BITS & PIECES: New AAP Regulations Covering Individuals with Disabilities & Veterans - Equal Opportunity Clause - Tagline for Solicitation and Advertisements

On March 23, 2014 new federal regulations for Federal service and supply contractors went into effect; one for Individuals with Disabilities (IWD) and one for Veterans. The regulations require contractors to add “disability” and “veteran” to the Equal Opportunity tagline in solicitation and advertisements for employees. Older regulations require contractors to include language indicating they will consider all qualified applicants, regardless of race, color, sex, national origin or religion. In a 2014 OFCCP webinar, officials said contractors should use “disability” and “vet” at a minimum in solicitations and advertisements; abbreviations “D and V are “not adequate”.

Below is the related text found on the OFCCP web site under their Question and Answers:

Vacancy Announcement Tagline

1. May contractors satisfy the EEO tagline requirement by abbreviating "disability" and "protected veteran status" as "D" and "V," respectively?

Contractors may refer to those protected by Section 503 or VEVRAA by abbreviation, but such abbreviations must be commonly understood by those seeking employment. Simply using "D" and "V" are not adequate abbreviations for this reason. For those protected by Section 503 or VEVRAA, the tagline should at a minimum state "disability" and "vet" so that the tagline will be clearly understood by jobseekers.