Operation Welcome Home CALVET CORPS Program

California veterans have sacrificed much and have served our country well protecting the freedoms we all enjoy. To help our veterans transition to civilian life once their military service ends, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently launched an important new program: Operation Welcome Home.

The Employment Development Department (EDD) is one of several state and local partners combining resources to ensure these returning service men and women receive all of the assistance and support they need as they return home.

As part of the Operation Welcome Home initiative, EDD plans to hire 325 limited term employees (targeting recently released veterans) beginning in January 2010. Working in coordination with EDD’s 186 veteran representatives, these new CALVET CORPS staff will be trained and deployed throughout the State to help newly discharged veterans learn about the benefits and services they need to successfully enter the civilian workforce.

CALVET CORPS staff will also assist veterans in filing and certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits (if eligible) to ensure continuity of income as they transition into employment. CALVET CORPS staff will also work closely with returning veterans to assess their needs for other benefits they may be entitled such as health care, education, and disability compensation, and connect them with appropriate service providers.

If you are interested in joining the new veteran outreach effort, learn more about these limited term outreach positions with the CALVET CORPS, as well as the online exam process for becoming eligible for employment.

About EDD’s Veterans Program

Every day is Veterans Day at the Employment Development Department (EDD). Veterans receive priority in job and training referrals and other employment-related services. From special job fairs to priority employment services, at EDD, veterans are first! Let us have the honor of serving you.

At One-Stop Career Centers located throughout the State, specially-trained staff make sure that veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces receive maximum employment and training opportunities. Services can include counseling, labor market information, job referrals, job search workshops, and job development with potential employers.

EDD Veterans Representatives
For Employers
Resources

EDD Veterans Representatives

At the Employment Development Department (EDD), serving our veterans is more than a job. It is a labor of love, an opportunity to pay a debt of gratitude to men and women who have gone the extra mile in defense of our nation.

The 186 members of our veterans staff bring personal commitment, professional skill, and first-hand experience to their work. They have a collective total of more than 1,000 years of military service themselves and more than 2,000 years experience in working with veterans. Since 2002, they have served more than 216,000 veterans and provided in-depth case management services to more than half of them.

Over the past three years, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Veterans Initiative has helped us expand our services through a series of more than 31 Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet^SM Job and Resource Fairs held throughout the State. These innovative events have connected nearly 9,500 veterans with 2,200 employers and numerous service organizations

EDD’s veterans representatives not only appreciate the sacrifices our military women and men make in service to our nation - they also understand what it takes to make the transition to a successful career in civilian life.

They take pride in the fact that they have helped tens of thousands of veterans find good jobs with bright futures. Our veterans representatives have put in long hours of hard work into serving our veterans, but it has not been a burden. It has been an honor.

For Employers

Honor a Hero. Hire a Veteran. Veterans have not only served their country, but they can bring a wealth of experience to a job. They possess a wide variety of valuable qualities, including experience, maturity, leadership, and loyalty that make them ideal candidates for employment.

With CalJOBS^SM, EDD provides immediate access to the largest single source of qualified, job-ready people in your community and the State. Post job openings online, get referrals for pre-screened candidates who meet specific criteria, and learn about tax benefits for hiring qualified veterans - at no cost.

Our local veterans staff specialize in matching employer needs with veterans making the transition from military to civilian work. For more information on hiring a veteran, call your local One-Stop Career Center and ask for a veterans representative.

10 Reasons to Hire Vets

Resources

Operation Welcome Home
Governor Schwarzenegger’s California’s Operation Welcome Home program helps veterans transition from combat to the community by creating a system that provides them with a single resource for services and benefits offered by the State and supported by the communities of California

CALVET CORPS
This site provides veterans and their families and friends with one source of information where they can find help and assistance in employment, education, housing, and health care.

Video: CalVet Corps Welcomes Home Vets
Transcript

EDD Services for Veterans
The EDD provides veterans services that include counseling, labor market information, job referrals, job search workshops, and job development with potential employers.

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Navy Hospital San Diego, EDD added the REALifelines program to our longstanding veteran’s services. REALifelines focuses on ill and injured veterans returning from military service from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military personnel who have sustained mental or physical injury so severe they cannot return to active duty receive personalized EDD assistance.

This year, our Transition Assistance Program (TAP) will help more than 27,000 active duty service men and women and their spouses make successful transitions from military life to civilian careers. During the past two years we have expanded the TAP outreach to include service members from California’s National Guard and Army Reserve units.

Job Fairs/Events
Events bringing employers and job seekers together.

California Department of Veterans Affairs
This state department administers benefits to California veterans and their families.

Department of Industrial Relations Apprenticeship Program
Promotes a wide variety of apprenticeship programs and the on-the-job-training programs including construction, healthcare, manufacturing, firefighting, culinary, and auto mechanics, among others. These services are available while continuing support from the Montgomery GI Bill benefit.

Department of Veteran Affairs
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web site provides comprehensive information about veteran benefits, health care, services, and more.

Troops to Teachers
This program assists separating or retiring military personnel in pursuing a rewarding second career in public education (elementary, secondary or vocational) while also facilitating employment in public schools.

Hire Vets First
This national comprehensive career Web site promotes hiring America’s veterans or finding employers with job opportunities.

Veterans and Families
Veterans and Families is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit community service and support organization, founded and directed by veterans, family members, employers, mental health professionals, academics, philanthropists, and community leaders.

Special Operation Warrior Foundation
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of Special Operations personnel killed in operational or training missions and provides immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations troops and their families.

Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center is the hub of the Walter Reed Health Care System which provides comprehensive health care for more than 150,000 soldiers, other service members, family members, and retirees.

Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars has a rich tradition in enhancing the lives of millions through its community service programs and special projects.

National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.