Veterans' Priority of Service

In accordance with the jobs for Veterans' Act (PL 107-288), Central Area Michigan Works! Consortium and the Michigan Works! Service Centers offer Priority of Service to veterans and eligible spouses:

• A veteran is defined as a person who has served at least one day in active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released from service under any condition other than a condition classified as dishonorable. This definition includes Reserve units and National Guard units activated for Federal Services.

• An eligible spouse is defined as a spouse of a veteran who dies of a service connected disability, a spouse of any member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, at the time of application for the priority is listed in one or more of the following categories and has been so listed for a total of more than 90 days: missing in action, captured in line of duty by a hostile force; or forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power; a spouse of any veteran who has a total disability resulting from a service-connected disability, as evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; a spouse of any veteran who died while a disability was in existence.

 GOLD CARD SERVICES for Post 9/11 ERA Veterans

The Gold Card provides unemployed post-9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today's job market. The Gold Card initiative is a joint effort of the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS).

An eligible veteran can present the Gold Card at his/her local Michigan Works! Service Center to receive enhanced intensive services including up to six months of follow-up. The enhanced in-person services available for Gold Card holders may include:

• Job readiness assessment, including interviews and testing;
• Development of an Individual Development Plan (IDP);
• Career guidance through group or individual counseling that helps veterans in making training and career decisions;
• Provision of labor market, occupational, and skills transferability information that inform educational, training, and occupational decisions;
• Referral to job banks, job portals, and job openings;
• Referral to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors;
• Referral to training by WIA-funded or third party service providers; and
• Monthly follow-up by an assigned case manager for up to six months.

http://www.dol.gov/vets/goldcard.html

 Resources for Veterans

My Next Move for Veterans -- veterans will find a simple and quick search engine where they enter their prior

 military experience (branch of service and military occupation code or title) and link to the information they need

 to explore information on civilian careers and related training, including information they can use to write resumes that highlight related civilian skills. In addition, My Next Move for Veterans contains a link to an online assessment, the O*NET Interest Profiler, which provides results comparable to the Strong Interest Inventory being used in the new Transition Assistance Program (TAP). Veterans who have not received an interest assessment as part of TAP can access and take this interest assessment online from a link in the lower right-hand corner of My Next Move for Veterans or directly at: http://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip

The Veterans Job Bank Search Widget is the latest tool developed by NRD.gov to help streamline the job search process for the military and Veteran communities. An easy to implement feature that can be added to any website, the Veterans Job Bank Search Widget gives users the ability to search for jobs from thousands of military-friendly employers worldwide based on keyword, military occupation code (MOC) and/or location. As with the NRD State Widget and Search Widget, the Veterans Job Bank Search Widget is maintenance free and automatically updates as jobs are posted by employers.

Find a Veteran Employment Specialist to help:  State of Michigan Veteran Employment Specialists are located in most Michigan Works! offices. These employment services professionals are available to assist veterans and eligible spouses in need of additional help in securing appropriate employment.

Links for Veterans