Group says Congress should set example by hiring more vets | RallyPoint.com

Image Copyright: Architect of the Capitol

By Leo Shane III, Staff writer
Copyright: www.militarytimes.com

What’s the worst federal agency for hiring veterans? Try Congress.

Despite numerous efforts by lawmakers in recent years to spur veterans employment in the private sector, few congressional offices have followed suit. A new survey estimates that fewer than 180 veterans are employed as Capitol Hill staff, a mere 3 percent of the 6,000-plus employees there.

For comparison, in fiscal 2012 nearly half of all Defense Department employees were veterans. One in three Veterans Affairs and Transportation Department workers were veterans that year, and the Education Department — one of the lowest veteran hiring rates among federal agencies — had just under 10 percent.

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