The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a new directive stating that compliance officers will begin focusing on contractors’ obligation not to discriminate against a qualified individual whom the contractor knows to be the spouse of a protected veteran. The directive was released in conjunction with OFCCP’s announcement that it had targeted 500 federal contractor establishments for focused reviews under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA).
Directive 2020-01, titled “Spouses of Protected Veterans,” was issued right around Veterans Day and on the same day that OFCCP announced the VEVRAA focused reviews. The directive instructs compliance officers while onsite to ask questions designed to determine whether discrimination against spouses of protected veterans has occurred. The new policy also makes clear that these inquiries will occur during all onsite audits, not just VEVRAA focused reviews.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.