Senator Hagan Supports Bill to Hire Veterans

Senator Hagan at Pope Air Force Base, NC, greets arriving soldiers.

Staff reports

On November 10, 2011, one day before Veterans Day, the U.S. Senate passed the “VOW to Hire Heroes Act,” which provides tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans and provide veterans with the job training skills needed for a smooth transition to civilian life.

Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC), a member of the Armed Services Committee, had urged her Senate colleagues to pass legislation to connect unemployed veterans with job opportunities, pointing out that 12.1 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans are unemployed.

“We owe these men and women a debt of gratitude for their service and
for their tireless commitment to protecting our nation,” said Hagan.
She noted that more than 700,000 veterans call North Carolina home,
stating, “They possess the work ethic and the skills to make significant
contributions to our economy.

“I am so pleased Congress put partisanship aside to pass the VOW to
Hire Heroes Act,” she said. “Getting our heroes back to work isn’t a
Democratic priority or a Republican priority—it is an American
priority.”

Hagan was the lead sponsor of another bill that will award the
Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines, the first
African Americans to serve in the Marine Corps. “I am also so proud that
the Senate unanimously approved legislation awarding the Montford Point
Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal. These men trained in a
segregated camp in North Carolina, yet they fought with honor and
bravery in the face of intolerance. This recognition of their service is
long overdue.”

Senator Hagan comes from a strong military family. Her father-in-law
was a two-star Marine general and her father and brother both served in
the Navy. Her husband, Chip, is a Vietnam veteran, and two of her
nephews have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011:

• Provides a tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have
been looking for a job for more than six months, or a $2,400 credit for
veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks but less than 6 months

• Provides a tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with
service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more
than six months

• Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop
coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans
Affairs—mandatory for service members moving on to civilian life to help
them secure 21st-century jobs through résumé-writing workshops and
career counseling

• Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by
providing 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras with up to one year
of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training
programs at community colleges or technical schools

• Provides disabled veterans up to one year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits

• Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior
to separation to facilitate a seamless transition from the military to
jobs at the VA, Homeland Security, or the many other federal agencies in
need of our veterans.