New Annual VEVRAA Hiring Benchmark

The 2016 annual Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark has been set to 6.9 percent. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) calculates the annual VEVRAA benchmark near the beginning of March, and the effective date for the VEVRAA benchmark will match the date that Bueru of Labor Statistics publishes the data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published their data on March 4, 2016. Federal contractors who accepted the previous year’s national benchmark of 7 percent after March 4, 2016, but prior to the announcement of the new percent benchmark may keep it at 7 percent.

The chart below will be updated annually by OFCCP, and is intended for use by contractors who choose to set a VEVRAA hiring benchmark using the annual national percentage of veterans in the civilian labor force. Contractors who wish to establish their own customized benchmark should visit https://ofccp.dol-esa.gov/errd/VEVRAA.jsp.

Overview of VEVRAA

Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against protected veterans, and requires these employers to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain these veterans. Contractors who are required to incorporate veterans into their affirmative action program (AAP) must have a hiring benchmark for protected veterans each year or adopt the national benchmark provided by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

For more information about VEVRAA requirements,

please visit http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/vevraa.htm.