Washington, DC - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James today sent a team of OPM experts on veteran outreach and recruitment to the Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Center in Hampton, Virginia. The day-long event similar to one conducted recently at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, included training seminars and informational workshops for the veterans conducted by the OPM team. OPM staff also met one-on-one with soldiers about the opportunities and benefits within the government, the processes of obtaining a Federal job and navigation of the usajobs.gov website.  All branches of the armed services were represented and over 100 veterans attended. 

James speaking earlier on OPM efforts to recruit America's veterans said, "One of the best ways to attract top talent to the government is to actively encourage veterans to consider continuing their service to the nation through the civil service.  These brave men and women have served this nation well and earned these benefits, some of them with their own blood.  It is our duty to make sure they are armed with the right information so they can use the tools and preference they fought for so valiantly." 

OPM staff conducted several seminars at the Hampton Rehabilitation Center including a seminar which explained veterans' preference, appointing authorities, basis of preference and veterans' preference types and benefits.  Other seminars and workshops covered navigation of the usajobs.gov website, resume writing, interviewing skills and the Federal application process.  One of the key take-home elements was the OPM-produced DVD "What Veterans Need to Know About Veterans' Preference," a comprehensive 40 minute video seminar of veteran preference rights and eligibilities. 

In an effort to streamline the process of hiring veterans OPM has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to revise, simplify, and in many cases eliminate, the dozens of different form letters the agency had been using to document service-connected disabilities to determine preference.  These letters (now in use by the VA) make it much easier for veterans to claim their preference and for agencies to accord it. 

OPM also meets on a regular basis, with Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) to foster a partnership and address important issues that surround veterans' employment, incorporating feedback from VSOs into our veterans' hiring process.