Help our veterans to obtain sustainable employment Bríd White - Vocational Rehabilitation Advisor
Introduction 1. Background on Veterans’ Affairs 2. Supporting Veterans to obtain sustainable employment
Our Mission “Ensuring veterans get the support, recognition, entitlements and services available to them so they lead a healthy and productive life.”
Our role We are part of New Zealand Defence Force supporting veterans. We have our own Minister for Veterans, our own Veterans’ Support legislation, and designated budget.
Scope of service 1999: 2014: 1954: 2018: Veterans’ Veterans’ War Pensions Act Review Affairs born Support Act
Qualifying 1 April 1974 Scheme One Scheme Two Qualifying Qualifying operational service operational service Qualifying routine service
Our work at a glance 183 30,000+ Services Qualifying current and ex-service personnel Cemeteries 38,000 Calls to the Enquiry Line each year 68 $289m VA Staff Annual spend 3,300 3,600 Veterans receiving Veterans actively VIP home services case managed
Who is a veteran?
While In Service
Why hire veterans There are many reasons why companies or organisations are seeking to hire Veterans: They bring with them the skills to do the job in a timely and efficient manner They have both hard and soft skills coveted by employers, such as leadership, management, teamwork, accountability, and responsibility
Strengths of Veteran Employees Transferable skills Teamwork Planning and Time decisiveness management Motivation Leadership Fit and healthy
What we provide Health and wellbeing Financial and Remembrance independence support Family and Employment wh ā nau support
Focusing on rehabilitation The Act allows us to focus on rehabilitation support: rehabilitation will assist veterans, as much as possible, to return to their pre-illness or injury state and, where appropriate, help veterans get back to work. Two types of rehabilitation are provided: • Social rehabilitation- Help restore a veteran’s independence to the maximum extent practicable. • Vocational rehabilitation -Help a veteran continue working; regain work or acquire an ability to work. • If a veteran is unable to work due to service related illness/injury, weekly compensation may be paid while receiving treatment and/or rehabilitation
Case Management • We take a case management approach - Case manager assigned to each veteran - Tailored package of support specific to each veteran - Case managers are available on 0800 number or at veterans@nzdf.mil.nz • We work with - RSA, NoDuff, veterans’ organisations - NZDF – particularly Defence Health - ACC where an injury or illness is the result of an accident - NZ public health system, NZ private health system - Other government agencies supporting veterans - Other NGOs supporting veterans And, most importantly, we work with individual Veterans
Partner with us Some Veteran-Friendly practices to consider: • Have a strong Veteran recruitment and hiring program • Support affinity groups for veterans • Provide orientation/ work trials to new veteran employees on the organisations culture, services etc • Develop and support a veteran mentoring program
More Veteran-friendly practices to consider: • Provide Veteran-friendly EAP services • Recognise employees for their service • Provide training to supervisors on Veterans’ issues and available resources • Give preference to Veteran-owned businesses when seeking product or service vendor support • Support ex-service focused philanthropic effort
Veteran Recruitment and Hiring Recruitment and practices to consider: • Have dedicated recruiters • Advertise job openings on military job boards and socials websites • Attend military job fairs – both traditional and virtual • Have a dedicated military section on the organisations website • Encourage Veteran employees to refer fellow Veterans for job openings • Develop a PR campaign to market your organisation as military-friendly
Train supervisors & managers • Create a workplace culture that encourages employees to seek assistance for professional or personal issues with no fear of retribution • Train supervisors and managers on military culture and Veterans’ issues, including issues regarding PTSD
Contact us Freephone 0800 483 8372 veterans@nzdf.mil.nz Or visit: www.veteransaffairs.mil.nz
Ask - Have you served? Any questions?
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