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| VEVRAA | |
|---|---|
| Title | Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act |
| Acronym | VEVRAA |
| Enacted by | United States Congress |
| Signed into law | 1974 |
| Amended | 1994; 2002; 2009 |
| Administers | U.S. Department of Labor; Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs |
| Related legislation | Vietnam War, Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
VEVRAA VEVRAA is the commonly used acronym for the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, a United States federal statute that requires affirmative action and prohibits employment discrimination by certain federal contractors and subcontractors with respect to veterans. The statute is administered principally by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs within the U.S. Department of Labor and intersects with statutes such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. VEVRAA's obligations affect relationships between federal agencies like the Department of Defense, private contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and General Electric, and veteran advocacy organizations including the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
VEVRAA obligates covered federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action for protected veterans including Vietnam War veterans, disabled veterans, and those who served during certain periods such as the Gulf War and the Persian Gulf War. The statute complements enforcement carried out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and compliance reviews by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and it interacts with contracting rules from the Federal Acquisition Regulation and procurement authorities like the General Services Administration. Prominent employer stakeholders affected include Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, United Technologies Corporation, and federal grant recipients such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology when acting as contractors.
Key provisions require covered contractors to list job openings with state employment agencies including U.S. Department of Labor-affiliated One-Stop Career Centers and to maintain written affirmative action programs consistent with guidance issued by OFCCP. VEVRAA references protected classifications analogous to protections under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and mandates nondiscrimination measures similar to those enforced under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The statute authorizes the OFCCP to issue regulations and to require contractors to include clauses in contracts with agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense.
Coverage applies to federal contractors and subcontractors meeting thresholds established in regulations promulgated by OFCCP and the U.S. Department of Labor, commonly triggered for entities doing business with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Transportation, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration when contracts exceed specified dollar amounts. Contractors must develop written affirmative action programs that identify veterans protected under VEVRAA—examples include World War II veterans with later service, Operation Enduring Freedom participants, and Vietnam-era returnees—and post job notices in venues such as the American Job Center network. Compliance reviews may examine policies aligned with National Labor Relations Board precedents and collective bargaining agreements involving unions like the United Auto Workers.
Enforcement is executed by OFCCP with support from the U.S. Department of Justice when litigation is necessary; remedies can include contract cancellation, debarment from federal contracting, and equitable relief such as hiring and back pay consistent with decisions from courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. High-profile enforcement actions have involved major contractors such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin and settlements coordinated with agencies like the Office of Management and Budget when discrimination findings implicate procurement integrity. Notices of violation and conciliation agreements are typical administrative outcomes consistent with OFCCP practice.
Contractors must maintain records including veteran status self-identification forms, recruitment listings, and selection criteria, and must provide annual VETS-4212 reports to the U.S. Department of Labor where applicable; these requirements tie into federal reporting systems used by the Office of Personnel Management and data standards referenced by the National Archives and Records Administration. Records are subject to OFCCP review during compliance evaluations and may be used in enforcement actions brought under statutes analogous to the Freedom of Information Act in transparency contexts. Large employers like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple Inc., and Google have developed compliance programs to track these reporting obligations.
For employers, VEVRAA imposes affirmative action planning, outreach to veteran organizations such as Disabled American Veterans and Paralyzed Veterans of America, and posting obligations that affect recruiting strategies used by corporations including IBM, Siemens, and Honeywell International. For job seekers, especially protected veterans from conflicts such as the Vietnam War, Korean War, and Iraq War, VEVRAA enhances access to federal contracting employment opportunities and intersects with transition assistance programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program. Litigation and settlement trends involving contractors like Southeastern Grocers and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. illustrate operational impacts.
Originally enacted in response to post-Vietnam War readjustment concerns, VEVRAA has been amended through legislation and regulation, notably by actions paralleling the passage of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 and regulatory updates during the administrations of presidents who influenced labor policy via the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Labor, including rule changes in 2009 that expanded outreach requirements. Significant case law from the United States Supreme Court and federal circuits, and settlements with contractors such as Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, have shaped contemporary interpretation and enforcement practice. Ongoing policy debates involve stakeholders like the American Bar Association and veteran service organizations concerning scope, remedies, and integration with other federal employment protections.