What Is Section 503? What Is VEVRAA? What Federal Contractors Should Know

People with disabilities and veterans both have disproportionately high levels of unemployment compared to the rest of the population, but there are laws on the books aiming to reduce that gap. In fact, two of those regulations – Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) – have been updated this year to help ensure that qualified vets and individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to find and secure good jobs. These regulations focus on federal contractors and subcontractors.

Let’s take a look at the basics of Section 503 and VEVRAA.

What is Section 503?

Section 503 refers to that section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment.

“It is a statute; it’s been on the books for a long time—since 1973. It actually is the predecessor to the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was enacted almost 20 years before the ADA was enacted. The 503 requirements contain general prohibitions on federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against individuals with disabilities in terms of their employment.” David S. Fortney told us in a recent BLR webinar.

“In the past, 503 has been implemented by requiring federal contractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance employment for qualified individuals with disabilities. There was a requirement that you prepared an affirmative action plan (or AAP) under 503, and that you undertake general affirmative action. But there was no specific metric. There were no benchmarks or requirements or goals that had to be met.” Fortney continued. It was generally viewed as a good-faith effort at non-discrimination.

What is VEVRAA?

VEVRAA is the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, as amended.

“Although it has ‘Vietnam Era’ in the title, this statute is no longer limited just to Vietnam veterans. It applies more broadly to a wide range of veterans.” Fortney explained. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discrimination against all protected veterans. It also requires federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to employ and advance the employment protected veterans. These rules are of critical importance as we continue to receive home more veterans from overseas who are entering or returning to the civilian workforce.

For more information on Section 503 and VEVRAA, order the webinar recording of “OFCCP Final Rules for Federal Contractors: New Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Obligations Explained.” To register for a future webinar, visit http://store.blr.com/events/webinars.

Attorney David S. Fortney is a co-founder of Fortney & Scott, LLC. Mr. Fortney regularly advises and represents clients facing audits by OFCCP, including OFCCP”s compensation audits, desk audits, on-site reviews, audits of Functional Affirmative Action Programs, and pre-award compliance evaluations.