Business, Military Leaders Call for Help to Bring Veterans Into the Workforce

A panel of business, military, and government leaders, including Capt. Dawn Halfaker, USA (Ret.), discuss transition challenges facing returning veterans at the November 13 Chamber event.

The government needs to do more to incentivize businesses to hire returning and disabled veterans and offset the burden small businesses face when reservists and National Guard employees are called up to service, according to business leaders and military officials attending a November 12 event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“If we’re going to share the individual, we ought to share the burden,” Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, Chief of the Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, said at the National Chamber Foundation event “Business Steps Up: Hiring Our Heroes.”

While corporate America has made great strides in hiring veterans, small businesses remain a challenge, according to William Elmore, associate administrator for Veteran Business Development with the Small Business Administration. It’s up to the agencies, particularly the Department of Defense, to work with small businesses to let them know what programs and incentives are out there, Elmore said. For example, many businesses are not aware that they can receive a $6,000 tax credit on the first $12,000 in salary paid to a disabled vet under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

Just as important, according to Capt. Dawn Halfaker (ret.), is to make sure that veterans know the help is out there. Halfaker, a disabled veteran and founder and CEO of Halfaker and Associates consulting firm, said that her success as a small business owner illustrates the effectiveness of the veterans programs that exist. However, the transition from military to civilian workforce is not easy, particularly for disabled veterans. “We need to bridge the knowledge gap on both sides—we need to get the word out to the vets about all these available programs, and we need to prepare and educate businesses on the mental and physical challenges of hiring vets and their transition.”

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