VA offers new tool for job seekers

Veterans now have on-demand access and can download official data about their military training and experience, which can be used to help them find jobs and continue their careers. Their service data can be uploaded to job search and networking sites to help identify employment opportunities.

Veterans can use the VA’s online My HealtheVet portal (www.myhealth.va.gov) to see official information about their military service, including deployment data, in-uniform experience, and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes that define the type of work performed and skills learned during their tour of duty. Veterans can electronically download that information to their personal computers by using an enhanced version of the Blue Button. This new capability is the latest addition to a growing suite of job-hunting tools announced by President Obama on Nov. 14.

Several industry partners have signed up to create – or have even already implemented – third-party applications that can read military specialties or classification codes in Blue Button format, automatically translate those codes into civilian descriptions, and identify openings and other resources for veterans.

Military job information available to veterans under this program will depend on discharge or retirement date.
• All veterans discharged after 1980 will see military specialty or classification codes;
• Some veterans discharged between 1975 and 1980 will see military specialty or classification codes;
• Some Gulf War veterans may see combat pay and deployment periods; and
• All Post-9/11 veterans will see combat pay and deployment periods.

Veterans enrolled in VA health care can access their military service information through My HealtheVet. Veterans who have not yet signed up for My HealtheVet access can register for a My HealtheVet account at any VA medical center by completing a one-time identity-verification process to help assure their data privacy.