Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 02, November 27, 2024
(1)
Purpose:
(a) The intent of the Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Award Program is to encourage the improvement and
modernization of employment, training, and job placement services for veterans,
and recognize eligible employees for excellence in providing such services, or
for having made demonstrative improvements in the service delivery system for
veterans.
(b) The Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards Program is designed to motivate service providers
to provide extraordinary and commendable services to veterans, and to improve
service delivery to veterans.
(2)
Eligibility for the Alabama
Veterans Performance Incentive Awards:
(a) Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP)
representatives and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER), and any
other employee providing services to veterans under the Workforce Investment
Act (WIA), and service delivery programs as prescribed in the Jobs for Veterans
Act, Public Law
107-288 (§4112) are eligible for Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards. The law stipulates that recipients of veterans
performance incentive awards must be individuals, although states are not
restricted from awarding individuals in an office, unit, or area, where
performance warrants recognition under the Veterans Performance Incentive Award
program. An office, such an Alabama Career Center, or other entities are not
eligible. Federal staff are ineligible.
(b) Consideration for the Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards requires that nominations meet the eligibility
requirements as defined by the law and Veterans Program Letter (VPL) 8-03. In
accordance with V PL 8-03, it is the expressed intent of Congress that
eligibility and selection criteria provide states the maximum flexibility
needed to recognize employees whose individual efforts merit recognition with a
performance incentive award.
(c)
Any eligible personnel that has received a disciplinary write up in the last
year is ineligible to participate in that year's incentive awards
program.
(d) The Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards program emphasizes fostering or strengthening
partnerships that excel in assistance to veterans. Therefore, included among
those who are eligible for Veterans Performance Incentive Awards are Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) funded staff that provide extraordinary services to
veterans.
(3)
Selection of Award Recipients: The Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards program selection process is as follows:
(a) Announcement of the Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards Program by the Director of ES Division by June 1
of each year, ensuring wide dissemination of the program objectives and
selection process among partners and stakeholders in the Alabama workforce
development system.
(b) Close of
all nominations by July 15 of each year.
(c) Not later than July 31 of each year, the
ES Veterans Services Program Coordinator, or other state administrator assigned
by the Secretary of Labor, Department of Labor will certify that nominations
submitted for consideration are eligible for Performance Incentive Awards,
using the Alabama Performance Incentive Award Program Eligibility Certification
form, as approved by the Secretary of Labor, Department of Labor. Nominations
certified as eligible will be assigned base scores, using the Alabama
Performance Incentive Award Program State Administrator Scoring Worksheet. The
base scoring will assign scores based on the "weight" of the activities or
services being scored, relative to the degree of emphasis in the grant
provisions. Only nominations that are certified as eligible will be assigned
base scores and forwarded to the Performance Incentive Awards Selection
Committee.
(d) Not later than
August 15 of each year, a Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Selection
Committee will convene to score the certified eligible nominations, using the
Alabama Performance Incentive Awards Program Selection Committee Scoring
Worksheet. The selection committee will be at least five (5) members of
workforce development peers and other workforce development experts approved by
the Secretary of Labor, Alabama Department of Labor. The selection committee
members will score all eligible nominations. Only nominations scored above a
cut-off score set by the Secretary of Labor, Alabama Department of Labor will
be forwarded to the Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Selection
Board.
(e) Not later than August 31
of each year, the Secretary of Labor, Department of Labor will convene a
Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Selection Board with at least five (5)
state-level administrators, representing partners and stakeholders in the
Alabama workforce development system. Using the approved criteria of the
Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards program, the Veterans Performance
Incentive Awards Selection Board will select nominations for individual awards
and recommend monetary amounts for each award to the Secretary of Labor,
Alabama Department of Labor.
(f)
Not later than September 15 of each year, the Secretary of Labor, Department of
Labor, approves the actual cash disbursements from the grant funds to
individuals selected for Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive
Awards.
(4)
Nomination and/or Evaluation Criteria:
(a) Selection of Veterans Performance
Incentive Award recipients may involve evaluation of both objective and
subjective data (Ref: V PL 8-03). Nominees must demonstrate outstanding efforts
at providing employment, training, job placement, and other employment-related
services to United States veterans or separating military personnel. Services
to veterans representing categories of concern, or veterans with especially
significant barriers to employment will be afforded extra weight in the
selection criteria.
(b) The
nominations may include a combination of performance data, team building,
motivation, program improvement and feedback from job seeking and business
customers.
(c) Consideration for
nomination may include any combination of the following:
1. Development of a program, for which the
impact may not be directly measurable (e.g., a resume skills building
program).
2. Exemplary case
management assistance to veterans.
3. Exceptional performance beyond job
requirements, or well above performance goals.
4. Planning, developing, or implementing
improvements in effectiveness or efficiency of services or delivery of
services, training, job placement, career or vocational assistance, to
veterans.
5. Outstanding personal
contribution to the state's Veterans Performance Standards as measured by the
ETA-9002/ VETS-200 reports, or similar statistics, such as SAMS, for the
specified reporting period July 1 through June 30, of the Program Year
(PY).
6. Effective outreach and
public relations in the local community on behalf of veterans (e.g. work within
the chamber of commerce, employer organizations such as human resource groups,
job fair planning, etc.).
7.
Generation of positive publicity for the Alabama Career Center system and
services to veterans that has generated measurable positive outcomes.
8. Enhancement of on-the-job training,
customized job training, or internship training for veterans, particularly
veterans in categories of concern, such as Special Disabled veterans, or
Recently-separated veterans.
9.
Exceptional efforts in assisting hard-to-place veterans, such as homeless
veterans, ex-offenders, and economically disadvantaged veterans.
10. Developing new WIA partnerships or
fostering collaborative efforts to improve positive outcomes of employment and
training programs for veterans, or veterans in special categories (e.g.
interagency referral agreements).
11. Any other significant achievement in
assisting veterans to obtain, train, or advance in employment.
(d) Priority consideration for a
performance incentive award will be provided to individuals who demonstrate
outstanding outreach on behalf of veterans who have barriers to employment,
especially homeless veterans. Team building and motivation to serve veterans
and improve the Veterans Service Program, positive feedback from employers and
customers, and other indicators of outstanding individual performance and
results, will be considered in the selection process.
(e) Nominations must be submitted on the
Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Program Nomination Form, or
suitable facsimile.
(5)
Period of Performance: The performance, activity, or
accomplishments being recognized must have occurred during the previous U.S.
Department of Labor Program Year (PY), which commences on July 1 of each year,
and concludes on June 30 of the following year. Supporting documentation or
numerical data submitted must clearly indicate performance within this
evaluation period.
(6)
Description of the Award:
(a) In accordance with Title 38 §4112
(7) and the Special Grant Provisions from the U.S. Department of Labor,
Veterans Employment and Training Service, it is intended that cash awards be
granted to individual recipients, or in special circumstances approved by the
Secretary of Labor, Department of Labor, non-financial incentives may be
awarded in lieu of, or in combination with cash awards. Each Fiscal Year (FY),
as required by law, Alabama must set aside one (1) percent of the DVOP-LVER
grant for making awards under the Alabama Performance Incentive Awards Program.
Each year, the Alabama Performance Incentive Awards Program will recognize
individual recipients who meet the eligibility and selection criteria, with
cash awards in the amount of up to $5,000 each.
(b) Expenditures and the accounting of the
Performance Incentive Awards program will be pursuant to federal financial
reporting and fiscal requirements in the DVOP-LVER Grant. Selection of
recipients for awards under the Alabama Performance Incentive Awards Program
must be identified by September 30 of each year (the close of the Fiscal Year),
and all funds set aside for the awards program must be disbursed or expended
each year within ninety (90) days of Fiscal Year closeout (December
31).
(7)
Promotion and Public Affairs: The Secretary of Labor,
Alabama Department of Labor (Grant Administrator) will provide wide
dissemination of the Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Program
among eligible candidates within the Alabama Career Center system, and other
affiliated entities which are providing employment, training, and job placement
services to veterans and military members separating from the U.S. Armed
Forces. Nomination forms, instructions, and selection criteria will be made
available at all Alabama Career Center and Employment Service delivery
locations, or by writing to:
Secretary of Labor, Alabama Department Labor,
ATTN: Veterans Services, Room 3812
649 Monroe St.
Montgomery, AL 36131
Nominations and information is also available by Email by
contacting Veterans Services Alabama at:
Donal.cieutat@alcc.alabama.gov
(8)
Submission of
Nominations: Nominations for the Alabama Veterans Performance
Incentive Awards are to be mailed or delivered to:
Alabama Department of Labor
ATTN: Veterans Services, Room 3812
649 Monroe St.
Montgomery, Alabama 36131
(9)
Nomination
Deadlines: All nominations are due by July 15 of each year. All
awards disbursements will be identified not later than September 30 of each
year (the close of each Fiscal Year).
(10)
Management of the Awards
Program: Management of the Awards Program: The success of the
Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Program rests in the premise that
appropriate recognition of worthy candidates has the potential to motivate
other eligible professionals into providing excellent services to veterans. To
that end, the Secretary of Labor, Alabama Department of Labor, will ensure that
the following policies, practices, and actions are carried out in support of
the Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards program:
(a) Adequate resources and staff will be
committed to administering the Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive
program.
(b) Awards decisions will
be based on exemplary performance of individual employees in services to
veterans.
(c) Awards will be
selected fairly, without regard to race, national origin, gender, or other
non-merit factors.
(d) Management
will assign priority to the integrity and the administration of the Alabama
Veterans Performance Incentive Awards program.
(11)
Summary Report:
Alabama Veterans Performance Incentive Awards Program funds will be obligated
by September 30 of each year (the end of the Fiscal Year), and expended by
December 31 of each year. A summary report will be submitted in the Fiscal Year
fourth quarter report to the U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans Employment and
Training Service (VETS), detailing the expenditures of the Alabama Veterans
Performance Incentive Awards.
Author: Sylvia Williams, Employment Security
Division
Statutory Authority:
Public Law
107-288,
§4112.