Veterans

Reminder: 2017 VETS-4212 Filing is Just Around the Corner

June 27, 2017 by Fue Lo

With all the talk and speculations surrounding the new EEO-1 filing this past year, it is easy to forget that the requirements for filing the VETS-4212 remains substantially unchanged. While the 2017 EEO-1 filing was moved to March 31, 2018, we all need to be reminded that the 2017 VETS-4212 filing is still due on or before September 30, 2017.

The database for the 2017 VETS filing does not officially open until August 1; however, starting July 1, Federal contractors and subcontractors with a government contract in the amount of $150,000 or more entered into or modified after October 1, 2015 can begin collecting employees and hires data.

Reporting Requirement:

As of selected ending pay period between July 1 and August 31, federal contractors and subcontractors will need to report by job EEO category and hiring location the following:

number of employees in their workforce and those who are qualified protected veterans;
total number of new hires made during the prior 12 months from the chosen pay period and the number of new hires who are qualified protected veterans; and
maximum and minimum number of employees during the period covered by the report

VETS-4212 Log In:

A username and password (which expires every 60 days) will be required in order to file a report online (https://vets4212.dol.gov/vets4212/External/Registration).

First time filers will need to register for an account by clicking the “Register” located on the top right hand side of the website or click here.
Returning filers will need to reset their passwords by clicking on “Forgot your password” under the log in button or click here.
- It will ask for the point of contact’s (POC) email address.
- If the POC is no longer with the organization, the VETS Office will need to be contacted at 1-866-487-2365 to update the POC information.

For more information on filing the VETS-4212 reports, please visit the VETS website: https://www.dol.gov/vets/vets4212.htm or sign up for our FREE VETS-4212 webinar that will be presented through the Biddle Consulting Group Institute for Workforce Development (BCGi) on July 19, 2017 at 10:00am PST (1pm EST): https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8566120652740070402.

If you have any questions, please give Biddle Consulting Group a call at (800) 999-0438.

Contributing Editor: Marife Ramos, Senior EEO/AA Consultant & Director of EEO/AA Operations, Biddle Consulting Group

‘Tis the Season: Filing EEO-1 and VETS-4212 Reports

July 15, 2016 by Michael Pati

The season for filing EEO-1 and VETS-4212 reports is upon us. The filing year for EEO-1 reporting opened July 1, and the electronic filing system is expected to open this month. The filing year for VETS-4212 reporting begins August 1, and the electronic filing system is expected to open in early August.

In addition, it is important to remember that the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) recently announced that the threshold requiring federal contractors to file VETS-4212 reports has been increased from $100,000 to $150,000, and the change will be in effect for the 2016 filing year. As such, if your organization does not meet the contract threshold, then you are not required to file VETS-4212 reports.

Additional reminders:

EEO-1: Employment data must be pulled from any pay period between July 1 to September 30, 2016.
VETS-4212: Employment data must be pulled from any pay period between July 1 to August 31, 2016. New Hire data must be pulled for the 12-month period preceding the ending date of the selected payroll period.

Biddle Consulting Group is here to help. If you are interested in learning more, or need assistance filing EEO-1 and VETS-4212 reports, please send an email to staff@biddle.com or call (800) 999-0438.

In addition, on July 14, 2016, Biddle offered a free webinar to review the EEO-1 reporting requirements. The fully-recorded webinar will be available for download soon. BCGi Platinum members may download the webinar with their annual subscription ($299).

New Hiring Benchmark for Protected Veterans

June 21, 2016 by Dao Nguyen

On June 15, 2016, the OFCCP published the 2016 Annual Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Benchmark on its website. The new hiring benchmark – now at 6.9% – replaces the previous benchmark of 7.0% for protected veterans in Affirmative Action Plans. The benchmark is based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released on March 4, 2016 and is also effective as of the BLS release date.

The OFCCP explained that Federal contractors who have adopted the previous year’s national benchmark of 7.0% after March 4, 2016, but prior to the June 15 announcement, may keep their benchmark at 7.0%. Moving forward, the effective date for the Annual VEVRAA Benchmark will match the date that BLS publishes the data from which the OFCCP calculates the Annual VEVRAA Benchmark – around the beginning of March.

In other words:

AAPs that begin before March 4, 2016 should use the previous benchmark of 7.0%.
AAPs that begin on March 4, 2016 or later, and have not yet been completed, should adopt the new 6.9% benchmark.
AAPs that begin on March 4, 2016 or later, and were completed before June 15, 2016, may use the 7.0% benchmark.

For Federal contractors who choose to calculate their own hiring benchmark using the OFCCP’s five-factor method, national and state information has also been updated in the VEVRAA Benchmark Database located at https://ofccp.dol-esa.gov/errd/VEVRAA.jsp.

For more information about VEVRAA requirements, please visit http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/vevraa.htm.