Become a Veteran-Friendly Employer

MVAA recognizes employers that commit to military veteran recruitment, training and retention practices by awarding those employers Gold, Silver and Bronze level status as Veteran-Friendly Employers. MVAA’s Veteran-Friendly Employer program helps qualified organizations recruit and retain top veteran talent while providing others a road map to improve their recruitment efforts.

MVAA will assist employers as they develop and improve their efforts to recruit and retain high-quality veteran candidates. Employers who meet the criteria will be publicly recognized and allowed to use the Gold, Silver or Bronze Michigan Veteran-Friendly Employer logo to market themselves to potential veteran applicants.

If your organization would like to be recognized as a Veteran-Friendly Employer, please review the criteria and fill out the Veteran-Friendly Employer Application and submit it.

For more information, email mvaastrategy@michigan.gov.

Read about current Veteran-Friendly Employers.

Bronze-Level Requirements

To receive Bronze-Level certification, an employer must:

Commit to hiring a specific number of veterans. (This number is determined by the company based on its size and hiring plans for the next year.)
Post job openings on the MiTalent.org website.
Agree to sign Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support.
Provide HR personnel in your organization with MichiganVeterans.com and Michigan Veterans Resource Center call number 800-MICH-VET (800-642-4838) to assist your veteran employees.

Silver-Level Requirements

In addition to meeting all the Bronze-Level requirements, an employer must have implemented two of the following:

Veteran or Guard/Reserve specific benefit package such as differential pay or continued healthcare coverage during deployment.
Veteran-specific employee onboarding program.
Veteran-specific employee retention program.
Veteran available on-the-job-training or apprenticeship program.
Applications are marked and/or tracked as veterans, Guard or Reserve members and spouses of veterans, Guard or Reserve Members.

Gold-Level Requirements

In addition to meeting all Silver-Level requirements, an employer must show they retained 75 percent of their veterans over a 12-month period and implemented at least four of the following:

Veteran-specific internal support program such as a Veteran Affinity Network, Guard and Reserve Family Support Program, or formal veteran employee recognition program.
Veteran spouse hiring initiative.
Veteran-specific career management program such as a Junior Officer Leadership/Management Development Program or Veteran Hiring Rotation Program.
Employment opportunity presentations or presence at veteran-centric hiring events, visits to Active Component transition sites or Guard and Reserve drilling locations.
Achieved national level recognition for veteran hiring efforts from organizations like ESGR, Disabled American Veterans, Victory Media, Veterans of Foreign Wars, etc.
Participation in the MVAA Private Sector Veteran Employment Council or VFE Best Practices Workshops.
Employ personnel whose primary position description is veteran outreach and hiring/retention.
Increased advertising (above Silver Level) of veteran-friendly information, including the MVAA VFE logo on company website, social media, print or paid advertising and marketing materials. Please provide hyperlinks to any posted information.

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