Veterans Employment Services

Mission Statement: 

Charge
Work for employers to find and/or match appropriately skilled and trained veterans for employment opportunities.

Guiding Principles
Assist veterans in making successful transitions to civilian employment, and certifying post-secondary education and training programs and facilities for veterans' educationl benefits. 

The director of the Veterans' Services Division is Major General Robert W. Smith, III U.S. Army (Ret), with offices located in Lansing, Michigan.

If you are a veteran looking for information concerning education, health, pension, survival, and burial benefits, please visit the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs for more information.

For additional information on training and employment services available to veterans, please call the State of Michigan Veterans Hotline at 1-800-455-5228 or email veteransservices@michigan.gov.

Services for Veterans at Michigan Works! Agencies

• Veterans Priority of Service
  • Veterans with at least one day of active military service and eligible spouses are eligible to receive priority of service. Priority of service allows veterans and eligible spouses to receive Michigan Works! Agency services before or instead of non-veterans. To take advantage of this benefit, be sure to identify yourself to Michigan Works! Agency staff upon entering a service center. For additional information on priority of service, call 1-800-455-5228 or go here.
• Veterans Employment Specialists
  • State of Michigan Veteran Employment Specialists are located in most Michigan Works! offices. These employment services professionals are available to assist veterans and eligible spouses in need of additional help in securing appropriate employment.
• Gold Card Services for Post 9/11 Era Veterans
  • On November 7, 2011, President Obama announced the Gold Card program for post 9/11 era veterans. The Gold Card provides unemployed post 9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today's job market. The Gold Card initiative is a joint effort of the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS).

• County Veterans Counselors Locator
  The mission of the Michigan Association of County Veterans Counselors is to assist veterans and their families in obtaining any and all county, state, and federal benefits to which they are entitled. Follow this link to locate your County Veterans Counselor.
• United Way Call 211
  2-1-1 is the free, easy to remember and confidential telephone number that links people with the human services they need. Any time of the day or night, trained professionals are ready to help. Simply call 211. Be sure to let the counselors know if you or your spouse has served in the United States Military.

Veteran Information

• Unemployment Insurance Agency, Talent Bank, Veterans Preference and Special Hiring Authorities

Employer Information

When you employ veterans, you are employing a unique pool of employees who have demonstrated integrity, a commitment to excellence, a desire to do the best job possible and give you a clear edge on the competition. Veterans typically possess a level of training, maturity and discipline rare in the civilian workforce. To find out more about the great qualities that veterans can bring to your organization, please click here.

Michigan Talent Bank
The Michigan Talent Bank allows employers who have signed up for it to post their jobs to the statewide talent bank and to search the resumes of people that have signed up on it. If you're a new employer to the Talent Bank, you can sign up for free on the Talent Bank main page.

Incentives to hire veterans
At the federal level, the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program (VR&E) offers incentives to employers that hire veterans with service-connected disabilities. At the state level, Michigan's Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program is a program that employers can get up to $4,800 in tax credits for hiring certain veterans.

Job Fairs
Do you have positions that you would like to hire veterans for? Employers that put on job fairs or participate in them can connect with great veteran candidates at them. If you're interested in advertising a job fair on our Job Fairs page, please contact the closest Veteran Employment Specialist to you.

Reintegrating Incarcerated Veterans
Veterans who have been incarcerated face an uphill battle in finding employment. The Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI) was created in 2005 to help prisoners reenter society through an intensive three-phase program. With help from both the MPRI and the Fidelity Bonding Program, employers can become partners in helping incarcerated veterans return to society and to the workforce. There are also programs like E-VET that is offered through Eaglevision Ministries. It has received grants from the Department of Labor to provide case management, training and employment related assistance to veterans that have been recently incarcerated.

Employers Supporting National Guard and Reserve Members
National Guard and Reserve members called to active duty are entitled to return to their civilian jobs when released from active duty and are protected under USERRA which is enforced by the Department of Labor. The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program through the Department of Defense can also help employers with information on USERRA, provide sample forms employers can use to help stay in compliance with USERRA and confidential Ombudsmen services regarding USERRA.