October 25: Kaptur Lauds President’s Plan to Put Veterans Back to Work

Congresswoman Kaptur today praised President Obama for issuing executive orders to address unemployment among America's veterans.

"I agree with the president when he says we can't wait to put America's veterans back to work," said Congresswoman Kaptur, who serves as a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

The president announced two initiatives to help create jobs for veterans, who are suffering from a jobless rate of more than 11 percent. President Obama challenged community health centers to hire 8,000 veterans, approximately one veteran per health center site, over the next three years. He also announced a program to make it easier for veterans to use the training they have received in the military to become physician assistants.

"The president is right to take action and Congress should also continue working to pass legislation that would alleviate the unemployment crisis among veterans," Congresswoman Kaptur said, citing the Returning Heroes Tax Credit, the Wounded Warriors Tax Credit, and her own bill to create a modern-day Civilian Conservation Corps led by veterans that would rebuild and repair the nation's natural infrastructure.

The Returning Heroes Tax Credit would provide up to $5,600 for firms that hire unemployed veterans. The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit would increase the existing tax credit up to $9,600 for firms that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities. Both tax credits are included in the American Jobs Act that has been held up by Republicans in Congress.

Congresswoman Kaptur's bill, The 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act, would authorize the president to advance public works programs to put jobless Americans to work in reforestation, forest fire prevention, flood control, and construction of National Park System paths and trails. Veterans of the armed forces and reserves would receive hiring preferences under the Kaptur bill, H.R. 494.

Congresswoman Kaptur said the jobless rate last year for veterans who served in the military since September 2011 (the Gulf War-era II veterans) was 11.5 percent, almost one third higher than the average national unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 11, 2011).

She said the BLS found the unemployment rate among Gulf War-era II veterans with a service-connected disability was approximately 25 percent.