Employers Work with CalVet to Help Veteran Employees

California employers are working with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to help employees who are veterans take advantage of the state and federal benefits they have earned through military service.

CalVet’s growing list of employer partners includes Aerojet, Bechtel Corporation, Cintas Corporation, Comcast, Health Net Federal Services, HP, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Merck, Oracle, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Republic Services, Southwest Airlines, State Farm, TASC Inc., United Airlines, United Rentals, Verizon, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and many others in the defense, energy, technology, telecommunications, transportation, finance, health care, pharmaceutical, media, entertainment and retail industries.

Less than 15 percent of eligible California veterans take advantage of their compensation and pension benefits and only 36 percent use their health benefits, according to CalVet.

Educating Employees

With CalVet’s help, employers’ staffs are educating employees about CalVet and about other programs and services available to veterans and their families. CalVet then contacts veterans who request assistance, assesses the veterans’ needs and helps get them connected to benefits, including:

• Compensation and pension payments for a service-connected disability
• Education benefits, including free college tuition for dependents
• Health benefits, including free assistive devices, such as eye glasses and hearing aids
• Housing
• Farm and home loans
• Survivor benefits
• And many others

Besides providing information and resources, CalVet can help veterans through the often complicated and frustrating benefit application processes.

Passing Along Information

Getting the word out is one of CalVet’s biggest challenges because the agency has no marketing or media budget. CalVet turns to employer partnerships, relying on partners to expand its outreach efforts.CalVet said employers can help by placing a CalVet article in an employee newsletter or sending CalVet information to Twitter and Facebook followers and friends, and encouraging them to share the information with others.

To help employer partners connect with veteran job seekers, CalVet placed employer careers/jobs page links on the “Employment” page of the CalVet website. If pending state and federal legislation passes, employers that hire veterans may be entitled to special tax breaks or other incentives.

To find out how your organization can become an employer partner and support CalVet’s efforts to reach and assist California veterans, contact Carolyn Ballou at (916) 653-1355 or carolyn.ballou@calvet.ca.gov. 

CalChamber