For Immediate Release

Hope Veterans' Successes Highlighted in Federally Published Brief

San Diego, Calif., August 24, 2020

Customized Employment Works for Veterans, a brief written by WorkFirst/Bob Hope Veterans Support program Vice President Debbie Ball, a Discovery and Customized Employment Expert for the U.S. Dept. of Labor, was recently published by the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The federal agency promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities.

Customized Employment matches individuals' unique skills, talents, and interests with businesses' unique needs to create win-win situations. Since its inception in 2014 ESSC's Bob Hope Veterans Support (BHVS) program has helped over 1,000 veterans find meaningful employment by providing this personalized approach.

The brief demonstrates how Customized Employment can be successful for individuals who have had challenges with 'traditional' job search.  "Customized Employment has been around for many years, but just recently the DOL and ODEP began working with VHA to incorporate the practice into their employment services." states Debbie.  "I am proud to be part of the VRICE (Veterans Return to Competitive Integrated Employment) project through ODEP and am thrilled to highlight some of the work our team has done."

Debbie is one of only 38 Subject Matter Experts in the nation, and will offer her expertise to help other states and service providers build capacity, create transition plans, build funding streams and alliances, and generally share her experiences and knowledge in this realm.

"I'm looking forward to helping others learn how customized employment can help veterans and others find meaningful employment," Debbie said.

Debbie's brief will be shared with veterans preparing to transition out of service, and Veteran's Administration employment staff who wish to learn more about how Customized Employment can lead to a better career trajectory for veterans with and without service-related disabilities. This is another example of how ESSC is working to achieve our 10-year Vision & Impact Plan to make Southern California more inclusive. Read more about the plan here.

For the past decade, ESSC has been building Customized Employment practices into the support provided for job seekers, which individualizes the employment relationship between employees and employers in ways that meet the needs of both.

We encourage you to read Debbie's brief here. In addition to exploring the benefits of Customized Employment, it profiles some of the veterans who found new careers thanks to Easterseals Southern California.

A huge congratulations to Debbie for this wonderful distinction!