Proposal to move veterans job training program faces opposition

A recommendation in the president's fiscal 2003 budget to shift a veterans job training program from the Labor Department to the Veterans Affairs Department is drawing fire from veterans groups. The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) program helps provide job training for veterans and ensures they get priority treatment when they apply for government jobs. In recent years, the program has been criticized for failing to accomplish its mission. According to a June General Accounting Office investigation VETS sends mixed messages to agencies about whom it should be serving and what services it will provide. A 1999 report by the Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance found that just 12 percent of the veterans who registered with the program actually got a job. The report declared that figure an "inadequate return on program costs of $157 million per year." The commission recommended that VETS move its operations to Veterans Affairs. In its fiscal 2003 budget proposal, the Bush administration agreed, concluding that commitment from the Veterans Affairs Department would allow the program to better serve the employment needs of veterans. But activists are against the move. "We would vehemently oppose that," said Rick Weidman, director of government relations for the nonprofit group Vietnam Veterans of America. "We would have to see some kind of compelling reason to move from the Labor Department to VA, and we haven't seen it," he said. James Fischel, director of the American Legion's National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, said the proposal is not well thought out. "The Department of Labor has more experience in this area, this is what they do and we feel at this point it's better left with them rather than moving to VA," Fischel said. "If they are not doing it right, then let's solve the problem where it is." Fischel proposed that Congress hold hearings and invite stakeholders to share their thoughts before shifting the program to another agency. "The expertise is at the Department of Labor. VA has not been an employment service provider and that's the primary reason why people are concerned," said Joseph Sharp, deputy director of economics for the American Legion. No matter who oversees VETS, the program is in desperate need of reform, said Weidman, who is pushing for a performance-based management structure at the agency. In its report "Veterans' Employment and Training Service: Proposed Performance Measurement System Improved, But Further Changes Needed" (GAO-01-580), GAO commended the Labor Department for crafting new performance measures for the VETS program, but chided the agency for its inability to gauge its success. "Keep it where it is, expand funding and improve on it," Sharp said. "The Labor Department has come up with a number of performance measures and outcomes that they feel will address the problems in the GAO report. It's better to make those improvements where it is now, than try and move it and start from scratch." According to Michael Durishin, Democratic staff director of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Congress must pass legislation to shift the agency to the other department. Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., ranking member of the committee, criticized the Bush administration for not providing any "justification, rationale or basis" for the transfer. In a statement, Evans implored the administration to provide a full and complete explanation of the proposed transfer so it can be fully examined.