As we are rapidly approaching March 24, it is important to get started on complying with the New Rules, affecting veterans and Individuals with Disabilities (IWD’s). Federal contractors and subcontractors are encouraged to start setting up their applicant tracking systems, along with their record keeping.
One significant change heralded by the new rules is the requirement to invite Individuals With Disabilities (IWD’s) to self-identify. Contractors should therefore start getting ready to make the unprecedented and required form available, effective March 24, to applicants. Please note that while contractors will need to provide the form (and to show that it did so in compliance with the new Rules) the decision to self-identify rests entirely with the applicants. As such, contractors are not held accountable for ensuring that applicants self-identify, only for providing the form and thereby inviting them to do so. Also, you will need to use the same form every five years to survey your current employees to collect data on employees with disabilities in order to update your records. You are also assigned a goal of 7% of your workforce to be individuals with disabilities.
Veterans are too assigned a benchmark of 8%. Note: Neither the benchmark for veterans or the goal for IWDs is required, but both are “aspirational. There is another self-Id form to use to collect information on race, gender, and veteran status. To obtain a compliant form, please email me.
Here is a link to a blog and the recording, along with the webinar materials that I co-presented with the CEO of America’s Job Exchange, at the beginning of this month.
http://blog.americasjobexchange.com/2014/02/07/new-regulations-for-ofccp-compliance-discussed-in-highly-attended-webinar/