Homeland Security making progress in recruiting veterans

The Homeland Security Department has made significant progress in the hiring of veterans, but a wave of looming retirements across the federal sector could make future recruitment and retention difficult, a top House Democrat said Tuesday.

On the heels of Veterans Day, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Investigations and Oversight held a hearing examining DHS' efforts to recruit, hire and train veterans.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa., said he was encouraged by steps the department has made in recent years to reach out to members of the armed forces for post-military employment.

"While our committee has had countless hearings on DHS shortcomings, hiring of veterans at DHS is an area where the department seems to be on the right track," Carney said.

Among civilian agencies, DHS, along with the Transportation and Veterans Affairs departments, employs the highest percentage of veterans -- nearly 40,500 as of last week.

Marta Brito Perez, DHS' chief human capital officer, said that in fiscal 2007, DHS hired 6,013 veterans, nearly double the number from fiscal 2006 and more than four times the total from fiscal 2005. The Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureaus both nearly tripled the number of veterans on their payroll during the past year, while the Federal Emergency Management Administration doubled its numbers, Perez said.

"We value the experience, commitment and work ethic that veterans bring to the job, as well as their significant skills and abilities," she said. "Their military backgrounds and training are well-suited for DHS jobs - and most important - to accomplishing our critical mission."

But Eric Hilleman, deputy director of the legislative affairs office for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, worries that DHS soon could become a victim of its own success.

"With an increase of veteran applicants and wider recognition of DHS' desire to attract skilled applicants, the larger number of applications and inflow of paper will quickly inundate the small staff working on this initiative," Hilleman testified. "This overburdened staff will face the daunting task of placing these veterans within the numerous components within DHS."

Hilleman urged the panel to provide a permanent funding stream to sustain many of the department's veteran recruitment programs.

Carney sees other potential problems. He fears that a looming federal retirement wave -- more than 60 percent of federal employees will be eligible to retire during the next decade, according to one recent estimate -- could make recruitment more challenging as veterans find a wealth of opportunities available to them.

"The department must do everything it can to stay competitive with other federal agencies when recruiting, retaining and promoting veterans," Carney said. "Their unquestionable service ethic makes them ideal federal employees. It's of the utmost importance that DHS leverages their experience, dedication and training to strengthen the department."

Last week, DHS convened the first meeting of its Veterans Outreach Advisory Council, a group comprised of service organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America. The first of its kind in the federal government, the council will advise DHS on the effectiveness of its veterans outreach efforts, Perez said.

The department also has launched a Web site for veterans seeking employment with DHS. The site contains job postings, application requirements, an e-mail box for inquiries and submitting documents, and a converter to help veterans identify which positions best relate to their military specialties.

One of the more successful veterans outreach ventures has been Operation Warfighter, according to Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of Defense for military community and family policy.

Defense launched Operation Warfighter two years ago as a temporary-assignment program for soldiers recovering at military treatment facilities in the Washington region. The program matches service members with opportunities in the federal market that coincide with their interests and skills.

Since 2006, 315 soldiers have been placed within 80 participating federal agencies and subcomponents, with an average posting ranging from three to five months. About 40 permanent job placements have resulted from program assignments following the service member's medical retirement, including 12 at DHS.

"Through this program, service members are able to build their résumés, explore employment interests, develop job skills and gain valuable federal government work experience to help prepare them for the future," Arsht said. "It has been our experience that, while these service members will no longer be in uniform, the large majority are still interested in serving their country in some capacity and see working for the federal government as an ideal solution."