Effective March 14, 2014, the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) made changes to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Also effective March 14, 2014, the OFCCP made changes to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) regulations. These changes to both acts were made in an effort to employ current returning veterans and people with disabilities, and apply to all government contractors and subcontractors.

INSIGHT Into Diversity wants to make sure you are aware of the changes required to be made to your job advertisements as part of the new regulations. Keep in mind these requirements apply whether your job advertisement is in print or online, and includes every website you post your job opening on, not just your own.

We wanted to let you know that many of the job ads we receive have no language at all that include an Equal Opportunity clause. Some fail to include specific encouragement now required for people with disabilities and veterans to apply for a position.

We have noticed that many colleges and universities continue to use much of the following language in their job advertisements placed in our print magazine and on our career center:

… is an equal opportunity employer, strongly and actively seeks diversity among its employees.
… is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff.
… is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action employer, committed to diversity in hiring.
… EEO/AA: women and minorities encouraged to apply.

This language is insufficient and does not follow the new OFCCP guidelines necessary to encourage recruitment and hiring of veterans and people with disabilities.

In summary:
Many job ads have no language at all in reference to an Equal Opportunity clause. The new VEVRAA and Section 503 regulations effective March 14, 2014, require federal contractors to state in all of their solicitations and job advertisements that they are an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and people with disabilities. You can do this by simply adding “veteran status and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply” to existing equal opportunity employer statements (they must also include a nondiscrimination clause based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin).