VA, Blue Star Families, and Hiring Our Heroes Join Forces to Help Military Spouses
The Department of Veterans Affairs is part of a public/private partnership to help military spouses find and keep jobs even when a permanent change of station or other duty-related relocations are required. The agency announced its participation on March 7, 2024, as a step forward in the effort to support military spouse employment.
The VA is a signatory agency in a program called the 4+1 Commitment, described as “a partnership between government and private employers,” including the agencies Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes,
1000 Private Companies Wanted
The program made headlines when it was announced in late 2023. A Military Times article published in December 2023 notes, “The 4 + 1 Commitment was launched at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. as part of the Blue Star Families’ Do Your Part campaign, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes.”
That report also notes that a dozen companies initially signed on with a goal of 1000 partner companies signed up by the end of 2024.
Related: Military Spouse and Dependent Benefits
How the 4+1 Commitment Program Works
An Army.mil press release on the 4+1 Commitment program notes that it is “a voluntary commitment by employers” to create or adapt military spouse employment policies “that could expand employment and career opportunities for military spouses” in a variety of ways, including remote work, flexible work hours, and permissive leave policies.
It’s all part of a Biden administration executive order meant to help solve unemployment issues among the approximately 16 thousand military spouses in the federal workplace.
Partner employers are encouraged to create and maintain flexible policies to accommodate typical military spouse needs, such as the ability to work remotely, take extended leave, or get flexible work hours if there’s a permanent change of station move that affects the family.
Related: Military Spouse and Dependent Benefits
Other VA Efforts
The 4+1 Commitment program isn’t the only thing the Department of Veterans Affairs is doing to help support military spouses.
The VA official site lists several other VA programs and functions that the agency uses for its own hiring and employee pool, which also serve as examples for employers looking to create their own.
- The VA “supports the reassignment of military spouses” when spouses must relocate because of a permanent change of station move or other duty-related changes.
- In its own staffing, the VA offers telework and remote work positions military spouses may apply for.
- When searching for VA jobs, the agency’s remote work vacancies can be viewed using the remote jobs filter on USAJobs.
- VA policies allow employees to ask for remote work options if the military member has been reassigned.
- The VA offers permissive leave for PCS travel for its employees.
You can learn more about job openings at the Department of Veterans Affairs and VA spouse employment policies at the official site.
Related: Military Spouse and Dependent Benefits
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
