The Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) awarded Pennsylvania's Department of Labor & Industry a formula grant of $8.88 million under the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program (CFDA 17.801) effective October 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027. This funding supports three core staffing positions within American Job Centers throughout Pennsylvania: Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists who deliver individualized career services to veterans with significant employment barriers, with emphasis on economically or educationally disadvantaged veterans; Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER) who conduct employer outreach and engagement to expand hiring opportunities for veterans and disabled veterans; and consolidated DVOP/LVER staff serving in a dual capacity. The program prioritizes service to service-connected special disabled veterans, other disabled veterans, economically or educationally disadvantaged veterans, homeless veterans, and veterans with other significant barriers to employment.
Under this formula grant, JVSG-funded staff prepare Pennsylvania's veterans and transitioning service members for meaningful careers through employment resources, expertise, and advocacy while promoting their employment opportunities. As the state workforce agency and designated recipient, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry directly administers these funds without subawards and is required to maintain cost accounting, timekeeping, and performance records in accordance with grant agreements, federal regulations, and Veterans' Program Letters.