March 03, 2015

Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Paul Cook, Rep. Mick Mulvaney Reintroduce Work for Warriors Act

Washington DC - Earlier today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA) and Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) reintroduced the Work for Warriors Act, which will create a pilot program to explore the nationwide replication and expansion of the California and South Carolina’s direct employment models. These direct employment pilot programs would enhance the efforts of the Department of Defense to provide employment services to members of the Guard and Reserve, and veterans.

Direct employment programs for guardsmen, reservists, and veterans, like California’s Work for Warriors program (WFW) and South Carolina’s National Guard Employment Services program (Employment Services), have a proven record of success. Unlike other veteran employment programs that can cost as much as $10,000 per placement and use websites to post job listings or host career fairs, the California and South Carolina models directly place unemployed servicemembers and veterans into new jobs at a cost of just $500-$800 per placed servicemember. 

Since their creation in 2011 and 2012, respectively, Employment Services has placed more than 2,500 guardsmen in jobs, while WFW has found employment for over 3,100 servicemembers and veterans.

In 2014, the Work for Warriors Act was included as an amendment in the House passed National Defense Authorization Act. 

“The Work for Warriors program in California is a successful model for putting our heroes back to work,” said Rep. Takano. “By using direct, cost-effective techniques, job placement programs like Work for Warriors have created a blueprint for helping put servicemembers back to work. We should create a pilot program to explore its expansion nationwide so we can replicate its success. I thank Representative Cook and Representative Mulvaney for co-leading this legislation, and look forward to working with them on this issue.”

“The Work for Warriors program in California has been hugely successful and cost effective,” said Rep. Cook. “I’m optimistic that this nationwide pilot program would be just as effective at helping to put our servicemembers back to work.” 

Employers throughout South Carolina know that veterans can be valuable assets,” said Rep. Mulvaney. “The skills they develop while they are defending our freedom can help build a healthy economy.   Indeed, South Carolina has recently reduced traditional Guard member unemployment from 16% to under 2.4 %. And we've done it at a fraction of the costs related to other veteran employment programs.  Veterans across the country deserve this type of proven support system and taxpayers deserve this kind of efficiency.”