Federal Grant Award Summary

The Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) awarded Kentucky's Department of Workforce Development a formula grant of $1.69M under the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program (CFDA 17.801) effective October 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027. This award funds three primary staffing positions within American Job Centers: Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists, Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER), and Consolidated DVOP/LVER staff. DVOP Specialists deliver individualized career services and employment counseling to veterans with significant barriers to employment, with particular emphasis on economically disadvantaged, educationally disadvantaged, service-connected disabled, and homeless veterans. LVER staff conduct outreach to employers and business associations to advocate for veteran hiring and expand employment opportunities.

The funded positions provide Kentucky veterans and transitioning service members with comprehensive employment resources, career preparation, job placement assistance, and employment advocacy services within the state's American Job Center network. As a formula grant to a state workforce agency, the award does not include subawards to other entities, allowing the Department of Workforce Development to directly deploy these specialized employment services across the state in accordance with federal workforce development regulations and Veterans Employment and Training Service policy requirements.