OPM: Veterans’ ranks in federal workforce grow
But study shows the group is slightly underrepresented in overall promotions.
The number of veterans working for the federal government rose slightly in fiscal 2007, according to a new report from the Office of Personnel Management.
Between fiscal 2006 and 2007, the number of veterans in the civilian workforce increased by 4,779, or 0.1 percent. In fiscal 2007, there were 462,744 veterans working for Uncle Sam, accounting for 25.5 percent of the total government workforce. Those figures represent a 0.5 percent gain from fiscal 2003.
Disabled veterans also boosted their ranks in government between fiscal 2003 and 2007, growing 1.3 percent during that time to 103,180. In fiscal 2007, the number of disabled federal employees fell to 0.92 percent, down from 1.2 percent in fiscal 1996, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The disability categories that cover veterans are determined by VA, and can include conditions like burns, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Civilians who apply for federal employment are considered to have targeted disabilities if they suffer from deafness, blindness, paralysis, amputation, mental illness, retardation, convulsive disorders, and spine or limb distortion, among a number of other conditions. Some veterans who are considered disabled by VA might not be considered to have targeted disabilities.
The report said veterans overall made up 22.9 percent of new federal hires in fiscal 2007, up from 22.1 percent in fiscal 2006. In the 43 departments and agencies that OPM studied, 52,452 of the new hires in fiscal 2007 were vets.
Despite the modest hiring gains, veterans were underrepresented slightly in promotions, OPM found. While vets comprise 25.5 percent of the workforce, they received 23.2 percent of the 290,855 promotions granted to federal employees in fiscal 2007. Disabled veterans received 5.5 percent of all promotions, while they make up 5.7 percent of the workforce. And 30 percent disabled veterans received 3.0 percent of promotions, though they are 3.1 percent of the overall workforce.
OPM also found that agencies used their special hiring authority -- for veterans who are more than 30 percent disabled -- less in fiscal 2007 than in fiscal 2006. Agencies hired 1,265 of veterans in that category with that authority in fiscal 2006; in fiscal 2007, the government took advantage of the special provision to hire 1,068 veterans deemed 30 percent or more disabled, 197 less than the previous year.
Disability advocates have said agencies must do more for all disabled employees if they hope to accommodate disabled veterans and help them to succeed.
"If you haven't had a good disabilities program, and your boss says, 'let's bring back disabled veterans,' and you don't know how to start with accommodations, you ain't gonna do it," said Dinah Cohen, computer and electronic accommodations program director during a July conference on disability employment in Washington. "You need to start with the basics."