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May 1,2012
The Honorable Ray Lahood
Secretary of Transportation
Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast
Washington, DC 20590
The Honorable Julius Genachowski
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street Southwest
Washington, DC 20554
The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528
Dear Secretary Lahood, Secretary Napolitano, and Chairman Genachowski:
Our military men and women receive the best training in the world - and they prove their
skills on the battlefield every day. Despite the fact that veterans have considerable training and
experience acquired through years of military service, post-9111 veterans' unemployment is at
10.3%,2 points higher than the national average.
We must do a better job at helping veterans who are struggling to find jobs.
I've filed a bill, the Veteran Skills to Jobs Act, directing Federal agencies to recognize
military training and skills when certifying veterans for Federal licenses. Many servicemembers
with specialized skills find that when they leave the military, they are required to spend time and
money to go through duplicative training and certification for jobs they successfully executed
while in the military. This prevents veterans from quickly integrating into the workforce.
The Defense Business Board, an independent advisory board, recently recommended that
the Secretary of Defense implement a service-wide concurrent credentialing program for the
troops. I'm asking for your help because your agencies certify federal occupations for which
there is a close military equivalent. In most cases, military training meets or exceeds the
requirements for Federal credentialing. I ask that you work closely with the Secretary of Defense
to determine opportunities to expedite credentialing for servicemembers so that qualified
veterans can find employment quickly.
Veterans returning home have already performed the most difficult and dangerous jobs
out there. This is a way we can ease their transition back into civilian life, and remove some of
the obstacles in their way.
Sincerely,
0555