Veterans' Employment and Training Service


The United States Office of the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training was established by Secretary's Order No. 5-81 in December 1981.
The assistant secretary position was created by P.L. 96-466 in October 1980, to replace the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment position created by P.L. 94-502 in October 1976. The bipartisan Congressional intent was to establish leadership of the department's programs for services to veterans at the policy-making level, and thereby help to ensure Congressional mandates for an effective:
  • Job and job training counseling service program,
  • Employment placement service program, and
  • Job training placement service program for eligible veterans.
On July 16, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated James Rodriguez, the acting agency head and assistant secretary's principal deputy, for the position of Assistant Secretary for VET; he was confirmed by the Senate and sworn into office in May 2022.
WWW dol.gov/vets

Corruption scandal

On 22 July 2011, the then assistant secretary, Ray Jefferson, was led out of the Frances Perkins Building by the FBI and subsequently resigned on July 25, 2011, following a contracting scandal.