Legal Definitions - Veterans' Employment and Training Service

Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)

The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is a specialized agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. Its primary mission is to protect the employment and reemployment rights of veterans, service members, and members of the National Guard and Reserve. VETS also works to prepare them for meaningful careers and connect them with employment opportunities.

This agency achieves its goals by:

• Administering programs that help veterans find jobs and access job training.
• Enforcing laws that protect the job security and career progression of individuals who serve in the military, particularly the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
• Collaborating with state employment agencies and other organizations to ensure veterans receive priority access to employment services and resources.

Here are some examples of how VETS supports veterans and service members:

• Example 1: Protecting Reemployment Rights

  After completing a year-long deployment with the Army Reserve, Maria returns home expecting to resume her position as a project manager. However, her employer informs her that her role was eliminated and offers her a lower-paying administrative job. Maria believes her reemployment rights have been violated. She can contact VETS, which would investigate her case under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to ensure her employer complies with the law and reinstates her to her previous position or a comparable one with similar pay and benefits.

• Example 2: Facilitating Job Training and Placement

  David, a recently separated Marine veteran, has extensive experience in logistics but struggles to translate his military skills into a civilian resume. He's also unsure about available job training programs in his area. VETS, working through state workforce agencies, can connect David with veteran-specific career counselors who help him tailor his resume, identify relevant civilian certifications, and access priority placement services for jobs that match his skills and career goals.

• Example 3: Guiding Employers on Veteran Hiring

  A mid-sized tech company is committed to hiring more veterans but is unfamiliar with the specific legal protections and benefits associated with employing service members and veterans. The company's HR department reaches out to VETS for guidance. VETS provides resources on USERRA compliance, explains incentives for hiring veterans, and offers best practices for creating a veteran-friendly workplace, ensuring the company can confidently and legally support its veteran employees.