COU

NCI

L O

N V

ETER

ANS

EMPL

OYM

ENT

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

WIS

CO

NS

IN

MES

SAG

E FR

OM

TH

E C

HA

IR On behalf of the Wisconsin Council on Veterans Employment, I am providing the 2019 Annual Report, which shares the state’s efforts to increase the number of qualified veterans and vet-erans with service-connected disabilities hired for jobs in state government.

Looking forward, the Council will focus on assessing and im-proving the state’s program for making direct hires into clas-sified service for eligible, service-connected disabled veterans and improving the job application and work experience for this specific community of veterans.

This will include developing more precise methods of match-ing a veteran’s skill sets and interests with state positions. This program will deliver a streamlined alternative to the standard recruitment and selection process, which will incentivize man-agers to choose this hiring method and increase the number of disabled veterans hired into state service.

As always, the Council on Veterans Employment extends our deepest appreciation to state agency managers and staff who continue working diligently to improve our system to employ more veterans in work they find meaningful. The Council looks forward to building on efforts to promote state government as a rewarding career opportunity for veterans.

Joel Brennan, SecretaryWisconsin Department of Administration

TAB

LE O

F CO

NT

EN

TS

Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan

COUNCIL MEMBERSHIPThe Council on Veterans Employment is chaired by DOA Secretary Joel Brennan.

Membership includes:Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman, Department of Adminis-tration, Personnel Management Division Administrator Malika Evanco, Department of Veter-ans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar, and University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross.

Message from the ChairCouncil Membership

Veterans Employment Council Goals Historical Employment Summary

Veteran Success Stories

The benefits of hiringwith the non-compete program

Agency Hiring Data

1

PAG

E 1PA

GE 2

PAG

E 3PA

GE 4

PAG

E 5

The Council on Veterans Employment understands the value and work ethic that veterans bring to state service, utilizing highly desired, transferable military skills to further their commitment to the public by effectively serving Wisconsin residents.

To this end, the Council continues to help human resource professionals from large and small state agencies recruit, hire, and retain veterans to build an innovative, resourceful, and reliable workforce.

The Council on Veterans Employment established the following goals for state agencies related to employing veterans:• 9% veteran employment goal for large agencies (over 100 FTE)• 7% veteran employment goal for small agencies (100 FTE and fewer)• 1% disabled veteran employment goal for large and small agencies

State Agency AssistanceCouncil on Veterans Employment partner agencies provide personalized training assistance and guid-ance to state agency human resources professionals on strategies to enhance veteran employment outcomes. During Fiscal Year 2018-19, the Council expanded efforts in services to veterans by making it easier for veterans to utilize JobCenterofWisconsin.com by providing job search aligned to military occupation specialty codes.

2001 200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019

533507452421379350341299302290259266265258310317372525627

1.31.31.11.11.00.90.90.80.80.80.70.70.70.70.80.91.01.41.7

5,5555,3595,0474,9364,7104,4634,2684,1073,9944,0353,7493,6003,5523,5183,3833,3143,2223,1213,034

13.413.212.712.612.211.411.010.610.310.610.29.79.49.18.99.08.68.68.3

41,32440,45539,68939,18738,67839,01738,96338,84838,83738,13536,87237,25037,65738,48438,13736,82637,26536,28336,709

VETER

AN

EMP

LOY

EE SUM

MA

RY

FY2001-FY

2019COUNCIL GOALS

Fiscal Year Total Disabled Veterans

% of Total Employees

Total Veteran Employees

% of Total Vet Employees

Total State Employees

2

After traveling over 75,000 miles a year and spending countless nights away from home working on Veter-ans Affairs Central Office contracts with a consulting firm out of Wash-ington, D.C., Richard (Rick) O’Brien was ready to put his skills to use closer to home. Rick’s wife, who is already employed with the Department of Workforce Devel-opment (DWD), encouraged Rick to use the State’s non-compete hiring process for veterans with a 30% or more service-connected disability.Rick was contacted by DWD’s

Dave Walters, a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) represen-tative with DWD’s Office of Veteran Employment Services (OVES) after ap-plying to the non-compete process. DVOP representatives work with veterans across the state, providing

employment support, services, and resources. They also assist in connecting eligible veterans to the state’s non-compete hiring

process. Dave worked with Rick to ensure his required military docu-ments were current and his resume was geared to state service positions. Dave and Molly, the Non-Compete

Process Coordinator at Department of Administration, connected Rick

with a few different state positions through the non-compete process but it was the open DVOP position in OVES that matched what Rick was looking for in a new job. As a U.S. Army Veteran, working with veterans was a good fit.

“I like helping veterans meet their employment goals,” Rick said. “Through direct care or program management, I get to give back to those who have served.”Not only has Rick found a position

that brings him satisfaction and allows him to spend more time at home and less time traveling, but OVES benefited from the quick hiring turnaround as well.

“Rick’s skills gained while in service and his experience in both the military and post-service, made him an ideal candidate for a DVOP,” OVES Director Gary Meyer said. “The non-compete hiring process allowed us to bring Rick on, working, and up-to-speed

on his job duties quicker than the traditional state hiring process.”Rick is working on implementing a

new state transitional jobs program for veterans and conducting outreach to connect veterans to DWD’s pro-gramming.

Air Force veteran Gina Paige used the non-compete hiring process in 2015 and found a career pathway within Wisconsin State Government that led her all the way to serve as the Depart-ment of Children and Families (DCF) Communications Office Director.When Gina left the Air Force after

8 years, she decided to come back

home to Wisconsin. Before leaving Idaho, she found and applied for the non-compete hiring process online. Once back in Wisconsin, Gina followed up with Joshua Tamayo, a DVOP representative in the southeast region of the state. Josh followed up on job leads, including a position at the De-partment of Transportation (DOT).During her time with the military,

Gina was a photojournalist who documented missions, ceremonies, investigative inquires, etc. for the Air Force. Her position was later expand-

ed to include public affairs, giving her experience in media rela-tions, drafting press releases and articles, and communicating with internal and external audiences.

Her military experience made her a perfect fit for the open Communica-tions Specialist position at DOT. Using the non-compete process. Gina was able to begin her career in Wisconsin State Government with DOT’s Bureau of Traffic Operations in Milwaukee.But Gina’s professional journey didn’t

end there; the non-compete process was just the first step on her career pathway. She enjoyed working for the state and knew she wanted to continue to gain experience in state government, so she decided to keep her eyes open for new opportunities. She found a position as a Communi-cations Specialist with DCF, where she grew knowledge base and experience. When the DCF Communications

Director position became available, Gina’s hard work paid off and she was appointed Director in 2018.Now the Deputy Communications

Director at DCF, Gina credits the non-compete hiring process as the veteran benefit that started her on a successful career path with the Wis-consin State Government. “Transitioning to civilian life can be

extremely stressful,” Gina says. “The veterans non-competitive hiring pro-cess was super easy and provided me an opportunity to get my foot in the door and showcase the unique skills and abilities I could offer to the state.”

VETERAN SUCCESS STORIES

3

RICK O’BRIEN, ARMY

I like helping veterans meet their employment goals... I get to give back to those who have served.

— Rick O’Brien

““

GINA PAIGE, AIR FORCE

4

BENEFITS OF NON-COMPETEREDUCED HIRING TIME

Standard Hiring Process

Disabled Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment Process

VETERAN’S SKILLS

PRE-SCREENED CANDIDATES

The non-competitive process truncates the time spent from position approval to your new employee’s first day.

>30% Disabled Veteran provides resume to DVOPs

DVOPs reviews & assesses a veteran’s transferable skills and filters to industry-recognized occupations for referral to state HR and hiring managers. Bureau

DirectorPolicy

AnalystCDL

Driver

1. Veterans are proven leaders2. Veterans work well under pressure3. Veterans are disciplined employees4. Veterans are quick learners

Recruiting & Screening30 Days

Referral & Interviewing30 Days

[DWD’s Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Representatives are trained to align military skills to industry skills and support vets employment goals.

Recruiting & Screening Referral & Interviewing [

[ [

DOA is required to prepare an annual report on veteran em-ployment in state government per 2015 Wisconsin Act 386.

The law defines large and small agencies based on these Full-Time Equivalent position totals: 1) Large agencies offer more than 100 positions; and 2) Small agen-cies offer 100 or fewer positions.

The following tables show Fiscal Year 2018-19 veteran hiring gains per state agency payroll data for employees who self-report their status as a veteran or disabled veteran:

AdministrationAgriculture, Trade & Consumer ProtectionChildren and FamiliesCommissioner of InsuranceCorrectionsEmployee Trust FundsFinancial InstitutionsHealth ServicesJusticeMilitary AffairsNatural ResourcesPublic InstructionPublic Service CommissionRevenueSafety & Professional ServicesState Public DefenderTransportationVeterans AffairsUniversity of Wisconsin SystemWisconsin Historical SocietyWorkforce Development

1237583720125902125712157086694662231575111109520423430121027408731081400

11538254117814123024617513015467131125110327641128

9.36.53.53.213.15.49.95.36.937.65.82.63.66.16.44.78.3106.70.99.1

104011390320513150030122912408

0.8%0.70.00.81.50.02.50.40.72.80.70.00.00.30.00.40.70.90.300.6

STATE OF WISCONSIN

VET

ERA

NS

IN S

TATE

SER

VIC

E

26530105002662413111341283334041

2.10.90.40.01.20.00.00.50.95.20.60.20.91.22.00.40.93.20.0802.9

Board for People w/ Dev. DisabilitiesBoard of Commissioner of Public LandsBoard on Aging and Long Term CareChild Abuse & Neglect Prevention BoardEducational Communications BoardEmployment Relations CommissionHigher Educational Aids BoardLabor & Industry Review CommissionSecretary of StateTourismWisconsin Elections CommissionWisconsin Ethics CommissionWisconsin Tech. College System Board

7841636481212527748

0140701200302

0.00.02.40.02.80.00.08.30.00.03.70.00.0

0010100100100

0.00.02.40.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0

0.012.59.80.019.40.012.516.70.00.011.10.04.2

0010000000000

Department/Agency # of Employees

# of Vets

% of Vets # % # %

Vets Service Connected Disability Rating With <30% With > 30%

Large Agency Total: 69777 5396 7.7 377 0.5 364 0.5

Small Agency Total: 230 20 8.7 1 0.4 4 1.7

5