’ was identified to be the initial challenge which hindered the recruitment of veteran’ in the federal employment. The other challenge identified in this regard was the infrastructure. The infrastructure was found to lack support regarding the promotion of employing Veterans in the Federal agencies. The inadequate comprehension regarding the Preference of the Veterans’ along with the use of extraordinary appointing authorities by the professionals of Human Resource (HR) of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the appointing officials was also stated to be the other challenge that was identified in this aspect (Embree, 2011). The insufficient comprehension with regard to the Veterans’ Preference along with the procedure of Federal hiring by the Veterans and the transitioning service individuals was identified as the other challenge. Finally, the dearth of systems for the reason of matching up to the competence and education of the Veterans with the positions present within the structure of Federal government was recognized to be the other challenge which made the veterans’ witness challenges in relation to the process of seeking Federal Employment. Therefore, the above mentioned factors were identified to be the chief challenges which created a hindrance in the process of employing veterans by the Federal government (Backhus, 2000). The other existing challenges also need a mention with regard to this context. It is a known fact that the veterans are trained differently for their service in the armed forces. The lack of comprehension and association of the possessed training or skills of the veterans by the employer pose to be a great challenge for the veterans as they fail to accommodate and adjust themselves in such an environment (JP Morgan Chase & Co., 2012). Therefore, the employers as well as the individuals working with the veterans need to value the capabilities or rather the qualities of the veterans like teamwork, focus and flexibility which get instilled among the veterans in the course of their training process (Tully & Solomon, 2008). Providing values to these definite qualities would help the employer encourage the veterans to put in their best along with enhancing the level of productivity of the organizations (Geier, Lake, Hendrickson, & Todd, 2011). In the earlier periods, it was found that the veterans’ who suffered from certain kind of disabilities feared to apply for the pensions that were meant for such disabled persons as it was supposed to create an adverse influence on the status of that particular veteran (Michigan Legislature, 2011). The above mentioned challenges faced by the veterans’ made it quite difficult for them to survive after their retirement or the completion of their service in the Armed Forces (Blanck, 2008). The challenges faced by such a group of individuals whose contributions towards the country was considered to be of immense value made the Federal government develop certain regulations as well as guidelines for promoting the appointment of veterans’ in terms of Federal employment (Blank, 1985). The Federal government initiated the operations of various programs for the reason of providing support to the veterans’ looking for employment in the civilian field along with offering preferences with regard to the veterans’ in the field of federal employment. The Transition Assistance Programs, Veterans’ Workforce Investment Program, America’s Heroes at Work and Veterans State Grants Program were identified to be the various programs which were developed by the Federal government to provide the veterans’ the needed professional skills. The development of the professional skills with the help of such programs would facilitate the veterans’ with added advantage while applying for civilian services. The Federal government also developed few guiding principles with the intention of offering preference to the veterans’ in Federal employment. The development of these guiding principles were viewed to encourage the recruitment of veterans’ in the Federal services as this would end up being the best possible way for the government to make the best use of the skills possessed by the veterans’ during the course of their training programs in their period of service in the armed forces (Williamson & Mulhall, 2009). The guiding principles developed by the government for the reason of offering preferences towards the veterans’ entailed a structure related to point preference with regard to appointment, special hiring authority, prerequisites for positive actions concerning the federal agencies and prerequisites for positive actions pertaining to the contractors as well as the subcontractors. Apart from the mentioned guiding principles various other programs were also developed by the government to assist the veterans’ in finding employment in various other sectors as well as industries. Although certain constructive remedial steps were observed to be undertaken by the government to promote federal employment but other definite actions also needs to be undertaken for effectively coping up with the challenges faced by the veterans’ while looking for federal employment. The government needs to develop a governance system as well as infrastructure which would remain solely contributed towards the service with regard to the veterans’ within the Federal government (Williamson & Mulhall, 2009). The government even needs to concentrate on offering service counseling along with bringing into line the aspirations as well as the competences of the veterans’ and the service individuals with the career prospects related to civil service. The government needs to give attention towards building a marketing movement focused on the veterans’ and the service individuals (Scott, 2009). The marketing drive requires emphasizing on the advantages of carrying on their respective careers with regard to the Federal service along with focusing it on the employing officials to give them a comprehension regarding the ways the veterans’ could meet up with the requirements of the proficiencies in their respective organizations. The government would also need to develop a website for the reason of distributing precise and reliable information related to veteran employment. The website should also offer resources along with information with regard to the HR professionals, veterans and appointing officials (Perl, 2012). Methodological Approach & Research Design The research methodology identified for this study will be done both in the qualitative as well as in the quantitative form. Sources of Information & Measurement Plan The sources from where the information will be derived regarding the subject of the research study are Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Veterans’ Readjustment Appointments (VRA), The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Merit Systems Protection Board, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and the eligibility necessities under section 2108, title 5 of the United States for determining the type of veterans’ preference. The Data Collection Plan A questionnaire survey will be done by interviewing the twenty-year veterans’ employed by the Federal government on the end of their respective services and after retiring, the veterans’ in the role of contractors and the veterans’ employed in the private sector. Information will also be collected from various library materials as well. The survey will be done on 40 respondents. Data Analysis A questionnaire survey will be conducted to analyse the collected data. The analysis will be done with the help of a qualitative approach with the help of graphical representation. The survey will help to identify that the veterans’ got treated differently owing to their diverse backgrounds and also that the disabled veterans’ got treated differently. The veterans facing problems while undertaking service other than their field of specialization i.e. the military service will also be attempted to be substantiated through the data analysis. The veterans have been learnt to lack the suitable professional skills that are considered to be necessary by the organizations (Michigan Legislature, 2011). This is observed to trigger a feeling of inferiority within the veterans’ and which further discourages them from opting for other kind of services. Lack of professional training and skills also results in poor earnings by the veterans. All the mentioned statements along with the fact that the veterans’ with certain disabilities get discouraged from continuing their service in the organizations owing to the reason of social stigma will be attempted to be evaluated and ascertained with the help of the data analysis (Tully & Solomon, 2008). Source: (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). Source: (Burrows, 2011). Significance of the Study & Potential Contributions The research study will successfully help in identifying the challenges faced by the twenty-year veterans’ which would further help in developing effective solutions for overcoming the challenges. It will also provide a clear comprehension of the factors giving rise to the challenges. Ethical Considerations or Expected Outcome The questionnaire survey will be done after obtaining the complete consent of the respondents. The confidentiality of the information obtained in the procedure of the survey along with the identity of the respondents will be taken into concern and appropriately maintained. Personal Reflections & Insights The topic of the research study will prove to be beneficial for comprehending the challenges faced by the twenty-year veterans in the field of employment. The research will effectively aid to identify the root causes of the challenges which will further help to devise effectual solutions towards the challenges. References Backhus, S. P. (2000). VA hospitals: Issues and challenges for the future. United States: DIANE Publishing. Bertoni, D. (2009). Federal disability programs: More strategic coordination could help overcome challenges to needed transformation. United States: DIANE Publishing. Blanck, P. (2008). The right to live in the world: Disability yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Texas journal on civil liberties & civil rights 13(2), pp. 367-401. Blank, R. M. (1985). An analysis of workers’ choice between employment in the public and private sectors. Industrial & labor relations review 38(2), pp. 211-224. Burrows, D. (2011). Unemployment rate of new veterans jumps again. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-49041524/unemployment-rate-for-new-veterans-jumps-again/ Damp, D. V. (2008). The book of U.S. government jobs: Where they are, what's available, & how to get one. United States: Bookhaven Press LLC. Department of Veterans Affairs. (1997). Federal benefits for veterans. United States: DIANE Publishing Company. Embree, T. (2011). Status of veterans unemployment. Retrieved from http://iava.org/content/status-veterans-unemployment Geier, J., Lake, H., Hendrickson, C., & Todd, K. (2011). New challenges faced as support of veterans’ employment rights ramps up. Paul Hastings, pp. 1-6. Guerin, L., & Delpo, A. (2011). The essential guide to federal employment laws. United States: Nolo. Howell, T. (2011). The military advantage: The military.com guide to military and veteran's benefits. United States: Naval Institute Press. JP Morgan Chase & Co. (2012). Military veterans bring valuable skills to the workplace. Corporate Responsibility. Michigan Legislature. (2011). Veterans benefits & services. Documents, pp. 1-46. Perl, L. (20120. Veterans and homelessness. Congressional research service, pp. 1-45. Purcell, P. (2011). Credit for military service under civilian federal employee retirement systems. United States: DIANE Publishing. Scott, C. (2010). Veterans benefits: Federal employment assistance. Congressional research service, pp. 1-6. Tully, M. B., & Solomon, A. E. (2008). Ensuring the employment rights of America’s citizen-soldiers. American Bar Association 35(2), pp. 6-7. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/mar/wk4/art01.htm U.S. Department of Defense (2011). Strengthening our military families. 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The challenges encountered while looking for service under the Federal Government. 3. Do you face discrimination in the workplace owing to your previous service background? Yes No 4. Do you get complete support from the government appointing officials while applying for federal employment? Yes No 5. The benefits of the Veterans’ Preference Laws while seeking federal employment. 6. Do you think that the lack of professional skill acts as a hindrance while seeking employment? Yes No Read More