Veteran Policy Insights

Photo by Sgt. Jose Escamilla/U.S. Army

Newly separated service members face unique challenges as they enter the civilian labor market, so how can they manage their expectations amid economic uncertainty? Trends in veterans' employment during the Great Recession and the recent “COVID recession” offer important insights. Gaps in the research make it challenging to predict how veterans will fare in the next recession, but RAND researchers examined how factors beyond demographics and skills mismatch could play a role in future trends. A better understanding of veterans' employment support needs and how economic shocks affect veterans and nonveterans differently can help veterans, employers, policymakers, and veteran-serving organizations prepare for future disruptions and uncertainty.

 

Photo by Sgt. Kyle C. Talbot/U.S. Marine Corps

March marked the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the Senate voted to repeal the authorization for the use of military force in that country. RAND has published a significant amount of research on both the military effort in Iraq and the long-term consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for U.S. troops, including the seminal Invisible Wounds report. During the anniversary week, RAND researchers reflected on the war's legacy, consequences, and lingering toll, as well as its growing individual and fiscal costs.

 

Over the past month, Congress introduced dozens of pieces of legislation related to veterans. Several of these bills sought to provide training opportunities for veterans who are separating from the military and seeking employment:

• Veterans Border Patrol Training Act (S. 774), which would direct the Homeland Security Secretary to establish a pilot program to hire transitioning service members as Border Patrol agents.
• Veterans' Appeals Backlog Improvement Act (H.R. 1378), which would direct the VA Secretary to establish a competitive internship program within the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
• American Aviator Act (S. 748), which would require the Federal Aviation Administration's administrator to establish a pilot program to provide training to veterans who want to become pilots and flight instructors.
• INVEST Act (H.R. 1554), which would allow businesses to use the work opportunity tax credit to hire veterans in the field of renewable energy.
• Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act (H.R. 1606), which would officially codify the Small Business Administration's Boots to Business Program, designed to provide entrepreneurial education and training to veterans and their spouses. Read about a RAND study of Dog Tag Inc., a nonprofit program with similar goals, and check out our other research on veteran employment.