In order to assure that workforce advancement for existing disabled veterans is according to federal guidelines, the Bonneville "action program plan" offers classes and training in "resume writing" and "how to prepare for an interview." Each employee, including disabled veterans, are encouraged to complete an individual development plan with their manager, and are also encouraged to utilize career counselors with their departments. All these things are mentioned because it is apparent that the federal government has gone to great lengths to open the door for disabled veterans. That doesn't mean, again, that any job opening with a federal agency or a contractor who has been hired by the federal government will automatically go to a disabled veteran. Not at all.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has its own version of an "Affirmative Action Program Plan for Disabled Veterans" (www.usda.gov/da/employ/VETPLAN.01.htm);this is very similar to the Bonneville plan, only it appears that USDA goes even further than Bonneville. "Employing offices are required at all times to accept applications from persons eligible for consideration... [and] all USDA agencies are required to add the following statement to all vacancy announcement: 'Qualified disabled veterans, especially those with 30% or more disabilities and Veteran Readjustment Appointment Eligible will be considered for this position under special hiring authorities." Vacancies must be publicized within the department so jobs will be filled through "internal procedures" the statement reads.

Indeed disabled veterans may actually be hired by a federal agency while in training for the job that they were hired for but have not yet been placed on the job. And "placement does not have to be in the agency in which training was received." This sounds like the discrimination would take place by those seeking the jobs who are not disabled and yet would qualify otherwise for the position.

What is the current situation with regard to Affirmative Action? The U.S. Department of Labor "Employment Standards Administration" (ESA) (Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) requires "a contractor, as a condition of having a federal contract, to engage in a self-analysis for the purpose of discovering any barriers to...

The ESA office checks all federal agencies to see if the agency or contractor (with 50 or more employees) is complying by having an updated Affirmative Action Program (AAP). The AAP should identify (in the contractor's workforce) that "reflect utilization of women and minorities."
What would constitute an under-utilization of women and minorities? The regulations at 41 CFR 60-211 (b) "define under-utilization as having fewer minorities or women in a particular job group than would be reasonably expected by their availability." In other words, if the contractor can prove that no women or minorities were available for hire at the time the federal contract was awarded, there should be no violation of AAP. In conclusion, in the ADD Project (http://aad.english.ucsb.edu) under "Quota and Proportional Representation" Barbara Bergmann has published an excerpt from her book, noting that "People of color and women have, of course, been subordinated for a long time...and the purpose of Affirmative Action is to reduce segregation by race and sex in the workplace." It's as simple as that. Well, almost; if you factor in all the federal regulations regarding disabled veterans and job availability, it still comes down to fairness and justice.

Works Cited

Bergmann, Barbara. (1996). In Defense of Affirmative Action. New York: Basic Books, 42-47.

Bonneville Power Administration. (2004). Disabled Veteran's Affirmative Action Program

Plan. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2006 at http://www.jobs.bpa.gov/How_To_Apply/disabledaction.cfm.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2001). Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Plan. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2006 at http://www.usda.gov/da/employ/VETPLAN.01.htm.

U.S. Department of Labor. (2002). Employment Standards Administration / Office of Federal

Contract Compliance Programs. Retrieved 13 Dec. 2006 at http://www.dol.gov.esa.

United States Office of Personnel Management. (2006). Report to Congress: The Employment

Of Veterans in the Federal Government in FY 2005. Retrieved 12 Dec. 2006 at http://www.opm.gov.