On March 27, 2019, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced that it was lowering the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark again this year.  Effective March 31, 2019, the new benchmark is 5.9 percent, down from 6.4 percent the previous year.  This marks the fifth consecutive year that the benchmark has been lowered since its inception in March 2014, when it was set at 7.2 percent.

VEVRAA is designed to provide equal opportunity and affirmative action for Vietnam era veterans, special disabled veterans, and veterans who served on active duty during a war or in certain campaigns.  Contractors are required to establish annual hiring benchmarks for protected veterans and assess their progress against that benchmark.  Contractors have the option of establishing their own benchmark or adopting OFCCP’s annual national benchmark. 

Contractors should be especially diligent in ensuring compliance with VEVRAA and retaining related documentation in light of OFCCP’s announcement in August 2018 that it would begin conducting focused reviews. Moreover, this documentation may also be requested during other scheduled compliance evaluations. 

Additional information regarding VEVRAA compliance and the national benchmark can be found on the OFCCP website.