United States Government Accountability Office

GAO Report to Congressional Committees

DISABLED 

VETERANS’ 

EMPLOYMENT 

Additional Planning, 

Monitoring, and Data 

Collection Efforts 

Would Improve 

Assistance 

September 2007 

 

GAO-07-1020 
What GAO Found

United States Government Accountability Office

Why GAO Did This Study

Highlights

Accountability Integrity Reliability

September 2007

DISABLED VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT

Additional Planning, Monitoring, and Data 

Collection Efforts Would Improve 

Assistance 

Highlights of GAO-07-1020, a report to 

congressional committees 

To better assist veterans with

service-connected disabilities 

seeking employment, in 2005, the

Departments of Labor (Labor) and

Veterans Affairs (VA) signed an 

agreement to coordinate

employment services for disabled 

veterans. Around the same time,

VA rolled out a redesigned

employment program for these

veterans, known as the Five-Track

program, which also established an

employment coordinator position

and job resource labs. To help 

Congress understand the status of

these initiatives, GAO was asked to 

provide information on (1) the

progress in implementing the 2005 

agreement and challenges to

implementation, (2) the status of 

implementation of VA’s Five-Track

program and challenges posed by 

recently returning veterans, and 

(3) the role of employment

coordinators and job resource labs 

in serving veterans. To obtain this 

information, GAO interviewed

Labor and VA officials and national 

veterans’ service organizations, and 

conducted site visits in five states. 

What GAO Recommends

To ensure the implementation of

their agreement and the efficient 

and effective use of resources,

GAO recommends that Labor and 

VA develop a comprehensive plan 

to implement their agreement and 

undertake additional guidance and

monitoring efforts, and that VA 

review the role of the employment

coordinator, and assess the use of

the job resource labs. The agencies

agreed with our recommendations. 

Labor and VA have implemented some elements of their agreement to 

coordinate efforts, but face challenges executing the agreement on the state 

level and lack a complete plan for implementing and assessing the progress

of the agreement. Labor and VA have implemented one element of the 

agreement—establishing three joint work groups—but have only partially 

implemented or taken no action on the others. In addition, all five states we

visited had implemented at least some elements of the agreement that need 

to be carried out on the state level, but faced challenges implementing 

others. Labor and VA have not developed an implementation plan that 

includes long-range time frames and benchmarks to measure progress. 

Further, Labor and VA have not fully assessed state actions to implement the 

agreement and may not have provided states with sufficient guidance. 

While VA has mostly implemented its Five-Track employment program for 

disabled veterans, the employment needs of newly returning veterans may

pose challenges. VA officials have completed a pilot study, trained staff, 

distributed orientation materials, and deployed employment coordinators, 

but other components remain in process. Some officials expressed concerns 

that employment programs for disabled veterans—including the Five-Track

program—may not be prepared to meet the needs of participants returning 

from recent conflicts, who VA predicts will be more likely than previous 

returning veterans to have certain disabilities, such as those associated with 

traumatic brain injuries. VA has begun efforts to address these needs. 

VA employment coordinators and job resource labs in the five states we

visited provided employment assistance to a limited number of veterans and 

some of their functions were available elsewhere. Employment coordinators 

provided direct employment services for veterans and also performed job 

development and outreach activities. However, employment coordinators we 

met with provided limited services to veterans outside their local areas, and 

similar services were available elsewhere. Job resource labs provided some

additional resources for veterans, but according to some staff, not many 

veterans are using the labs. Job resource labs also appeared to duplicate

other available services. 

VA Job Resource Labs: Detroit, Michigan, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

Source: GAO.

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1020.

To view the full product, including the scope 

and methodology, click on the link above. 

For more information, contact Cynthia M. 

Fagnoni at (202) 512-7215 or 

fagnonic@gao.gov. 
Contents 

Letter 1

Results in Brief 2 

Background 5

Labor and VA Have Implemented Some Elements of Their 

Agreement, but Data-Sharing Restrictions, Staffing Limitations, 

and Lack of a Comprehensive Plan Pose Challenges 11 

VA Has Mostly Implemented Its Five-Track Employment Program 

for Disabled Veterans, but the Types and Severity of Recent 

Veterans’ Disabilities May Pose Challenges 18 

While Employment Coordinators and Job Resource Labs in the 

Five States We Visited Provided Employment Assistance to 

Some Veterans, Similar Services Were Available Elsewhere 25 

Conclusions 31

Recommendations for Executive Action 32 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 33 

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 35 

Appendix II Comments from the Department of Labor 38 

Appendix III Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs 40 

Appendix IV GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 44 

Related GAO Products 45 

Page i GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Tables 

Table 1: Key Elements of National Memorandum of Agreement 

between Labor and VA 6 

Table 2: Selected Labor and VA Initiatives Designed to Enhance 

Services for Program Participants Returning from Recent 

Conflicts 24

Table 3: Examples of Services Provided by Employment 

Coordinators and Others in the Five States We Visited 28 

Table 4: Site Visit Locations and Key Selection Criteria 36 

Figures 

Figure 1: Five-Track Employment Model 8 

Figure 2: Implementation of Elements of Agreement between

Labor and VA in the Five States We Visited 14 

Figure 3: Five-Track Program Implementation Components and 

Completion Status 20 

Figure 4: Photographs of VA Job Resource Labs 30 

Abbreviations 

DVOP Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program 

DVET state VETS program director 

LVER Local Veterans’ Employment Representative 

UI unemployment insurance 

VETS Veterans’ Employment and Training Service 

VA Department of Veterans Affairs 

VRE Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment 

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Page ii GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

September 12, 2007 

The Honorable Daniel K. Akaka 

Chairman 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

United States Senate 

The Honorable Daniel K. Akaka 

Chairman 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

United States Senate 

The Honorable Bob Filner 

Chairman 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

House of Representatives 

The Honorable Bob Filner 

Chairman 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

House of Representatives 

In 2005, an estimated 55,000 of the 2.5 million veterans with serviceconnected disabilities were actively seeking employment, and current 

military operations in the Middle East may raise that number in the coming 

years. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) helps disabled veterans 

find employment through the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

services (VRE), and the Department of Labor (Labor) does so through the 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service programs (VETS). The two 

agencies serve many of the same veterans, and as we have previously 

reported, an effective relationship between them is important in giving

disabled veterans the best chance for successful outcomes. 

In 2005, an estimated 55,000 of the 2.5 million veterans with serviceconnected disabilities were actively seeking employment, and current 

military operations in the Middle East may raise that number in the coming 

years. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) helps disabled veterans 

find employment through the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

services (VRE), and the Department of Labor (Labor) does so through the 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service programs (VETS). The two 

agencies serve many of the same veterans, and as we have previously 

reported, an effective relationship between them is important in giving

disabled veterans the best chance for successful outcomes. 

In October 2005, Labor and VA signed a national memorandum of 

agreement to coordinate efforts in advancing the employment 

opportunities for disabled veterans. Although the agencies have 

historically had an agreement, this most recent one was aimed at further 

improving collaboration and coordination. While the national offices of 

Labor and VA have overall responsibility for implementing the agreement, 

many of the activities set out in the agreement take place on the regional,

state, and local levels. Although the missions of Labor’s and VA’s 

employment programs to serve disabled veterans are similar, the 

organizational structure of each is somewhat different: VA administers its 

programs through 57 regional offices staffed by federal employees, while

Labor administers its programs through grants to state workforce 

agencies. 

In October 2005, Labor and VA signed a national memorandum of 

agreement to coordinate efforts in advancing the employment 

opportunities for disabled veterans. Although the agencies have 

historically had an agreement, this most recent one was aimed at further 

improving collaboration and coordination. While the national offices of 

Labor and VA have overall responsibility for implementing the agreement, 

many of the activities set out in the agreement take place on the regional,

state, and local levels. Although the missions of Labor’s and VA’s 

employment programs to serve disabled veterans are similar, the 

organizational structure of each is somewhat different: VA administers its 

programs through 57 regional offices staffed by federal employees, while

Labor administers its programs through grants to state workforce 

agencies. 

Around the same time the agreement was signed, VA rolled out a 

redesigned employment program aimed at standardizing rehabilitation 

services for veterans with service-connected disabilities, known as the 

Five-Track program. The program is intended to serve any disabled 

Around the same time the agreement was signed, VA rolled out a 

redesigned employment program aimed at standardizing rehabilitation 

services for veterans with service-connected disabilities, known as the 

Five-Track program. The program is intended to serve any disabled 

Page 1 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
veteran who meets the eligibility requirements. Both Labor and VA provide 

services to Five-Track program participants, and these services are 

covered by the agreement. As part of the Five-Track program, VA 

established the employment coordinator position to provide veterans with 

assistance preparing for and finding employment. The program also 

included provisions for each VA location to install a job resource lab with 

computers, Internet access, and other materials for veterans to use in their 

career exploration and job search. 

You have asked us to study the progress Labor and VA are making toward 

implementing these initiatives. To address this request, we examined the 

following questions: (1) What progress has been made in implementing the 

agreement signed by Labor and VA in 2005 to coordinate efforts to serve 

disabled veterans, and what challenges are the agencies facing in 

implementing the agreement? (2) What is the status of the implementation

of VA’s redesigned employment program for veterans with serviceconnected disabilities, known as the Five-Track program, and what 

challenges are posed by recently returning veterans? (3) What role do 

employment coordinators and job resource labs have in the employment 

and training of disabled veterans, and how have they affected the job 

search experiences of these veterans, given other available resources? 

To answer these questions, we conducted interviews with Labor and VA 

officials and representatives of national and local veterans’ service 

organizations. We also conducted site visits to five states—Alabama, 

California (San Diego Region), Illinois, Michigan, and South Dakota—

where we met with VA and Labor staff, state workforce agency officials, 

and program participants, and toured job resource labs and one-stop 

career centers. We selected a mix of states based on the following criteria: 

(1) dispersion across the four VRE geographic areas (Eastern, Central, 

Southern, and Western), (2) both pilot and nonpilot sites for the FiveTrack program, (3) states with large and small veteran populations, and 

(4) states with a history of greater and lesser coordination between VA and 

Labor at the state and local levels, which we determined based on input 

from Labor and VA officials, veterans’ service organizations, and other 

sources. We conducted our work from November 2006 through September 

2007 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. 

Labor and VA have carried out some aspects of their agreement signed in

October 2005 to coordinate services, but difficulties in sharing 

information, staffing limitations, and the lack of a comprehensive plan for

Results in Brief 

Page 2 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
guiding and measuring the progress of the agreement pose challenges to 

full implementation. Of the elements that need to be implemented by the 

national offices, Labor and VA have fulfilled one, partially implemented 

four, and have not taken action on the others. National officials have 

established three joint work groups, and these groups have begun efforts 

on their designated tasks, including proposing a set of shared performance 

measures. In addition, each of the five states we visited had taken actions 

that would further the implementation of the national agreement. All five 

states had a mechanism for referring VA clients to Labor’s VETS program, 

located within the state workforce agency, for employment services. All of 

these states had also entered into an agreement with Labor and VA 

concerning the provision of services to disabled veterans. However, some 

of these states faced challenges implementing certain elements of the 

agreement. For instance, the agreement calls for both parties to share 

unemployment insurance wage data, but we were told in one state that 

state law forbids the state workforce agency from sharing an individual’s 

wage data with VA. In addition, the agreement provides for a state 

workforce agency staff member to be colocated at VA or provide itinerant 

coverage to VA clients, to the extent it is appropriate and feasible. 

However, we were told that not all state workforce agencies feel they have

a sufficient number of veterans’ representatives to implement this 

provision. To date, Labor and VA have not developed a complete plan for 

implementing the agreement that outlines long-term time frames and 

benchmarks by which progress at both the national and state levels could

be gauged, nor have they made plans for taking action if states do not take

steps to implement the elements of the agreement. As of July 2007, the 

agencies had not fully assessed the extent to which states have carried out 

activities in which they have a role, and it was unclear whether the 

agencies have provided states with sufficient direction on implementation. 

VA has implemented most of its Five-Track employment program for 

disabled veterans, but the particular employment needs of newly returning 

veterans may pose challenges. In implementing the program, VA officials 

have completed a pilot study, trained regional staff on the Five-Track 

model, distributed orientation materials, and deployed 74 employment 

coordinators nationally. However, some components of the program are 

still in process. Specifically, not every location has established a job 

resource lab, the official program manual has not been distributed, and 

some features of the related Web site are still in development. In addition, 

some staff expressed concerns about whether employment programs for 

disabled veterans—including both VA’s Five-Track program and Labor’s 

VETS programs—are prepared to meet the needs of participants returning 

from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, who are surviving with 

Page 3 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
serious injuries that may have been fatal in past conflicts, such as those 

associated with traumatic brain injuries. VA has made initial efforts to 

address these needs. For example, VA told us it has made training 

materials related to the needs of recently returning veterans available to 

VA staff and has appointed a liaison in each regional office to coordinate 

services for veterans in medical treatment facilities. Labor has made 

similar efforts. 

While employment coordinators and job resource labs in the five states we 

visited provided veterans with employment assistance, they did not reach 

all eligible veterans and some of the functions they performed were 

duplicated elsewhere. Employment coordinators provided direct services 

to individual veterans, including assisting with job search activities and 

helping with employment plans, and also performed outreach to 

businesses and community organizations to market VA programs and 

disabled veterans. However, while the employment coordinator position 

description provides for an array of employment services for veterans 

across each VA region, employment coordinators we met with offered only 

limited services to veterans outside their local areas. Additionally, some of 

the responsibilities of the employment coordinators were similar to those 

of other workforce agencies’ staff. For example, in some places both 

employment coordinators and workforce agency staff were available to 

provide labor market information and résumé writing assistance to 

veterans. Job resource labs provided some additional resources for 

veterans, such as increased opportunities for one-on-one job search 

assistance from VA staff, but according to staff in some of the states we 

visited, not many veterans were using the labs. As with employment 

coordinators, job resource labs appeared to duplicate other available 

services. For example, we were told that the computers and other 

materials in the job resource labs were readily available to many veterans

elsewhere, such as one-stop career centers or public libraries. 

To ensure the implementation of their agreement and the efficient and 

effective use of resources, GAO recommends that Labor and VA develop a 

comprehensive plan to implement their agreement and undertake 

additional guidance and monitoring efforts, and that VA review the role of 

the employment coordinator, and assess the use of the job resource labs. 

In their comments on GAO’s draft report, Labor and VA agreed with our 

recommendations. 

Page 4 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Labor and VA have had a long-standing relationship formalized by 

agreements acknowledging their mutual concern and responsibility for 

helping veterans with service-connected disabilities transition to the 

civilian workforce. Their past efforts to coordinate and collaborate have 

faced difficulties, however. In 2005, at the recommendation of a VA task 

force and encouragement of congressional staff, the two agencies forged a 

new memorandum of agreement. In this agreement, the agencies agreed to

share information, including wage data, and establish and maintain 

management information systems to enable accurate yearly reporting. The 

agreement also called for three joint work groups to develop performance 

measures to assess partnership program results, design a training 

curriculum, and establish joint data collection, analysis, and reports. In 

addition, the agreement outlined means to promote cooperation and 

eliminate duplication of efforts between the agencies. These include 

developing an approach to serving veterans that involves both VA and 

state workforce agency staff from the early stages, advising all VA clients 

about the employment services offered by the state workforce agency, and 

establishing an effective process for referring VA clients who are seeking 

employment to the state workforce agency. While many of the specific 

elements of the agreement need to be implemented at a national level 

within Labor and VA, other activities, by their nature, would take place on

the state or local level.1

 The agreement provides for separate 

memorandums of agreement, containing common goals and measures, to 

be executed among Labor, VA, and the states. Table 1 summarizes the key 

elements of the national agreement, the specific actions to which Labor 

and VA agreed, and the level at which implementation generally would 

occur. 

Background 

 1

VA refers to its main VRE offices in the states as regional offices. For the purposes of this 

report, we discuss actions taken by VRE officials located in regional offices as taking place

on the state level, unless otherwise noted. 

Page 5 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Table 1: Key Elements of National Memorandum of Agreement between Labor and VA 

Level of implementation Key elements of

agreement Specific actions National State/local

Joint work groups Establish three joint work groups to address: 

• shared performance measures

• training curriculum design 

• joint data collection, analysis, and reports 

z

Performance measures Both parties agree to establish performance measures. z

Management information

systems 

Both parties agree to establish and maintain management information

systems. z

Yearly reporting Both parties agree to accurate yearly reporting. Yearly reports will include 

number of VA program participants; number of VA participants referred to 

state workforce agency; and, of those referred, number registered for 

employment services, number entered suitable employment, and number 

maintained suitable employment for 180 days or more. 

z z

Staff evaluations include 

partnership activities 

In evaluating performance of their respective staff members, managers from 

both organizations will consider documented effectiveness of partnership 

activities between VA staff and state workforce agency staff. 

z z

State-level memorandums 

of agreements

Both parties will establish and monitor common goals and measures within

each memorandum of agreement executed with state partners. Corrective 

action will be taken when goals are not met. 

z z

Information sharing All information from interviews, counseling, testing, and assessment will be

used by each agency with consent of participants and in accordance with 

applicable privacy laws. 

z z

Unemployment insurance 

(UI) wage data

Both parties will share information and data accessed from UI wage records 

and other administrative wage records, as may be available to each agency, 

in accordance with applicable privacy laws. 

z

Team approach beginning 

early in the rehabilitation 

process 

Labor and VA agree to enable local representatives from both parties to take 

a team approach to job development and placement activities beginning as

early as possible in the rehabilitation process.

z

Advise of state workforce 

agency benefits 

All VA participants will be advised of the benefits of registering for 

employment assistance and will be encouraged to register with their state 

workforce agency. 

z

Referral process Participants and local representatives from both organizations are required

to establish and maintain an effective mechanism for referral and service 

delivery. 

z

Point of contact Labor will appoint a point of contact for the provision of employment services 

who will work closely with the VA staff located in each VA regional office’s

service area. 

z

State workforce agency 

staff colocated at least 

part-time in VA office 

To the extent feasible and appropriate, a state workforce agency staff 

member or other designated individual will be colocated or otherwise

provide itinerant coverage to VA participants.

z

Source: GAO analysis.

Note: The state/local column includes actions taken by state or local VA or Labor offices and actions 

taken by state workforce agencies. 

Page 6 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Around the same time the national agreement was signed, VA rolled out 

the Five-Track employment program aimed at standardizing rehabilitation 

services for veterans with service-connected disabilities and providing a 

greater focus on employment options early in the rehabilitation process. 

The five employment tracks from which veterans can select are 

reemployment with their previous employer, rapid access to employment 

through job readiness preparation and training opportunities, selfemployment, employment through long-term services that include 

education programs and formal training leading to employment, and 

independent living services for those who are currently unable to work 

due to their disabilities. These tracks were available prior to the rollout, 

but the program changed the way they were presented to veterans. The 

Five-Track program was piloted in four regional offices starting in October

2004, and a national rollout began in November 2005.2

 Figure 1 describes 

the Five-Track model. 

 2

The four pilot sites were Detroit, Michigan; Montgomery, Alabama; Seattle, Washington; 

and St. Louis, Missouri. 

Page 7 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Figure 1: Five-Track Employment Model 

Employment 

through

long-term

services

Reemployment

Rapid access

to

employment

Selfemployment

Independent 

living

 Separating from 

 active duty and 

 returning to work for 

 previous employer

 May include reemployment 

 rights advice and job 

 accommodations/modifications

Seeking employment 

immediately or 

possessing skills to

be competitive in an 

appropriate occupation

 Having limited access

 to traditional

 employment due to

 disabling condition or 

 other life circumstances

Needs specialized

training or

education to obtain/

maintain suitable

employment

Unable to immediately

work and needing

rehabilitation services

to live more 

independently

 May include job readiness 

 preparation, job search 

 assistance, and postjob 

 follow-up

May include analysis of 

business concept, 

development of business 

plan, marketing, and financial 

assistance

 May include on-the-job 

 training, public/private job 

 partnering, and formal 

 education

 May include assistive

 technology and independent 

 living skills training

 Veteran with 

service-connected 

 disability

 

Goal

Suitable employment 

or independence for 

daily living

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Employment

track

Targeted 

veteran

Track 

features

Source: GAO analysis and Art Explosion.

As part of the Five-Track program, VA established the employment 

coordinator position and drew up plans to install job resource labs. The 

position description for the employment coordinator contains duties 

aimed at providing veterans with assistance preparing for and finding 

employment. These duties include helping veterans make informed 

choices about their employment track, assessing veterans’ readiness to 

seek employment, and assisting veterans with job networking, 

development, and placement. The position description also includes 

responsibilities for marketing the VA program to employers and 

developing partnerships with other agencies to assist veterans with 

Page 8 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
employment services. Also as part of the Five-Track program, VA allocated

funds for each location to install a job resource lab with computers, 

Internet access, and other materials for veterans to use in their career 

exploration and job search. VA made plans to have employment 

coordinators in most of its 57 regions, and a job resource lab in each 

regional office and in every satellite location. 

Although the missions of Labor’s VETS and VA’s VRE programs to provide 

employment assistance to disabled veterans are similar, the organizational 

structure of each is somewhat different. VA administers its VRE programs 

through regional offices—roughly one in each state, with multiple offices

in larger states—and its staff are federal employees. The regional offices 

have some autonomy in deciding the operations of the office, including 

their working relationships with the Labor programs and the state 

workforce agency. Labor administers its programs through the Disabled 

Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) and the Local Veterans’ Employment 

Representative (LVER) program, which are funded by a grant from Labor 

to the state workforce agencies. DVOP specialists and LVER staff are 

employees of the state and are typically housed in state employment 

service offices. Although there is evidence LVER staff and DVOP 

specialists often perform similar duties,3

 the DVOP specialist’s role was 

designed to provide intensive services to veterans with employment 

barriers, including those with disabilities, while the LVER staff role was 

designed to market veterans to employers. Labor provides oversight and 

monitoring of the state grants through a state VETS program director 

(DVET) in each state. 

The Labor and VA programs serve similar clientele, but there are 

differences in eligibility requirements and the measure of successful 

completion. To participate in VA’s VRE program, the veteran must have 

disabilities that affect a minimum percentage of daily activities, as 

determined by VA, and must have an employment handicap related to the 

disability. In addition, there is a time limit for receiving services, generally

12 years following the date the veteran was discharged or separated from

the military or received a disability percentage rating from VA. The 

primary outcome measured by VA’s VRE program is whether the veteran

obtained and maintained suitable employment, that is, work that is within 

 3

GAO, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. Labor Could Improve Information 

on Reemployment Services, Outcomes, and Program Impact, GAO-07-594 (Washington,

D.C.: May 24, 2007). 

Page 9 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
a veteran’s emotional and physical capabilities and consistent with the 

veteran’s abilities, aptitudes, and interests. By contrast, any veteran who 

was discharged because of a service-connected disability or who served 

more than 180 days and was not dishonorably discharged can receive 

services through Labor’s programs. The primary outcome measured by 

Labor is whether or not the veteran entered employment, without 

requiring determination of suitability. 

VA and the state workforce agencies—including DVOP specialists and 

LVER staff—work together on the local level. In many states, DVOP 

specialists work with veterans who have completed their VA training to 

help them find employment. The process by which these referrals are 

made is not determined nationally; it is left up to VA regional officials to 

develop local policies and procedures. In addition, some state workforce 

agencies provide VA staff with state unemployment insurance wage data

to verify the employment status of their clients. Additionally, many VA 

regional offices have a DVOP specialist colocated in the office at least part 

of the time. However, cooperation between Labor and VA has historically 

been better in some states than in others, reportedly in part because of 

variation in the number and quality of services provided by DVOP 

specialists. As a result, VA’s VRE Task Force concluded in its 2004 report 

that VRE should consider using DVOP specialist services as one of many 

options to help its clients, and not view the DVOP specialist as the sole 

provider of employment services.4

 4

VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Task Force, Report to the Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs: The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program for the 21st 

Century Veteran (Washington, D.C.: 2004).

Page 10 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Labor and VA have fulfilled some elements of their agreement to 

coordinate efforts, but the agencies face a variety of challenges to fully 

executing the agreement, including the lack of a comprehensive plan for 

implementing the agreement and measuring progress. The national offices 

of Labor and VA have implemented one of the elements of the agreement 

for which they are responsible, have begun to address four elements, and 

have not taken action on the others. All of the states we visited had taken 

action to implement some of the elements of the national agreement, but 

faced challenges implementing others due to state privacy laws, staffing 

limitations, and other obstacles. In addition, Labor and VA lack a longterm plan for implementing the agreement that includes timelines and 

benchmarks against which progress can be judged, as well as procedures 

for dealing with states that are not carrying out activities in which they

have a role. Further, the agencies have provided states with limited 

guidance on implementation. As of July 2007, the extent of nationwide 

implementation was uncertain because the agencies had not thoroughly 

reviewed the implementation of the agreement at the state level. 

Labor and VA have fully implemented the element of their agreement that 

calls for the establishment of joint work groups composed of staff from 

both agencies. The agencies have formed three joint work groups to 

address issues related to shared performance measures, staff training, and

joint data collection, with the goal of improving the quality of employment 

services and suitable job placements for veterans with disabilities. 

According to a Labor official, the implementation of the agencies’ 

agreement revolves around the efforts of these work groups. The work 

groups met for the first time in April 2006, 6 months after the agreement 

was signed. In January 2007, they conducted a survey of Labor and VA 

field staff in 24 states to gather preliminary information about the working 

relationship between the agencies at the local level and identify areas 

needing improvement. On the basis of the survey results, the work groups 

plan to launch a pilot project in eight regional offices in August or 

September of 2007 to explore new strategies to improve the partnership 

between Labor and VA. Labor and VA officials expect to complete the pilot 

project in January 2008, and plan to make recommendations thereafter 

regarding the implementation of these strategies nationwide, but the work 

groups have not yet made definitive recommendations for program 

changes. 

Labor and VA Have 

Implemented Some 

Elements of Their 

Agreement, but DataSharing Restrictions, 

Staffing Limitations, 

and Lack of a 

Comprehensive Plan 

Pose Challenges 

Labor and VA Have 

Established Joint Work 

Groups and Taken Some 

Steps toward 

Implementing Other 

Elements of Their 

Agreement 

Four of the elements that Labor and VA are responsible for 

implementing—staff evaluations, yearly reporting, performance measures, 

and monitoring of state-level memorandums of agreement—are in process 

Page 11 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
but not yet completed. The agreement between Labor and VA calls for 

agency managers to consider the effectiveness of partnership activities 

between VA and the state workforce agency when evaluating staff. 

Although Labor has implemented such standards for state VETS program 

directors, these provisions are not specifically outlined in the performance 

standards for other VETS program staff or for VA staff. The agreement 

also calls for the agencies to have yearly reports that include measures of 

the number of VA program participants referred to the VETS program who 

registered for state workforce agency services, the number of participants

who entered suitable employment, and the number of participants who 

maintained suitable employment for 180 days or more. While the agencies 

are collecting data on most of these measures, they are not currently 

collecting data on the last measure.5

 With regard to performance 

measures, one of the joint work groups has started to develop new shared 

measures to better assess partnership activities between the two agencies. 

For example, one proposed measure is the percentage of veterans referred 

from VA to VETS program DVOP specialists who receive an employment 

services assessment within 30 days. In addition, the agreement calls for 

the agencies to monitor common goals and measures within 

memorandums of agreement executed at the state level and stipulates that 

corrective action will be taken when such goals are not met. According to

information provided by VA, the agency obtained copies of state-level

agreements from all but one of its 57 regional offices in June 2007, but 

officials have not yet reviewed the agreements for common goals and 

measures. 

Labor and VA have not yet acted on the other elements of their agreement

related to information sharing and management information systems. The 

agreement calls for the agencies to share information about veterans, 

including all information from interviews, counseling, testing, and 

assessment. In addition, the agreement stipulates that the agencies will 

develop and maintain management information systems that enable 

accurate yearly reporting. Although Labor and VA officials told us they are 

considering the possibility of establishing national data-sharing practices 

and a joint management information system through which information 

could be shared, no action has been taken on the national level. 

 5

According to a 2006 VA report, the agency is developing targets for outcome measures on

the percentage of program participants who are employed one quarter and three quarters 

after program exit. 

Page 12 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
The 5 states we visited had all implemented a number of the elements of 

the agreement between Labor and VA, including advising veterans of the 

benefits of registering for state workforce agency services, establishing a

referral process, establishing state-level memorandums of agreement, and 

appointing VETS points of contact for VA staff. All 5 states had processes 

in place whereby VA advised program participants of the benefits of 

registering for employment services with the state workforce agency. All 

of the states we visited had also established a process for referring 

veterans from VA to the state workforce agency for employment services,

although the process was not the same in every state. In addition, all 5 

states we visited had a memorandum of agreement between the regional

VA office serving the state, the state VETS program director, and the state 

workforce agency to coordinate their services for disabled veterans. All of 

the states had recently revised their state agreement or were in the 

process of doing so.6

 All 5 states we visited had also appointed a VETS 

program contact person for VA staff, and a national Labor official told us

that all 50 states have appointed such points of contact. Figure 2 

summarizes the implementation of the elements of the agreement in the 

5 states we visited. 

The Five States We Visited 

Had Implemented Some 

Elements of the 

Agreement, but Faced 

Challenges to Full 

Implementation, Including 

Data Sharing and Staffing 

Issues 

 6

According to information provided by VA, all but one of the agency’s regional offices have 

established formalized memorandums of agreement with VETS partners within their states, 

but only 40 of these agreements have been updated since Labor and VA signed the national 

memorandum of agreement in October 2005.

Page 13 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Figure 2: Implementation of Elements of Agreement between Labor and VA in the Five States We Visited

Alabama Illinoi California s Michigan South

Dakota

Key state-level

elements of 

agreement

Yearly

reporting

Staff 

evaluations include

partnership activities

State-level

agreement

Information 

sharing

Unemployment 

insurance wage

data

Begin team

approach early

in process

Advise of 

state workforce

agency benefits

Referral

process

Point of 

contact

Workforce agency 

staff colocated 

at least part-time 

at VA

6.

10.

3.

9.

7.

5.

1.

2.

4.

8.

= Fully implemented = Partially implemented = Not implemented

Source: GAO analysis. 

Note: A Michigan state workforce agency official told us the agency plans to have a staff member 

colocated on a part-time basis at the VA regional office beginning in summer 2007. 

Page 14 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
All five states included key VA and state workforce agency staff in the 

rehabilitation process, but not all states fully coordinated the Labor and 

VA programs by involving DVOP specialists early in the process as 

outlined in the agreement between Labor and VA. Typically, VA clients 

seeking employment would meet with a VA counselor, VA employment 

services staff, and a DVOP specialist from the state workforce agency. 

However, the states varied in terms of the point at which the DVOP 

specialist became involved. In three of the states we visited, DVOP 

specialists provided assistance to veterans soon after they entered the VA 

program, typically by presenting labor market information to veterans to 

incorporate into their vocational rehabilitation plans. In the two other 

states we visited, DVOP specialists did not typically meet with veterans 

until they had neared the end of their VA training programs or were 

otherwise prepared to seek employment. In one of these states, we were 

told that this was due to negative past experiences in providing veterans 

services from both VA and DVOP specialist staff at the same time. 

The five states we visited were collecting data on all but one of the yearly

reporting measures outlined in the agreement between Labor and VA, and

staff identified challenges to implementing this remaining reporting 

measure. In all five states, agency staff told us that they were gathering 

data on the number of VA program participants referred to the VETS 

program, and of those referred, the number who registered for state 

workforce agency services and the number who entered suitable 

employment. In these states, VA staff said that they tracked program 

participants for 60 days after they obtained suitable employment, and we 

learned that state workforce agencies tracked veterans for varying lengths 

of time. However, none of the states were tracking the number of VA 

program participants who maintained suitable employment for 180 days or 

more. In four states, some agency staff told us that they would face 

challenges implementing this additional reporting measure, and staff in 

three states said that this was because following up with veterans for 

180 days would likely require additional staff time and resources. 

In four states, workforce agencies were able to share UI wage data with 

VA, but in one state, they faced challenges sharing such data because of 

state laws. UI wage data are managed by the states.7

 According to VA 

 7

Each state maintains UI wage records to support the process of providing unemployment

compensation to unemployed workers. The records are compiled from records submitted

to the state each quarter by employers and primarily include information on the total 

amount of income earned during that quarter by each of their employees.

Page 15 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
officials, if agency staff want to use this information—for example, to 

verify that a client is employed—they need to obtain the data from the 

state workforce agency. In Illinois, VA and the state workforce agency had 

signed a shared data agreement that allowed the workforce agency to 

provide VA with UI wage data. In Alabama, state workforce agency staff 

told us that they had given VA staff direct access to their database, which 

contained UI wage information. In California’s San Diego region, VA and 

the state workforce agency had developed a centralized process in which 

VA sent UI wage data requests to the state workforce agency headquarters. 

And in South Dakota, workforce agency staff told us that they were able to 

share UI wage data with VA, but said that they rarely received requests for 

such data. However, in Michigan, we were told that they were unable to 

share UI wage information because state law prevents the workforce 

agency from sharing an individual’s wage data with VA. 

Staffing limitations prevented some states from having a full-time 

colocated DVOP specialist at the VA office, although most had at least 

part-time coverage from an itinerant DVOP specialist. The agreement 

states that to the extent feasible and appropriate, a DVOP specialist or 

other designated individual will be colocated at the VA office or will 

otherwise provide itinerant coverage to VA participants. Only one of the 

five states we visited had a full-time colocated DVOP specialist at the VA 

office. Three of the other states we visited had part-time colocated DVOP 

specialists, but one state had no coverage at the VA office at the time of 

our visit. VA staff in the states with a DVOP specialist on site part-time told 

us that such an arrangement was useful, and staff in two states said that 

they would like to increase the amount of colocation time per week. 

However, officials in three states told us that funding constraints limited 

the number of workforce agency staff and thus the workforce agency’s 

ability to share a DVOP specialist with the VA office. National VA officials 

also told us that fluctuating state budgets made it challenging for states to 

commit to providing a colocated DVOP specialist from year to year. 

None of the five states had fully implemented the information-sharing 

element of the national agreement between Labor and VA, and staff in all 

five states told us that some of this information sharing was unnecessary. 

The agreement states that both agencies will share all information about 

veterans gathered from interviews, counseling, testing, and assessment. 

VA staff in the five states we visited told us that they did not regularly 

share all of the information outlined in the agreement with the state 

workforce agency, and staff in all states said that it is not necessary to 

share all information about veterans in order to help them find 

employment. In all five states, VA staff shared a standardized, but limited, 

Page 16 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
set of information with the state workforce agency when referring a 

veteran for employment services. For example, in one state, VA staff told 

us that this standardized set of information included the veteran’s contact 

information, employment goal, and level of education, as well as general 

information related to the veteran’s barriers to employment. However, VA 

staff in all five states told us that they did not regularly share specific 

information about veterans’ disabilities with state workforce agency staff, 

and staff in two states said that this was a result of privacy concerns. 

None of the five states we visited were using partnership activities 

specifically to evaluate staff, as outlined in the agreement between Labor 

and VA, and some officials said it would be impractical. In the three states 

that had a centralized referral process and thus had minimal contact 

between state workforce agency and VA staff, some local agency staff 

stated that it did not make sense to evaluate staff on the effectiveness of 

their partnership activities. In all five states, we were told that staff 

evaluations contained a general category related to teamwork or 

cooperation, but did not include specific performance measures to 

evaluate DVOP specialists and VA staff on the effectiveness of their 

partnership activities. In one state, workforce agency managers told us 

that they were considering implementing specific performance measures 

related to the effectiveness of partnership activities. 

Labor and VA Have Not 

Developed a 

Comprehensive Plan to 

Guide Implementation, and 

Have Not Fully Assessed 

Data on Implementation 

Labor and VA lack a comprehensive plan for implementing their 

agreement, and have not set benchmarks or long-term time frames for 

implementation. While Labor and VA have designed a pilot project, agency

officials have not developed a plan to guide the full implementation of the 

agreement. Although the joint work groups have set short-term time 

frames for the pilot project, and plan to make recommendations regarding 

pilot project expansion in May 2008, the pilot project plan does not include 

long-term time frames for the implementation of the agreement, and Labor 

and VA officials told us that they considered implementation to be a work 

in progress. In addition, the pilot project plan does not outline steps for 

taking action when states do not implement the agreement. 

It is unclear whether national VA and Labor officials have provided 

sufficient direction to states on the implementation of the agreement. In 

one state, workforce agency staff told us that guidance from national 

officials on implementing the agreement was lacking. Both agencies sent

letters to regional and state officials notifying them of the agreement, but 

have done very little to assist with implementation. A national VA official 

told us he has discussed implementation in conference calls with VA 

Page 17 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
program managers and employment services staff, but a national Labor 

official told us his agency has not done any follow-up. In addition, the 

agreement calls for the agencies to take corrective action when common 

goals outlined in state-level memorandums of agreement are not met. 

However, both VA and Labor officials told us that they have not yet 

defined steps for corrective action. Labor also told us that it does not have 

much leverage to induce state workforce agencies to implement the 

agreement given its limited authority over such agencies. 

Further, as of July 2007, Labor and VA had not yet fully assessed state 

actions to implement the agreement, so the extent to which the national

agreement has been implemented across all states was unclear. The 

agencies collected some data on states’ activities in the January 2007 

survey of agency field staff conducted by the joint work groups. VA 

officials told us that the survey identified several areas for improved 

collaboration between the agencies, including clarifying definitions of 

terms, increasing staff training, and facilitating communication among 

staff. However, the results cannot be used to understand the extent of 

nationwide implementation because the survey only included about half of 

the states and did not cover all aspects of the national agreement. In June 

2007, VA conducted a second survey asking all of its 57 regional offices to 

submit copies of their state-level memorandums of agreements to national 

VA officials, and received these agreements from all but one regional 

office. A VA official told us that the agency plans to review these 

agreements to assess their alignment with the national agreement and 

offer assistance to states that are having difficulties, but it had not done so

as of July 2007. 

Although VA has almost fully implemented the Five-Track employment 

program, the agency may face challenges serving the employment needs of 

recently returning veterans because of the types and severity of their 

disabilities. VA officials told us that they have fully implemented four of 

the seven components of the Five-Track employment program and the 

other three components are mostly complete. VA officials have noted that 

many recently returning veterans have serious injuries and they anticipate

higher caseloads as increasing numbers of veterans apply for program 

benefits. In response to these challenges, VA has taken some initial steps 

to address the specific employment and training needs of these veterans, 

and Labor has made similar efforts. 

VA Has Mostly 

Implemented Its FiveTrack Employment 

Program for Disabled 

Veterans, but the 

Types and Severity of 

Recent Veterans’ 

Disabilities May Pose

Challenges 

Page 18 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
According to VA, officials have completed most of the seven components 

needed to implement the Five-Track program. While four components 

have been completed, three other components remain in process. Figure 3 

shows the seven components of the Five-Track program and their 

respective completion status. 

VA Has Implemented Most 

of Its Five-Track 

Employment Program for 

Disabled Veterans, but 

Some Components Are 

Still in Process 

Page 19 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Figure 3: Five-Track Program Implementation Components and Completion Status

Five-Track

pilot study

Distribute 

orientation 

materials

Self 

employment 

Establish 

employment 

coordinators

Develop 

program 

manual 

Finalize 

employment 

resource Web site 

Equip job 

resource 

labs

Source: GAO analysis.

2004

2005

2006

2007

J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D F M A M J J F M A M J J A S O N D J

Completed September 2005

Completed January 2005

Completed April 2006

Completed February 2006

Incomplete components Complete components

Page 20 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
VA officials told us that three of the initial components of the new FiveTrack employment program—the national distribution of orientation 

materials, the pilot study, and introductory staff training—have been fully 

implemented. According to VA, officials have also completed the 

distribution of Five-Track orientation materials nationally, including a new 

video and a booklet that describes program eligibility requirements. VA 

officials have also distributed information nationally on each of the five 

tracks to employment—reemployment, rapid access to employment, selfemployment, employment through long-term services, and independent 

living services. In October 2004, VA officials began a pilot study in four 

regional offices to test several proposed components of the Five-Track 

program. At the pilot study’s completion in September 2005, VA issued a 

status report based on the study results and made some changes to the 

program before beginning the full launch a few months later. VA also 

completed introductory training for VRE staff members nationwide on the 

Five-Track program, between February and April of 2006. The VA staff 

who received this national training were expected to return to their local 

offices and train other staff on the program. According to VA, the training 

included simulated case management exercises and a review of the 

logistics and application of the new job resource labs. 

VA has also hired and trained employment coordinators. This position was 

developed to revamp the existing employment specialist position and 

provide more direct assistance to veterans with job readiness and jobseeking skills, as well as helping them with job placement. Training for 

employment coordinators began in November 2005, and a few months 

later, 52 employment specialists were reclassified as employment 

coordinators. Since then, VA national officials have hired additional 

employment coordinators, and as of April 2007 there were 74 employment 

coordinators nationally.8

 Qualifications for the employment coordinator 

position include knowledge of marketing concepts, thorough knowledge 

of the VRE program and its objectives, and diverse presentation skills. Of 

the 6 employment coordinators we spoke with, 3 had prior experience 

providing employment assistance to veterans, either as a DVOP specialist 

or an employment specialist. 

 8

As of April 2007, 48 VA regional offices were staffed with at least one employment 

coordinator. The nine regional offices without employment coordinators were Wilmington,

Delaware; Boise, Idaho; Wichita, Kansas; Togus, Maine; Jackson, Mississippi; Reno,

Nevada; Manchester, New Hampshire; Manila; and White River Junction, Vermont. These 

offices had other staff providing employment services in addition to their assigned duties. 

Page 21 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Information provided by VA shows that the agency has mostly completed 

the implementation of 160 job resource labs. The job resource labs were 

intended to be a supportive tool to help VA staff provide veterans with 

employment resources and job readiness assistance. As of April 2007, 

144 labs (90 percent) labs were operational, although some were utilizing 

borrowed computers.9

 Sixteen of the labs (10 percent) were further 

postponed due to construction issues, lack of appropriate space, difficulty 

securing Internet access, or complications obtaining computers. Before 

providing funding, VA conducted a survey of its field offices to assess 

existing resources. Then, between June and September 2006, VA provided

field offices funding to purchase noncomputer items such as furniture and 

books. VA transferred $1.5 million to the VA Office of Information and 

Technology for procurement of 359 computers, but there were delays in 

obtaining them. VA officials told us the computers should be available in 

summer 2007. 

According to VA, officials have begun to implement a new employment 

resource Web site and a program manual, but they are not yet completed. 

VA launched the employment resource Web site, known as vetsuccess.gov, 

in 2005 to be a new supportive tool for veterans and VA staff. Currently, 

veterans may access the Web site via the Internet and can utilize the site to

view program videos, employment resources, employment search links,

and information about VA partner organizations. VA is planning to install 

additional interactive features on the Web site, including a log-in option 

that would allow veterans to post résumés and employers to search and 

view them. However, a VA official told us the installation has been delayed 

indefinitely until security concerns can be resolved. Additionally, as part 

of the Five-Track program implementation, VA officials plan to distribute a 

program manual to staff. However, a VA official told us the agency is 

postponing the release of the manual until the employment Web site 

features have been completed and can be included as part of the manual. 

 9

Information provided by VA included one lab that was located in a state workforce agency 

one-stop center. VA data characterized the lab completion status as not applicable; 

therefore we did not include the lab as part of our analysis. 

Page 22 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Officials in some states we visited raised concerns about the ability of 

employment programs—including the Five-Track program—to address the 

needs of severely disabled program participants returning from recent 

conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to VA officials, many recently 

returning veterans have multiple and severe disabilities, such as speech, 

hearing, and visual impairments as well as loss of limbs and brain injuries, 

and behavioral issues due to the stress of combat. Additionally, veterans 

from recent conflicts are surviving with more of these serious injuries that

would have been fatal in past conflicts, a fact that can present major 

challenges to providing training and securing appropriate job placements. 

For example, VA officials in one state told us that from their experiences 

assisting veterans with traumatic brain injuries, they have found that these 

veterans may find it difficult to filter their thoughts and actions and may 

act and speak inappropriately, making employment placement more 

difficult. In addition, VA officials anticipate increased caseloads because 

of expanded outreach efforts to veterans and service members separating 

from the military, and increasing disability claims from veterans of recent 

conflicts. 

Agencies Have Taken 

Initial Steps to Address 

Challenges Posed by 

Employment Needs of 

Recent Veterans because 

of the Types and Severity 

of Their Disabilities 

To address these challenges, VA told us that officials have developed 

programs to provide additional resources for recently returning veterans 

to receive employment services. VA officials have an early outreach 

program, Coming Home to Work, to provide civilian work experience to

eligible service members pending medical separation from active duty at 

military treatment facilities. VA has also designated a particular individual 

in each VA regional office to coordinate vocational rehabilitation and 

employment case services for recently returning service members located

in military treatment facilities. 

According to VA, officials have also made training available to staff on the 

specific disabilities that may be more prevalent among recently returning 

veterans. The agency has developed training materials on traumatic brain 

injuries, amputations, and transferable work skills, which an official told 

us have been made available to VA counselors and employment 

coordinators through VA internal satellite broadcasts and other means. 

Additionally, VA plans to develop an online training curriculum that would 

include training specific to the needs of recently returning veterans that 

will be available to VA staff. In addition to training, a VA official told us the 

agency used internal staff meetings and conference calls to address the 

immediate concerns of VA staff related to recently returning veterans. 

Labor has also taken some initial steps to address the challenges of serving 

severely disabled Five-Track program participants returning from recent 

Page 23 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
conflicts, and we were told staff who work with these veterans have 

access to VA training. Labor has a program, called Recovery and 

Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines), to provide individualized 

job preparation, counseling, and reemployment services to veterans 

seriously injured in recent conflicts. VETS program staff, including DVOP 

specialists and LVER staff, can also access the National Veterans’ Training

Institute VETS NET online newsletter, which often includes links to 

information on serving recently returning veterans. In addition, VA told us 

that state VETS program directors have access to training materials 

related to the needs of recently returning veterans such as traumatic brain 

injuries and amputations. Similarly, VA told us that state workforce agency

staff will also have access to its planned online training curriculum, 

including courses specific to the employment needs of recently returning 

veterans. A list of selected VA and Labor initiatives related to addressing 

the employment needs of recently returning veterans is in table 2. 

Table 2: Selected Labor and VA Initiatives Designed to Enhance Services for 

Program Participants Returning from Recent Conflicts 

Initiative Description

• Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines—Labor program 

providing individualized job training, counseling, and reemployment 

services to veterans seriously injured in recent conflicts 

• Coming Home to Work—VA outreach program providing civilian work 

experience to VRE-eligible service members pending medical 

separation 

Programs 

• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Case Coordinators—

coordinate VRE services for recently returning service members 

located in military treatment facilities 

• Recent VA staff training on amputation, traumatic brain injuries, and 

blast injuries 

• Distribution of training materials to VRE regional offices and state 

VETS program directors 

Staff training 

• VA planned development of online curriculum that will be available to 

VA and Labor staff 

Staff • National Veterans’ Training Institute VETS NET online newsletter 

resources • Regular internal VA staff meetings and conference calls 

Source: GAO analysis.

Page 24 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Employment coordinators and job resource labs in the five states we 

visited provided employment services to veterans, but some of these 

services were available elsewhere. Employment coordinators generally 

provided direct employment services to veterans and performed job 

development activities and outreach to employers and the community. 

Despite the fact that the employment coordinator position description 

outlines a variety of services to be provided to veterans across each VA 

region, these activities were largely limited to their local areas. In addition, 

employment coordinators performed some services that duplicated other 

available resources. Although job resource labs afforded some additional 

opportunities for VA staff to assist veterans with employment activities, 

they generally were not used by many veterans. Job resource labs also 

provided some resources that veterans were able to access elsewhere. 

The employment coordinators in the five states we visited provided some 

direct assistance to veterans. The services to veterans included helping 

with veteran employment plans, résumé preparation, interview 

preparation, and job search activities. In addition, employment 

coordinators with whom we spoke typically provided veterans and VA 

counselors with labor market information, which generally included 

average salary, to assist veterans in selecting potential career fields. Other 

duties varied by state and included managing the referral process to DVOP 

specialists, conducting follow-up with veterans after they have been 

placed in employment, arranging for the distribution of a stipend given to 

veterans during their employment search, and focusing on providing 

services to veterans who were having difficulty finding employment. One 

employment coordinator reported that she assisted employers with 

making workplace accommodations for disabled veteran employees who 

were participants in the VA program, while two others reported that they 

had not had the opportunity to provide such accommodations. In one case, 

the employment coordinator had carved out the specific role of assisting 

veterans with federal job applications. 

While Employment 

Coordinators and Job 

Resource Labs in the 

Five States We Visited 

Provided Employment 

Assistance to Some 

Veterans, Similar 

Services Were 

Available Elsewhere 

Employment Coordinators 

Performed Direct Services, 

Job Development, and 

Outreach in Their Local 

Areas and Duplicated 

Some Other Available 

Resources 

Most of the employment coordinators we met with also performed some 

job development and outreach activities. These activities included 

promotion of VA programs, developing partnerships with businesses and 

other agencies, and marketing and providing VA employer incentives. For 

example, an employment coordinator in one state we visited told us she 

partners with other agencies to obtain employment leads for veterans and 

another employment coordinator told us that he markets an incentive 

program to employers through which VA pays half of the veteran’s salary

Page 25 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
for the first 6 months of employment. Some employment coordinators also 

told us they conduct presentations about VA at community events. 

Employment coordinators in the five states we visited primarily provided 

services to veterans in their local areas, even though VA originally 

intended that they provide a variety of employment services across each 

VA region. In the five states we visited, the employment coordinators 

seldom traveled to offices outside their local area, and when some did, 

they met with a much smaller number of veterans. VA staff in several 

locations told us the lack of face-to-face contact with an employment 

coordinator disadvantaged some veterans. For example, VA staff in one 

office without an employment coordinator on-site found communication 

via phone and e-mail to be less effective in providing employment services 

to veterans than in-person interactions. Similarly, an employment 

coordinator in another state told us that veterans outside her local area do

not receive the same level of services from her as those located in her 

immediate area. VA acknowledged it was not aware of the extent to which

employment coordinators were able to work with veterans outside their 

local areas. In addition, VA national officials acknowledged that the 

current number of employment coordinators is not enough to provide a 

full array of employment services to all program participants, as they had 

originally intended when they wrote the position description. They told us

they tried to compensate for this deficiency by assigning employment 

coordinators to offices in the most populous areas and expected that state 

workforce agency staff would serve veterans in other locales. In one state, 

the employment coordinator was stationed over 200 miles away from the 

office we visited and was only able to provide services for 15 of the 

approximately 300 veterans served in that office at the time of our 

interview. The employment coordinator, VA counselors, and some 

veterans in this state told us they considered local DVOP specialists to be

the primary employment services providers for program participants. 

According to veterans and VA staff in the five states we visited, 

employment coordinators provided some unique services to veterans in 

their local areas, but other services were also available from alternative

sources. Employment coordinators provided some services that were not 

available elsewhere, such as marketing VA employer incentives, promoting 

the VA program through networking and ongoing contacts with employers, 

distributing veterans’ employment search stipend, and assisting with 

employer accommodations. However, according to veterans and VA staff 

in the five states we visited, some of the direct services provided by 

employment coordinators were similar to those offered by others. For 

example, according to some VA staff and veterans, college career centers, 

Page 26 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
DVOP specialists, and VA contractors all provide veterans assistance with 

résumé writing and interviewing techniques. Additionally, some veterans 

and VA staff told us that both employment coordinators and state 

workforce agency staff can assist veterans and VA counselors with labor 

market information. Similarly, in two states we visited employment 

coordinators were available to provide more services to veterans who 

were having difficulty finding employment, while DVOP specialists were 

also responsible for facilitating services for veterans with special 

employment needs. One veteran told us he met with the employment 

coordinator daily for assistance with résumé and interview preparation 

and obtaining employment leads while also working with a DVOP 

specialist weekly. 

The outreach activities employment coordinators conducted were also 

sometimes performed by others. In some states we visited, both 

employment coordinators and DVOP specialists marketed to employers on 

behalf of disabled veterans in the VA program by identifying employer 

hiring contacts and obtaining information on job vacancies and hiring 

prerequisites. Similarly, in some states employment coordinators and 

DVOP specialists performed job development activities, such as fostering 

partnerships through participation in job fairs and networking with local 

businesses. VA staff in two states told us that state workforce agency staff 

often performed job development and outreach activities. Although Labor

and VA national officials acknowledged some similarities between the 

employment services performed by employment coordinators and those 

available to program participants elsewhere, VA officials have not 

collected information on the full extent of the duplication nationally. A 

summary comparing the services provided by employment coordinators 

and employment services available elsewhere in the states we visited is in

table 3. 

Page 27 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Table 3: Examples of Services Provided by Employment Coordinators and Others in the Five States We Visited

Selected providers 

Employment coordinator duties

Employment 

coordinators

DVOP 

specialists 

Contractors and 

school career centers 

Direct services provided to VA clients 

Conduct follow-up with veterans after they have 

been placed in employment 

9 9

Assist with résumé and interview preparation 9 9 9

Provide general assistance with job search 

activities 9 9 9

Provide labor market information 9 9

Provide employment assistance specifically to

hard-to-place veterans 

9 9

Coordinate distribution of employment search

stipend 9

Assist veterans with employment plans 9 9

Assist employers with providing 

accommodations for VA clients 

9

Job development and outreach

Promote VA program through networking and

ongoing contacts with employers 

9

Develop partnerships with businesses and state 

and federal agencies 

9 9

Market VA incentives to employers, such as 

subsidized internships and wage subsidies 

9

Establish contact with specific employers to be

aware of job opportunities and job qualifications 

9 9

Source: GAO analysis.

Note: A checkmark indicates that services were provided in at least one of the states we visited. 

Employment coordinator activities were typically limited to those veterans in their local areas. 

The employment coordinators we interviewed in California were responsible only for the San Diego 

region, and the employment coordinator for Sioux Falls, South Dakota was stationed in Fargo, 

North Dakota. 

Page 28 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Job resource labs provided equipment and materials that VA staff used to 

assist veterans with employment-related activities, but the labs were not 

typically staffed throughout the day. All of the labs in the five states we 

visited were equipped with computers that had Internet access, desks, 

printers, and employment resource libraries. The number of computers 

available for veterans’ use in the labs ranged from one to four. All of the 

labs also had at least three additional resources such as copiers, fax 

machines, informational pamphlets, job postings, and televisions and DVD 

players located directly in the lab or available for use elsewhere in the 

office. According to the veterans and VA staff in the five states we visited, 

the job resource labs were used primarily to conduct Five-Track program 

orientation and to allow for veterans to engage individually in career 

exploration activities. In three of the states we visited, the labs were also 

used as a meeting space, for example, to host workshops and veteran 

employment networking groups. The labs sometimes also served as an

office for the part-time colocated DVOP specialist or as an extra space to 

conduct activities such as mock interviews. We were told VA staff were 

available to assist veterans as needed, but only one of the labs we visited 

was staffed throughout the day. Although some veterans were able to use 

the labs with minimal guidance, others told us they needed the assistance 

provided by VA staff when they were first introduced to the labs. Figure 4 

shows photographs of a sample of the job resource labs we visited. 

Job Resource Labs 

Provided Additional 

Opportunities to Assist 

Veterans, but They 

Appeared to Play a Minor 

Role and Duplicated 

Resources Available 

Elsewhere 

Page 29 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Figure 4: Photographs of VA Job Resource Labs

Source: GAO.

Anaheim, California Montgomery, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama Chicago, Illinois

Veterans in the five states we visited did not typically use the labs for any 

activities other than those that were part of the program orientation. VA 

staff in the five states we visited told us the labs were not used by many 

veterans. Four of the labs we visited tracked usage informally, and a 

month of data from these labs showed as many as 34 veterans using one

Page 30 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
lab and as few as 3 using another. Additionally, none of the veterans we 

spoke with used the labs regularly or more than a few times during the 

program. For example, 1 veteran said he only used the lab to occasionally

look at his grades online and another veteran used printed resources in the 

lab once to prepare for an interview. Some of the low levels of usage may 

be explained by factors associated with the lab. In two of the states we 

visited, the labs had only been operational for 2 months or less. In three 

other sites, VA staff lamented that the labs were housed in buildings that

were not conveniently located or required security searches to enter. 

While VA officials told us they plan to assess the usage and effectiveness 

of the job resource labs nationally, they have not done so yet because they 

are waiting for all labs to have permanent computers. 

Veterans and VA officials told us that program participants have access to 

equipment and materials similar to those in the job resource labs at other 

locations. In the five states we visited, job resource labs provided veterans 

with some additional VA services, for example, one-on-one computer 

assistance from VA staff and the opportunity to network with other VA 

participants. However, according to veterans and VA counselors with 

whom we spoke, veterans typically had computer and Internet access 

available at home, school, the public library, or the local one-stop career 

center. Similarly, one veteran told us he used printed materials found in 

the job resource labs, such as résumé and interviewing technique books, at 

his local one-stop career center. While some veterans and veteran service 

organization representatives we spoke with found that having access to 

resources at multiple locations allows veterans more flexibility, some also 

told us the labs were duplicative of most of the basic resources available 

at local one-stops, such as computers, printers, faxes, printed materials, 

job postings, and brochures. 

VA staff and their counterparts in Labor are charged with the 

responsibility of helping veterans achieve the best possible employment 

outcomes—each in their own capacity but also in cooperation with each 

other. Given their similar missions and clientele, and to ensure the 

seamless delivery of services and efficient use of resources, it is critical 

that these agencies work together effectively. The October 2005 agreement 

between Labor and VA stated that both parties commit themselves to 

active cooperation and coordination in meeting the goals of the 

agreement. However, without additional efforts—developing a 

comprehensive plan that outlines long-range time frames and benchmarks 

for its implementation, thoroughly reviewing implementation at the state 

level, providing guidance to states, and outlining plans for taking action if 

Conclusions 

Page 31 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
states do not implement the agreement—it is difficult to determine the 

extent to which the agreement has been implemented or what, if any, 

progress has been made toward its goals. In addition, VA officials were not 

fully aware of how the employment coordinator position was serving 

veterans outside of the employment coordinator’s local area. As a result, 

VA may not be providing all veterans in a regional office’s jurisdiction with 

equal access to the full array of services from an employment coordinator.

Furthermore, Labor and VA have not collected systematic information on 

employment coordinators and job resource labs to help eliminate all 

duplication in the delivery of needed employment services and provide a 

seamless employment transition. Without this information, there may be 

unnecessary duplication of services, which is not in keeping with the 

agreement. Finally, VA has not examined the usage or effectiveness of the 

job resource labs nationwide, and as a result, VA may end up spending 

money to sustain a resource that few veterans are using. 

To ensure the complete and timely implementation of the agreement, we 

recommend that the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs direct VETS and VRE to take the following actions: 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action 

• develop a written plan for the full implementation of the agreement 

that includes long-term time frames, benchmarks by which to track 

implementation at the state level, and plans for taking action in 

instances when states are not fully implementing the agreement; 

• provide additional direction to the states on implementing the 

agreement, including examples of promising practices from states, 

such as strategies for sharing information; 

• provide technical assistance to states that are facing difficulties 

implementing the agreement; and 

• collect and assess complete information on the progress of the states in 

implementing the agreement using well-designed and appropriate 

methodology, such as a systematic review of state-level memorandums 

of agreements or a comprehensive survey of all locations. 

To ensure the employment coordinator role is being used in the most 

effective and efficient way possible without duplication of other available 

services, we recommend that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 

consultation with the Secretary of Labor, direct VRE to take the following 

actions: 

• determine how best to use the employment coordinator in serving 

veterans located outside the employment coordinator’s local area; 

Page 32 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
• undertake additional efforts to review how the employment 

coordinator role has been carried out at the regional level, especially

vis-à-vis staff of other workforce agencies; 

• determine how this position could best be used in light of other 

services available to VA program participants; and 

• modify the national employment coordinator position description 

accordingly.

To ensure that resources spent on job resource labs are used efficiently 

and effectively, we recommend that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

direct VRE to undertake additional efforts to: 

• review the number of veterans using the job resource labs and ways in 

which veterans are using them; 

• assess and offer regional offices direction on how the labs could be 

better used; and 

• determine whether there are additional opportunities to coordinate 

with other agencies and organizations, such as local one-stop career 

centers. 

We provided a draft of this report to Labor and VA for their review and 

comments. In their comments, the agencies agreed with our 

recommendations. The agencies said they would work together to develop 

a plan to fully implement the agreement that focuses on time frames and 

benchmarks and would implement a systematic review of state-level

agreements. Both agencies also said they will continue to develop joint 

training for improving the coordination and delivery of employment 

services for veterans with disabilities. In an effort to provide technical 

assistance to states that are facing difficulties implementing the 

agreement, Labor said it would review possible ways of providing VA 

confirmation that a client is employed without actually providing personal 

wage data. In addition, VA said it will continue to evaluate the 

effectiveness of the employment coordinator position and develop 

methodology to assess how the job resource labs are used. The 

Department of Labor’s comments are in appendix II and VA’s comments 

are in appendix III. 

Agency Comments 

and Our Evaluation 

Page 33 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
We will send copies of this report to the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary 

of Veterans Affairs, other relevant congressional committees, and other 

interested parties and will make copies available to others upon request. 

In addition, the report will be available at no charge on GAO’s Web site at 

http://www.gao.gov. 

A list of related GAO products is included at the end of this report. If you

or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me at 

(202) 512-7215. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations 

and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. Staff 

acknowledgments are listed in appendix IV. 

Cynthia M. Fagnoni, Managing Director 

Education, Workforce, and 

Income Security Issues

Page 34 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix I: 

Methodology 

Objectives, Scope, and 

Page 35 GAO-07-1020

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Our overall research objectives were to describe the status of the 

implementation of the October 2005 memorandum of agreement between

the Department of Labor (Labor) and the Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA) aimed at coordinating efforts to advance the employment 

opportunities for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and to 

describe the status of the implementation of VA’s Five-Track employment 

program, with a particular emphasis on the role of employment 

coordinators and job resource labs. To address these objectives, we 

conducted interviews with national Labor and VA officials and national 

representatives of veterans’ service organizations. We also visited five 

states, where we met with Labor, VA, and the state workforce agency

officials and staff, and toured job resource labs and one-stop career 

centers. During our site visits, we spoke with veterans who were past or 

current participants in VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment 

services (VRE) and local representatives of veterans’ service 

organizations. In addition, VA provided us with information on the number 

of job resource labs that were completed, the number still in process, and 

the reasons for the delays. Finally, we reviewed prior GAO reports and 

other relevant documentation. We conducted our work from November 

2006 to September 2007 in accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards. 

We interviewed national Labor and VA officials to determine the status of 

implementation of the agreement, in particular, time frames for 

completion and any challenges to implementation. With VA officials, we 

also discussed the status of the implementation of the Five-Track program, 

including any implementation challenges that remain, and the roles of 

employment coordinators and job resource labs in the employment and 

training of disabled veterans. 

We conducted site visits in five states—Michigan, Alabama, Illinois, South 

Dakota, and California. California is divided into three VA regions; we 

visited only the San Diego region. We selected a mix of states based on the 

following criteria: (1) dispersion across the four VRE geographic areas 

(Eastern, Southern, Central, and Western), (2) both pilot and nonpilot sites 

for the Five-Track program, and (3) states with large and small veteran 

populations. Table 4 lists our selected site visit locations and summarizes 

these selection criteria for each state. In making our selections, we also 

factored in the states’ reputation for coordination between Labor and VA

at the state and local levels, which we determined based on input from 

national Labor and VA officials and other sources. 

Interviews with 

National Labor and 

VA Officials 

Site Visits 

Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Table 4: Site Visit Locations and Key Selection Criteria

State 

Locations

visited

VRE 

geographic

area 

Was a 

Five-Track 

pilot site 

Has large veteran

population

(500,000 or more 

veterans in state) 

Michigan Detroit Eastern yes yes

Alabama Montgomery

Huntsville 

Southern yes no

Illinois Chicago Central no yes 

South Dakota Sioux Falls Central no no 

California 

(San Diego region) 

San Diego 

El Cajon 

Anaheim 

Western no yes

Source: GAO.

Note: Veteran population of states is based on 2000 Census data. 

In each state, we met with VA regional office staff and officials from Labor 

and the state workforce agency. At VA regional offices, we spoke with VA 

counselors, employment coordinators, and regional office management. 

We also toured the job resource labs. In each state, we also spoke with 

either the state VETS program director or assistant director assigned to 

the region. In addition, we met with staff and officials from the state 

workforce agency, including Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program 

specialists. We visited one-stop career centers in four states and met with 

local office managers in three of these. In some cases, we followed up on 

our interviews by phone, e-mail, or in person to collect additional 

information. 

In two of the states, we visited locations that have satellite offices of the 

VA regional office. In California, we visited Anaheim, which is a satellite 

location of the San Diego VA regional office. There, we met with the VA 

vocational rehabilitation counselor and state workforce agency local 

office management and staff. We also observed the job resource lab. We

chose Anaheim based on its proximity to San Diego, which was one of our 

site visit locations. In Alabama, we interviewed VA and state workforce 

agency staff in Huntsville, a satellite location of the Montgomery VA 

regional office, and also visited the job resource lab. We selected 

Huntsville based on the recommendation of a Montgomery VA official and 

its proximity to a GAO field office. 

Page 36 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

To gain additional perspectives on the implementation of the agreement 

and the Five-Track program, on each of our site visits, we met with 

veterans who were currently participating in the Five-Track program or 

who had recently completed training through VA’s Vocational

Rehabilitation and Employment program. We also spoke with local 

representatives of veterans’ service organizations. In addition, we 

conducted phone interviews with representatives of a number of veterans’ 

service organizations who are based in the Washington, D.C. area. 

VA provided us with a list of the job resource labs and the status of their 

implementation. From this list, we calculated the total number of labs, the 

number of labs that were completed, and those that were still in process. 

We also categorized and sorted the reasons for delays in implementing the 

labs that were not yet complete. We assessed the reliability of the VA data 

and determined it was suitable for the purposes of this report. The 

information provided by VA was current as of May 2007. 

Interviews with 

Veterans and 

Veterans’ Service 

Organizations 

Status of Job 

Resource Lab 

Implementation 

Page 37 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix II: Comments from the Department Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Labor 

of Labor 

Page 38 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix II: Comments from the Department 

of Labor 

Page 39 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix III: Comments from the Department Appendix III: Comments from the of Veterans Affairs 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

Page 40 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix III: Comments from the Department 

of Veterans Affairs 

Page 41 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix III: Comments from the Department 

of Veterans Affairs 

Page 42 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix III: Comments from the Department 

of Veterans Affairs 

Page 43 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Appendix IV: 

A

GAO Contact and Staff 

cknowledgments 

Page 44 GAO-07-1020

Appendix IV: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments 

Cynthia M. Fagnoni, (202) 512-7215 or fagnonic@gao.gov

Sigurd R. Nilsen, Director 

Heather Hahn and Kathryn Larin, Assistant Directors 

GAO Contact: 

Staff 

Acknowledgments 

Anne Welch, Analyst-in-Charge 

Caitlin Croake and Amber Yancey-Carroll also made significant 

contributions to this report in all facets of the work. In addition, 

Walter Vance assisted in the review of external data and in developing site

visit selection criteria; Elizabeth Curda and Gregory Whitney lent subject 

matter expertise; Doreen Feldman and Jessica Botsford provided legal 

support; Letisha Jenkins and John Ortiz assisted with data collection; and

Charles Willson provided writing assistance. 

Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Related GAO Products Related GAO Products 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Labor Could Improve 

Information on Reemployment Services, Outcomes, and Program 

Impact. GAO-07-594. Washington, D.C.: May 24, 2007. 

Trade Adjustment Assistance: Labor Should Take Action to Ensure 

Performance Data Are Complete, Accurate, and Accessible. GAO-06-496. 

Washington, D.C.: April 25, 2006. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Greater Accountability 

and Other Labor Actions Needed to Better Serve Veterans. GAO-06-357T. 

Washington, D.C.: February 2, 2006. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Labor Actions Needed to

Improve Accountability and Help States Implement Reforms to Veterans’

Employment Services. GAO-06-176. Washington, D.C.: December 30, 2005. 

Workforce Investment Act: Labor and States Have Taken Actions to 

Improve Data Quality, but Additional Steps Are Needed. GAO-06-82. 

Washington, D.C.: November 14, 2005. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Preliminary Observations 

on Changes to Veterans’ Employment Programs. GAO-05-662T. 

Washington, D.C.: May 12, 2005. 

Workforce Investment Act: States and Local Areas Have Developed 

Strategies to Assess Performance, but Labor Could Do More to Help. 

GAO-04-657. Washington, D.C.: June 1, 2004. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Flexibility and 

Accountability Needed to Improve Service to Veterans. GAO-01-928. 

Washington, D.C.: September 12, 2001. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Proposed Performance 

Measurement System Improved, but Further Changes Needed. 

GAO-01-580. Washington, D.C.: May 15, 2001. 

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Strategic and Performance 

Plans Lack Vision and Clarity. GAO/T-HEHS-99-177. Washington, D.C.: 

July 29, 1999.

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service: Assessment of the Fiscal

Year 1999 Performance Plan. GAO/HEHS-98-240R. Washington, D.C.: 

September 30, 1998. 

Page 45 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
Related GAO Products 

Veterans’ Employment and Training: Services Provided by Labor 

Department Programs. GAO/HEHS-98-7. Washington, D.C.: 

October 17, 1997. 

Vocational Rehabilitation: Better VA Management Needed to Help 

Disabled Veterans Find Jobs. GAO/HRD-92-100. Washington, D.C.: 

September 4, 1992. 

(130628) Page 46 GAO-07-1020 Disabled Veterans’ Employment
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