Introduction

While many companies openly express a desire to hire veterans, the “disability” label often creates hesitation. Unconscious bias, fear of accommodation costs, or not being educated about medical conditions and how they impact veterans individually can lead hiring managers to pass over exceptional candidates. Ignoring this pool of talent is one of the biggest mistakes for businesses.

By ignoring and even discriminating against veterans with disabilities, employers miss out on adding employees who are reliable, already have years of advanced technical training under their belt, and remain cool under high-stress situations or better than their civilian teammates. Hiring veterans with disabilities isn’t just ethical – it’s one of the best strategies your company can use to improve diversity, performance, and even innovation.

The Untapped Potential of Veterans

The unfortunate reality is that there is a huge misconception about veterans’ disabilities and how they impact their lives. Do all disabilities prevent veterans from working? Are accommodations going to be possible? What if someone is triggered during work? From fear of what skills their disability might hinder, to stereotypes of PTSD and how it impacts veterans, it’s no wonder that 4.1 percent of veterans with a service-connected disability continue to be jobless.

Debunking the Myths

The term “disability” in a military context is vastly different from the civilian definition. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assigns disability ratings for a wide range of issues, ranging from ringing ears to chronic emotional and physical injuries. A veteran with a 30% or 50% disability rating is often fully capable of performing the essential functions of almost any corporate job.

Furthermore, there is a pervasive myth that hiring someone with a disability—specifically a veteran—comes with a high cost due to accommodation costs or insurance premiums. The reality is quite the opposite. Research from the US Department of Labor shows that most workplace accommodations cost nothing, and those that do usually incur a one-time cost of less than $300.

Taking Advantage of Veteran Skills and Experiences

Veterans are also known for having skills most employers won’t find in the civilian or general workforce, adding to their value and to the company as a whole.

• Adapt and Overcome: Military service is defined by constant deployments, changes in lifestyle, and, of course, high-stakes in-the-moment situations. Veterans are trained to blend into new settings, adjust to new procedures, and deal with quick constant in leadership, among other things. Having a disability often enhances this resilience, allowing veterans to learn to overcome barriers and mold to these changes more quickly than others.
• Leadership and Team Understanding: Starting from day one of basic training, service members are taught that the team comes before the individual. They understand chain of command, accountability, and how to lead by example – all skills that make veterans effective team members or leaders.
• Grace Under Pressure: Veterans have often worked in environments where even the smallest mistakes and lack of attention to detail can prove costly. From corporate deadlines to stressful projects, businesses can rest assured many veterans continue to harness this natural calm, collected nature that helps them battle stress better than civilian workers might.

Of course, with the skills of veterans also comes perks for employers. WOTC, or the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, allows employers to claim more tax credit for hiring veterans depending on hours worked and wages earned. With this added incentive, businesses aren’t only hiring some of the best workers in the nation but also have additional opportunities to save money.

Practical Tips for Employers

So how can employers begin to start the process of hiring disabled veterans and offer them the support they need?

Refine Your Job Descriptions

Review your job postings for unnecessary requirements that could limit your candidates. For example, if you’re hiring for an admin position, does it really require the ability to “lift 50 pounds”? Being more specific about your requirements helps you better screen your candidates before the interview process even starts.

Train Your Hiring Managers

Your hiring team is at the forefront of the hiring process, so destroying any negative biases they have about disabled veterans is key. Teach your team about the realities of veterans with disabilities, military culture, and break down myths they might carry with them. Emphasize using competency-based interviews that focus on skills and potential rather than gaps in a resume.

Establish a Clear Accommodations Process

Don’t wait for a candidate to ask for help. Instead, take the initiative to make the hiring process as accessible as possible from the beginning. During onboarding, ensure every new hire knows how to request an ergonomic assessment or a workplace adjustment. When the process is normalized, veterans are more likely to ask for the small adjustments they need to be at their most productive.

Partner with Vocational Experts

Specialists in vocational rehabilitation and jobsite analysis can help your company find solutions for a candidate’s limitations and the job’s demands. They can perform ergonomic evaluations, suggest specific tools, and help design “light duty” programs that keep veterans and other employees fully capable for their duties while they recover or adapt.

Using Veterans to Strengthen Your Business

The modern workforce requires agility, dedication, and problem-solving capabilities. Veterans with disabilities have built these skills to perfection in some of the most demanding environments on Earth. By removing the barriers to their employment and fighting against biases surrounding their capabilities, companies gain access to a loyal and highly effective workforce.

The question for employers should not be “Can we afford to hire a veteran with a disability?” but rather, “Can we afford to lose this talent to our competitors?”

About the Author