In an effort to assist in the employment of veterans, the state of Pennsylvania has recently passed a law (H.B. 1600) that encourages employers to adopt a voluntary veteran’s preference employment policy. The policy must be:
- in writing,
- made available in any job posting,
- provided to each applicant at the time of hiring and to all employees annually, and
- applied uniformly for all employment decisions regarding the hiring, promotion and retention of veterans.
The law clarifies that the decision to adopt a veteran preference employment policy is not a violation of any state or local equal employment opportunity law, including fair employment practices laws. Furthermore, the new law extends the employment preference to the spouses of disabled veterans or surviving spouses. To be eligible, veterans and spouses must submit the DD 214 (United States Department of Defense Report of Separation Form 214) or a similar form issued by the Department of Defense relating to separation from military service.
Employers are encouraged to review the state law to help them determine whether they would like to voluntarily implement a specific veteran preference employment policy. The policy adoption will require creating a posting. The law becomes effective January 2, 2017.