Under VEVRAA, federal contractors are required to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, and promote categories of Veterans covered by the law. It forbids discrimination against protected Veterans when making employment decisions on hiring, firing, pay, benefits, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, and other employment-related activities. As of March 31, 2018, the hiring benchmark under VEVRAA is 6.4% of all new hires. Other obligations under VEVRAA include:
July 26 is the anniversary of when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush.
A disability, defined by the ADA, is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. While the ADA is a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, the EEOC was given enforcement authority for Title I, which prohibits discrimination in employment. The ADA was partly modeled after Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating in employment against Individuals with Disabilities.
Under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, employers receiving federal funds are required to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain Individuals with Disabilities. Other obligations include:
Berkshire’s audit support team ensures these areas of outreach are checked carefully in current OFCCP audits, and contractors are encouraged to track and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts during their plan years.