VA joins 4+1 Commitment to help military spouses, families with employment

March 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday announced its participation in the voluntary 4+1 Commitment that is designed to help military spouses overcome employment barriers and retain jobs while growing their careers.

"To build the strongest possible workforce to serve our nation's heroes, we need to hire and support military spouses -- many of whom are veterans themselves," VA Secretary Denis McDonough said.

The four commitments to military spouses are:

• Enable job transfers for military spouses to vacant positions for which they are qualified or provide them with leave.

• Provide remote and telework opportunities that enable military spouses to work virtually anywhere.

• Offer flexible work hours that enable spouses to meet the demands that military life places on spouses and families.

• Provide pay or leave when a permanent change of station occurs.

The plus-one commitment refers to the VA's continued participation in the Department of Defense's Military Spouse Employment Partnership program. The VA has participated in the partnership program since 2019.

"Military spouses are some of the most talented and dedicated professionals in the public and private sector," VA Chief of Staff Kimberly Jackson said. "By making these commitments, VA will be better positioned to recruits and retain these public servants as we execute our nation's most sacred obligation: caring for veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors."

President Joe Biden in June signed an executive order to increase job opportunities and assistance for military families while at Fort Liberty in North Carolina.

White House officials said the executive order is necessary to help military families that experience a 21% unemployment rate across the nation.

"Many military-connected spouses - the vast majority of whom are women - struggle to achieve their desired career goals due to the strains of multiple deployment, frequent moves with little control over geographic location, caring for wounded, ill and injured service members or veterans; time apart for training, and more," the U.S. Office of Personnel Management said in a news release.

First Lady Jill Biden promoted the volunteer program during an Oct. 16 visit to the Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.

During the visit, she emphasized the need to support military spouses and families as part of the Joining Forces initiative.