Narrative: e. 1.

The guidelines of VPL 1-22 will be followed in the selection of awardees. Job Centers will be nominated based on their efforts that demonstrate outstanding outreach on behalf of veterans who have barriers to employment, programs that promote employment opportunities for veterans within the local community or enhance provider awareness of veterans’ issues and resources. The following list will be used as examples for submitting nominations:

• Development of a program for which the impact may not be directly measurable (e.g., a resume skill-building program)
• Promotion of entry into federal employment
• Promotion of HIRE Veterans Medallion Program
• Outstanding case management
• Exemplary job fair support
• Vocational rehabilitation marketing
• Direct marketing to employers
• Exceptional performance beyond job requirements or outside of established performance goals
• Ideas that are implemented to improve the system, improve performance, reduce time or cost, or to promote collaboration
• Performance measures for the current program year
• Outreach/community relations efforts, e.g., Chambers of Commerce, employers
• Generation of positive publicity for a local office
• Increase awareness of relevant issues within the employer community
• Enhancement of on-the-job training, customized job training, or compensated work therapy
• Efforts to assist hard-to-place populations (e.g., veterans experiencing homelessness, incarceration, disability, or recent separation from service)
• Collaborative success in providing all services to veterans, which may include success in
• employer relations and “great customer service” to veteran clients
• Other pre-defined achievements or measures

Awardees will be selected based upon objective and subjective performance data. Nominations will be called for with a June deadline and will be based upon performance during the current program year. There will be no numeric limitation on the number of nominees. The nominations will remain anonymous; only the Veteran Program Manager will know the identity of the nominations. A panel consisting of individuals selected by the Director of Office of Workforce Development will review and numerically rank all nominations. The top-ranked Job Center from each of the three OWD Zones will receive the cash award. The deadline for selection will be no later than June 30.  The Director of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Office of Workforce Development will review and approve the selected nominees before the presentation of awards.