Employers, begin your headcounts. VETS-100 and VETS-100A report deadlines are fast approaching.
U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) collects and compiles data on the Federal Contractor Program Veterans' Employment Report from federal contractors and subcontractors who receive federal contracts. By Sept. 30, 2008, any entity that entered into a federal contract or subcontract of at least $25,000 prior to Dec. 1, 2003, must file a VETS-100 report.
New for 2008, any entity that entered into a federal contract or subcontract after Dec. 1, 2003, of at least $100,000 must file a VETS-100A form one year later, on Sept. 30, 2009, although the DOL urges them to begin collecting data now.
This extension is to allow sufficient time for employers to gather the required 12 months of data for the report.
“Since the regulations only became effective as of June 18, 2008, the government has given contractors until 2009 to file the report,” Cindy Mattson, president, EEO Consultants, Inc., told SHRM Online.
Required areas of the report include the numbers of new hires, special disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam era, other protected veterans and recently separated veterans. For full definitions of these types of veterans, see the bottom of the official VETS form.
Previously, those that fell under the current VETS-100A requirements filed only a VETS-100 report.
VETS forms originated with the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (VEVRAA), which mandated that government contractors track and report annually the number of legally recognized veterans employed in their workforce.
In addition to the new VETS-100A form, there are a few changes to the reports that have been made this year.
The VETS-100 has changed the category titled “newly separated veterans” to “recently separated veterans,” although the definition of the group remains the same.
There are also notable distinctions between the two forms.
The job categories section of the VETS-100 differs from that of the VETS-100A, because the VETS-100A accounts for changes by the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (JVA) made to the VEVRAA, and VETS-100 does not.
For further questions regarding VETS-100 and VETS-100A, visit the DOL’s VETS frequently asked questions web site.
Pete Wolfinger is an editorial intern for SHRM Online.