Home > News Releases > Veterans Program Celebrates 60th Anniversary during Veterans Day Ceremony in Janesville

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release
Friday, November 11, 2004 Governor Jim Doyle Secretary Roberta Gassman	News Media Contact Rose Lynch   608/266-6753 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784

Veterans Program Celebrates 60th Anniversary during Veterans Day Ceremony in Janesville

MADISON – Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today delivered a commendation from Governor Jim Doyle to the Janesville Job Center to celebrate the 60th anniversary of employment successes through the state’s Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER) program.

“For the last 60 years, this program has helped improve the quality of life for Wisconsin veterans and their families by working with organizations, veteran services providers, and community leaders to secure benefits, training, and employment for veterans,” Secretary Gassman. “The program has been one of the most successful employment assistance programs for helping vets and their families across the country.”

During her presentation, Secretary Gassman also spoke of Governor Doyle’s proclamation of November as “Hire a Veteran Month” to draw attention to the vast contributions that veterans of the United States Armed Forces have made and continue to make to the workforce.

While World War II was still being fought, the Department of Labor estimated that, after the war, 15 million men and women who had been serving in the armed services would be unemployed. To reduce the possibility of postwar depression brought on by widespread unemployment, the National Resources Planning Board, a White House agency, studied postwar manpower needs as early as 1942, and in June 1943 recommended a series of programs for education and training. The American Legion designed the main features of what became the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act, also known as the GI Bill. The bill included the Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER) Program, which included the hiring of war time veterans to serve veterans to secure employment and veteran services.

Two local veterans also spoke about their successes during today’s celebration, outlining how the LVER program helped them in securing employment.

Wisconsin has 19 LVERs, plus 30 Disabled Veterans Outreach Program representatives, who annually assist approximately 30,000 veterans statewide with employment or re-employment assistance, placing nearly 70% of the veterans into jobs through case management services. LVERs promote and monitor veterans’ participation in federally funded employment and training programs and work closely with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans’ Affairs. LVERs work with local community leaders, employers, unions, and training programs and veterans' service organizations to ensure eligible veterans get the services to which they are entitled.

For more information about veteran employment and training programs in Wisconsin, visit the DWD web site at http://dwd.wisconsin.gov. For the LVER office nearest you, visit http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dws/bjs/veterans/vetreps.htm.

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Content Contact: Rose Lynch

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