Back in late April of 2011, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA). Then, in December, another NPRM was issued for updates to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.
DirectEmployers Association immediately began working with our Recruitment Regulatory Compliance Committee (RRCC), as well as our National Labor Exchange (NLx) Operations Committee and our trusted partner, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), to help educate our Members on what it all meant and how to start preparing.
Today, all of those endless discussions, thousands of webinars, countless hours of preparation and speculation come to an end. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the final rules for the updated requirements for the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (View the official OFCCP News Release)
Key takeaways include:
- The VEVRAA rule requires contractors to establish an annual hiring benchmark, either based on the national percentage of veterans in the workforce (currently 8%), or based on the best available data and factors unique to their establishments.
- The Section 503 rule establishes an aspirational 7% utilization goal for the employment of individuals with disabilities.
More information about the final rules can be found directly on the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/VEVRAARule/ and http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/503Rule/.
The OFCCP will also be holding webinars to help federal contractors better understand and comply with these new rulings. We would highly suggest that you, or someone from your team, plan on attending one the following from each category:
FCCP Webinars on the VEVRAA Final Rule
August 29, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) – http://www.dol.gov/find/vevraa-1
OR
September 11, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) – http://www.dol.gov/find/vevraa-2
OFCCP Webinars on the Section 503 Final Rule
August 30, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) – http://www.dol.gov/find/section503-1
OR
September 18, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) – http://www.dol.gov/find/section503-2
In the wake of this announcement, DirectEmployers Association reaffirms its commitment to providing advanced solutions and services that fulfill OFCCP requirements to our Member companies. We will continue collaborating with our partner NASWA to improve the National Labor Exchange (NLx) compliance solution. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Membership Development representative at (866) 268-6206.
Were you surprised that this happened today? Do you feel prepared?
