For Employers

The Texas Veterans Commission assists employers by serving as the link between companies needing quality employees, and qualified Texas veterans who are seeking employment. This is accomplished by educating companies on the benefits of hiring veterans and by acting as a liaison between employers and veterans.

HIRE Vets Medallion Program

The U.S. Department of Labor announced January 31, 2019, the application period is open for private job creators to apply for the HIRE Vets Medallion Award. This program recognizes private small businesses, non-profit organizations, and large companies for their leadership in recruiting, employing, and retaining America’s veterans. Visit https://www.hirevets.gov/ to get started on your application. Ensure you review the gold and platinum award criteria or download a table with all criteria.

Veterans Employer Liaisons (VELs)

Veterans Employer Liaisons assist employers through personalized services, assessing an employer’s needs and matching the skills, abilities, strengths, and experiences of veterans with those needs.

VELs provide the following services:

Pre-screen candidates to match the employer’s job requirements.

Act as liaison by providing assistance posting jobs in Work-In-Texas.

Provide information on a variety of veterans programs such as Work Opportunity Tax credits and On the Job Training programs.

Create and maintain relationships with businesses, corporations, Local Workforce Development Boards/BSU, military, Veteran Service Organizations, colleges and universities, and other workforce partners.

Provide hiring support and follow up services.

Provide specialized training for organizations.

Provide technical assistance in developing veteran programs.

These services are provided at NO COST to the employer. For more information contact a VEL near you.

Employer Incentives

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) was approved by Congress to reduce the federal tax liability of private, for-profit employers that hire employees from certain targeted groups. The WOTC is one tool in a diverse toolbox of flexible strategies designed to help move people into gainful employment and obtain on-the-job experience. It joins other tax credits, education, and job training programs that help job seekers with barriers to employment prepare for good jobs. Additionally, this program provides incentive to employers to hire veterans who meet the eligibility requirement and enable the employers to claim federal tax credit.

On November 21, 2011, President Obama signed into law the Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which amends and expands the definition of WOTC’s Veteran target groups.

Veterans Employment Preference

The Texas Veterans Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission have partnered to create an online list of private Texas employers that have a written policy of employment preference for veterans. This list is intended to help veterans connect with employers who value their military experience and the skills they bring to the Texas workforce.

To add your company to the list, please complete the form below.

Click here to view the list of private employers that have a policy for veteran employment preference.

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Translating Military Skills

Texas Veterans Commission recognized that employers can sometimes find it difficult to translate a Veteran applicant’s knowledge, skills, and abilities into comparable skill sets valued by their organization. So, the “Hiring Manager’s Guide to Veteran Applications” was developed to assist those in the hiring process to evaluate the military experience of Veteran applicants.

Hiring Veterans Toolkit

The United States Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) has developed a step-by-step toolkit for employers to assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to include transitioning Service Members, Veterans and wounder warriors in the their recruitment and hiring initiatives.

Work-In-Texas

The website, WorkInTexas-Veterans.jobs, helps Texas veterans translate their military skills to jobs in the civilian world. The Military Occupation Code Crosswalk function allows veterans to enter the type of work they performed in the armed services and receive a list of civilian jobs that require those skills. The system also translates military occupation codes into skills employers are looking for in potential employees.