Reports

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for VETS in its mission to: (1) prepare America’s veterans and transitioning service members for meaningful careers, (2) provide them with employment resources and expertise, (3) protect their employment rights, and (4) promote their employment opportunities. VETS’s JVSG program provides individualized career services to veterans with significant barriers to employment, especially veterans who are economically or educationally disadvantaged. The program also aims to increase employment opportunities for veterans and encourage the hiring of disabled veterans. To this end, it conducts outreach to employers and business associations and engages in advocacy efforts with hiring executives. The audit will focus on how the pandemic impacted the JVSG program as well as the effectiveness of the program during a health crisis.

The American Rescue Plan Act, as amended by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, provided $1 billion in funding to DOL to prevent and detect fraud, promote equitable access, ensure timely payment of benefits, and reduce backlogs. Of these funds, DOL provided approximately $219 million in grants to improve UI claimant outreach and customer service processes, implement strategies to reduce backlog, and improve access for workers in communities that may historically experience barriers. These first-of-their-kind grants are referred to as “Equity Grants.” They will provide funding for states to improve public awareness and service delivery as DOL seeks to address potential racial and ethnic disparities in the administration and delivery of UI benefits in select states. This audit will focus on DOL’s and states’ effectiveness in addressing the potential racial and ethnic disparities in the UI program.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many of ETA’s job training programs to cease operation. This interrupted participants’ job training, potentially preventing them from completing their training and getting a job in the areas in which they were trained. This series of audits will focus on how effectively ETA ensured workforce development grant funds were used as intended in the State of New York during the pandemic.