Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 00-165 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 691-5902 Wednesday, June 7, 2000 EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VIETNAM-ERA VETERANS Male veterans of the Vietnam era who served in Southeast Asia had an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent in September 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Their jobless rate was similar to the rates for veterans of that era who served outside the Vietnam war theater and for nonveterans of a similar age. The Vietnam era is defined as the period from February 1961 to May 1975. Of the 8.1 million male veterans of the Vietnam era in September 1999, 4.1 million actually served in Southeast Asia. About 12 percent of Vietnam-era veterans had a service-connected disability, and one-half had participated in special education and training programs following their discharge from the service. The survey of veterans was conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau as a special supplement to the September 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS). It was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For a description of the survey, including definitions of terms used in this release, see the Technical Note. Characteristics of Vietnam-era Veterans As of September 1999, there were 8.1 million male veterans of the Vietnam era; nearly 90 percent were 45 to 64 years of age. Ten percent of male Vietnam-era veterans were black, and about 4 percent were Hispanic. (See tables 1 and 2.) (Information on female veterans and male veterans who served either before or after the Vietnam era also was collected in this special supplement; summaries of the results are presented later in this release.) Vietnam-theater Veterans About 4.1 million, or just over half of all male Vietnam-era veterans, reported that they served in Southeast Asia. In September 1999, the labor force participation rate--the proportion of the population that is either employed or unemployed--for Vietnam-theater veterans was 76.5 percent. This was lower than the rates for both male veterans who served outside the Vietnam theater (82.9 percent) and their nonveteran peers age 45 to 64 (81.3 percent). The unemployment rate for male Vietnam-theater veterans (3.0 percent) was essentially the same as the rates for those who served outside the Vietnam theater (2.4 percent) and those aged 45 to 64 who never served in the Armed Forces (also 2.4 percent). (See table 2.) Disabled Veterans of the Vietnam Era In September 1999, about 12 percent of male Vietnam-era veterans (933,000) reported having a service-connected disability; 70 percent of them had served in the Vietnam war theater. Veterans with a service- connected disability are assigned a disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent, depending on the severity of the condition. About half of all male disabled Vietnam-era veterans reported a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while 23 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher. - 2 - About 56 percent of disabled male Vietnam-era veterans were in the labor force in September 1999. This proportion was much lower than that for nondisabled veterans of that era (83.7 percent). In addition to higher labor force participation rates, nondisabled veterans had a lower unemployment rate than their disabled counterparts, 2.6 percent versus 4.8 percent. Only about 1 in 4 veterans with a disability rating of 60 percent or more was in the labor force. (See table 4.) Similar proportions of employed disabled veterans and nondisabled veterans worked part time--6.9 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. Among those employed, about 17 percent of the disabled and 6 percent of the nondisabled male Vietnam-era veterans worked for the federal government. (See table 5.) Among employed nonveterans of a similar age, the proportion in federal employment was 2.5 percent. Among those male disabled Vietnam-era veterans who were unemployed or not in the labor force in September 1999, about half reported that their disability prevented them from obtaining or keeping a job. (See table 7.) About 1 in 5 of those currently employed reported that their disability had prevented them from obtaining a job in the past. Use of Veterans' Programs by Vietnam-era Veterans As of September 1999, one-half of the male veterans of the Vietnam era had participated in special education or training programs following their military discharge. About three-fourths of the disabled and one-half of the nondisabled veterans participated in such programs. Of those veterans reporting use of a specific program, 44 percent used the GI Bill. (See table 6.) Veterans of Other Service Periods A total of 23.5 million men reported they were veterans of the Armed Forces in September 1999. Approximately two-thirds of the veterans served before or after the Vietnam era, including 8.1 million men who served in earlier wars, primarily World War II and Korea. The relatively low labor force participation rate for male veterans of other wars (19.0 percent) reflects the fact that almost 95 percent were at least 65 years old. About 10 percent of the male veterans of other wartime periods reported having a service-connected disability. (See tables 2 and 4.) There were 7.3 million male peacetime veterans (serving mainly between the Korean and Vietnam wars and since Vietnam) in September 1999. Seven percent of them reported a service-connected disability. Disabled peacetime veterans had a labor force participation rate of 77.2 percent, compared with 81.7 percent for their nondisabled counterparts. (See tables 1 and 4.) Female Veterans In September 1999, there were 182,000 female Vietnam-era veterans. Their labor force participation rate was 71.1 percent, and their unemployment rate was 1.5 percent. (See table 8.) There were 1.1 million female peacetime veterans at the time of the survey. Their labor force participation and unemployment rates were 83.0 and 4.7 percent, respectively. Eighty-three percent of female peacetime veterans served after the Vietnam era. Among all female veterans, about 7 percent reported having a service- connected disability; their labor force participation rate was 57.6 percent. - 3 - Veterans Recently Discharged from Active Duty A total of 1.2 million veterans were discharged from active duty between 1995 and 1999. Blacks made up 23 percent of the recently discharged veterans. The proportion of recently discharged veterans in the labor force was about the same for blacks (89.3 percent) and whites (93.5 percent). In addition, there was little difference in their unemployment rates, 7.0 and 6.8 percent, respectively. Of those recently discharged, 17 percent were women; their jobless rate was 8.2 percent, compared with 6.6 percent for men. (See table 9.) Technical Note The estimates in this release were obtained from a supplement to the September 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 50,000 households which provides the national data on employment and unemployment. The CPS is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The supplement, which was sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service and Bureau of Labor Statistics and by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, included special questions asked of persons 18 years of age and older regarding their prior service in the Armed Forces and whether they had a service- connected disability. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Reliability of the estimates Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90- percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings. Definitions The definitions underlying the data in this release are as follows: Veteran status is provided from responses to the question, "Did you ever serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces?" Period of service is provided from answers to the question asked of veterans, "When did you serve?" The following service periods are identified: Vietnam era -- February 1961-May 1975 Korean war -- June 1950-January 1955 World War II -- September 1940-July 1947 World War I -- April 1917-November 1918 Peacetime -- All other periods Vietnam-era veterans are those who served anywhere between August 1964 and May 1975, plus those who were in Southeast Asia between February 28, 1961, and August 4, 1964. Vietnam-theater veterans are those who served in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia, or in the nearby waters or airspace between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975. Presence of service-connected disability is provided by answers to the question, "Has the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Department of Defense determined that you have a service-connected disability; that is, a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service?" Effect of service-connected disability on veterans' employment experience is determined by answers to the questions, "Did your service-connected disability ever prevent you from getting or holding a job in the past?" and "Does this disability currently keep you from getting or holding a job?" The first question was asked of all disabled veterans; the second was asked only of those who were either unemployed or not in the labor force. Service-connected disability rating is based on answers to the question, "What is your current service-connected disability rating?" Answers can range from 0 to 100 percent. Ratings are determined from a rating schedule published in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 38, "Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans Relief," Part 4--"Schedule for Rating Disabilities." The rating schedule is "primarily a guide in the evaluations of disability resulting from all types of diseases and injuries encountered as a result of or incident to military service. The percentage ratings represent, as far as can practicably be determined, the average impairment in earnings capacity resulting from such diseases and injuries and their residual conditions in civil occupations." Part 4 contains a listing of hundreds of possible disorders and assigns ratings of 0 through 100 percent in steps of 10 percent for each, with instructions for rating multiple disorders. Use of veterans' education and training programs is based on answers to the question, "Have you ever used any of the following programs?" Under the GI Bill: Education assistance On-the-job training Apprenticeship Montgomery GI Bill or Veterans' Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) VA Vocational Rehabilitation Under U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored programs: Transition Assistance Program (TAP) or Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) Job training Partnership Act (JTPA) or Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) or Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Unemployment office/Job Service/Unemployment Insurance/Veterans' Representatives Table 1. Employment status of men 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, race, and Hispanic origin, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Unemployed Not in Veteran status, period of service, noninsti- labor race, and Hispanic origin tutional Percent force population Total of Employed Percent population Number of labor force TOTAL Total, 18 years and over..................... 95,821 72,770 75.9 70,202 2,568 3.5 23,051 Veterans................................... 23,466 13,876 59.1 13,464 412 3.0 9,590 War veterans............................. 16,195 8,003 49.4 7,770 233 2.9 8,192 Vietnam era............................ 8,116 6,468 79.7 6,293 175 2.7 1,648 Vietnam theater...................... 4,109 3,145 76.5 3,052 93 3.0 964 Outside the Vietnam theater.......... 4,007 3,323 82.9 3,241 81 2.4 684 Other war veterans..................... 8,079 1,535 19.0 1,477 58 3.8 6,544 Peacetime veterans....................... 7,271 5,873 80.8 5,694 179 3.0 1,398 Nonveterans................................ 72,355 58,894 81.4 56,738 2,156 3.7 13,461 White Total, 18 years and over..................... 80,833 61,932 76.6 60,105 1,827 2.9 18,901 Veterans................................... 20,638 12,019 58.2 11,710 310 2.6 8,618 War veterans............................. 14,594 7,201 49.3 7,014 187 2.6 7,393 Vietnam era............................ 7,138 5,769 80.8 5,630 138 2.4 1,370 Vietnam theater...................... 3,573 2,799 78.4 2,715 84 3.0 774 Outside the Vietnam theater.......... 3,566 2,969 83.3 2,915 54 1.8 596 Other war veterans..................... 7,456 1,432 19.2 1,384 48 3.4 6,023 Peacetime veterans....................... 6,044 4,818 79.7 4,696 123 2.5 1,225 Nonveterans................................ 60,195 49,913 82.9 48,396 1,517 3.0 10,282 Black Total, 18 years and over..................... 10,567 7,500 71.0 6,902 598 8.0 3,067 Veterans................................... 2,376 1,538 64.7 1,443 95 6.2 838 War veterans............................. 1,341 655 48.9 611 44 6.8 685 Vietnam era............................ 817 578 70.7 543 35 6.0 239 Vietnam theater...................... 456 295 64.7 286 9 3.0 161 Outside the Vietnam theater.......... 361 283 78.2 257 26 9.2 79 Other war veterans..................... 524 78 14.8 68 10 12.3 446 Peacetime veterans....................... 1,035 883 85.3 832 51 5.8 153 Nonveterans................................ 8,191 5,962 72.8 5,459 503 8.4 2,229 Hispanic origin Total, 18 years and over..................... 10,178 8,359 82.1 7,970 389 4.7 1,819 Veterans................................... 844 590 69.9 580 11 1.8 254 War veterans............................. 511 303 59.2 301 2 .6 209 Vietnam era............................ 304 261 85.6 261 - - 44 Vietnam theater...................... 190 176 92.5 176 - - 14 Outside the Vietnam theater.......... 114 85 74.1 85 - - 30 Other war veterans..................... 207 42 20.2 40 2 (1) 165 Peacetime veterans....................... 333 288 86.5 279 9 3.0 45 Nonveterans................................ 9,333 7,768 83.2 7,390 378 4.9 1,565 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. Information on specific periods of service appears in the Technical Note of this release. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Data for total persons, 18 years and over, and nonveterans reflect revised population controls used in the Current Population Survey effective with January 1999 estimates. Dash represents zero. Table 2. Employment status of men 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and age, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Unemployed Not in Veteran status, period of service, and age noninsti- labor tutional Percent force population Total of Employed Percent population Number of labor force VETERANS Total, 18 years and over..................... 23,466 13,876 59.1 13,464 412 3.0 9,590 18 to 24 years........................... 218 202 92.9 163 39 19.3 16 25 to 34 years........................... 1,865 1,787 95.8 1,741 46 2.6 78 35 to 44 years........................... 2,762 2,513 91.0 2,451 62 2.5 249 45 to 54 years........................... 5,400 4,741 87.8 4,611 130 2.7 659 55 to 64 years........................... 4,486 3,028 67.5 2,960 67 2.2 1,458 65 years and over........................ 8,735 1,605 18.4 1,537 68 4.2 7,130 War veterans(1) Total, 35 years and over..................... 16,195 8,003 49.4 7,770 233 2.9 8,192 35 to 44 years........................... 470 398 84.7 378 21 5.2 72 45 to 54 years........................... 4,928 4,310 87.5 4,190 120 2.8 618 55 to 64 years........................... 2,655 1,855 69.8 1,823 31 1.7 801 65 years and over........................ 8,141 1,440 17.7 1,379 61 4.2 6,701 Vietnam era(1) Total, 35 years and over..................... 8,116 6,468 79.7 6,293 175 2.7 1,648 35 to 44 years........................... 470 398 84.7 378 21 5.2 72 45 to 54 years........................... 4,928 4,310 87.5 4,190 120 2.8 618 55 to 64 years........................... 2,188 1,648 75.3 1,621 27 1.7 540 65 years and over........................ 529 111 21.0 105 6 5.8 418 Vietnam theater Total, 35 years and over..................... 4,109 3,145 76.5 3,052 93 3.0 964 35 to 44 years........................... 119 102 85.6 96 5 5.3 17 45 to 54 years........................... 2,534 2,195 86.6 2,126 69 3.1 339 55 to 64 years........................... 1,131 799 70.7 782 17 2.1 332 65 years and over........................ 326 50 15.3 47 3 (2) 276 Outside the Vietnam theater Total, 35 years and over..................... 4,007 3,323 82.9 3,241 81 2.4 684 35 to 44 years........................... 351 297 84.5 281 15 5.1 55 45 to 54 years........................... 2,394 2,116 88.4 2,064 52 2.4 279 55 to 64 years........................... 1,058 849 80.3 839 11 1.2 209 65 years and over........................ 203 61 30.1 57 4 (2) 142 Other war veterans(1) Total, 55 years and over..................... 8,079 1,535 19.0 1,477 58 3.8 6,544 55 to 64 years........................... 467 207 44.2 203 4 1.8 261 65 years and over........................ 7,612 1,329 17.5 1,274 55 4.1 6,283 Peacetime veterans Total, 18 years and over..................... 7,271 5,873 80.8 5,694 179 3.0 1,398 18 to 24 years........................... 218 202 92.9 163 39 19.3 16 25 to 34 years........................... 1,865 1,787 95.8 1,741 46 2.6 78 35 to 44 years........................... 2,292 2,115 92.3 2,073 42 2.0 177 45 to 54 years........................... 472 430 91.3 421 9 2.2 41 55 to 64 years........................... 1,830 1,173 64.1 1,137 36 3.1 657 65 years and over........................ 594 165 27.8 158 7 3.9 429 NONVETERANS Total, 18 years and over..................... 72,355 58,894 81.4 56,738 2,156 3.7 13,461 18 to 24 years........................... 12,761 9,575 75.0 8,762 814 8.5 3,185 25 to 34 years........................... 16,549 15,425 93.2 14,919 506 3.3 1,124 35 to 44 years........................... 19,310 17,890 92.6 17,440 450 2.5 1,420 45 to 54 years........................... 12,052 10,651 88.4 10,413 239 2.2 1,401 55 to 64 years........................... 6,560 4,489 68.4 4,370 119 2.6 2,072 65 years and over........................ 5,123 864 16.9 835 29 3.4 4,259 1 Because of the aging of the population, there are no longer any Vietnam-era veterans under 35 years of age or any other war veterans under 55 years of age. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. Information on specific periods of service appears in the Technical Note of this release. Data for nonveterans reflect revised population controls used in the Current Population Survey effective with January 1999 estimates. Table 3. Employed men 18 years and over by occupation, veteran status, and period of service, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Percent distribution) Veterans War veterans Nonvet- Occupation Vietnam era Peace- erans Total time Other veterans Total Outside war Total Vietnam the veterans theater Vietnam theater Total, 18 years and over (thousands)........... 13,464 7,770 6,293 3,052 3,241 1,477 5,694 56,738 Percent................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Managerial and professional specialty....... 30.7 33.8 33.6 30.2 36.8 34.8 26.4 29.0 Executive, administrative, and managerial 17.9 20.0 19.5 18.6 20.4 22.4 14.9 15.2 Professional specialty................... 12.8 13.8 14.1 11.7 16.4 12.5 11.5 13.9 Technical, sales, and administrative support 20.5 19.7 19.4 18.3 20.4 21.3 21.5 18.9 Technicians and related support.......... 4.0 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.6 1.4 5.3 2.8 Sales occupations........................ 10.5 11.4 10.4 9.6 11.1 15.7 9.2 11.0 Administrative support, including clerical............................... 6.0 5.2 5.5 5.3 5.7 4.2 7.0 5.2 Service occupations......................... 8.5 7.6 6.9 7.5 6.3 10.3 9.9 9.6 Protective service....................... 4.6 3.6 3.6 4.1 3.2 3.4 6.0 2.4 Other service occupations................ 3.9 4.0 3.3 3.4 3.2 6.9 3.9 7.2 Precision production, craft, and repair..... 19.5 18.5 20.4 21.4 19.5 10.3 20.8 18.7 Mechanics and repairers.................. 8.3 7.2 8.2 8.5 8.0 2.8 9.7 6.0 Construction trades...................... 7.0 7.2 7.7 8.1 7.3 5.0 6.9 8.5 Other precision production, craft, and repair................................. 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.8 4.3 2.5 4.2 4.2 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........ 17.9 16.7 17.2 19.7 14.8 14.9 19.5 19.4 Machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors............................. 5.2 4.7 5.2 6.0 4.4 2.8 5.9 6.7 Transportation and material moving occupations............................ 8.5 8.6 8.3 9.5 7.1 10.0 8.3 6.9 Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers........................... 4.2 3.4 3.7 4.2 3.3 2.2 5.2 5.8 Farming, forestry, and fishing.............. 2.9 3.6 2.5 2.8 2.2 8.4 1.9 4.3 NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. Information on specific periods of service appears in the Technical Note of this release. Data for nonveterans reflect revised population controls used in the Current Population Survey effective with January 1999 estimates. Table 4. Employment status of male veterans 18 years and over by period of service, presence of service-connected disability, and reported disability rating, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Unemployed Not in Period of service, presence of disability, noninsti- labor and reported disability rating tutional Percent force population Total of Employed Percent population Number of labor force VETERANS With service-connected disability............ 2,207 1,004 45.5 968 36 3.6 1,202 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 1,150 637 55.4 609 28 4.4 513 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 436 207 47.5 199 8 4.0 229 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 399 78 19.7 78 € € 320 Disability rating not reported.......... 221 82 37.0 82 - - 139 Without service-connected disability......... 18,763 11,373 60.6 11,030 343 3.0 7,391 Presence of disability not reported.......... 2,496 1,499 60.1 1,466 33 2.2 997 War veterans With service-connected disability............ 1,702 615 36.1 583 32 5.1 1,087 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 826 358 43.3 335 23 6.4 468 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 343 135 39.3 126 8 6.2 208 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 344 67 19.5 67 € (1) 277 Disability rating not reported.......... 189 55 29.2 55 - (1) 134 Without service-connected disability......... 12,817 6,512 50.8 6,325 186 2.9 6,305 Presence of disability not reported.......... 1,676 877 52.3 862 15 1.7 800 Vietnam era With service-connected disability............ 933 521 55.8 496 25 4.8 412 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 458 314 68.5 297 16 5.2 144 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 205 119 57.9 110 8 7.0 86 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 213 55 25.8 55 - (1) 158 Disability rating not reported.......... 57 33 (1) 33 - (1) 24 Without service-connected disability......... 6,214 5,198 83.7 5,063 135 2.6 1,016 Presence of disability not reported.......... 969 749 77.3 734 15 2.0 220 Vietnam theater With service-connected disability............ 654 365 55.8 346 19 5.2 289 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 300 200 66.6 189 11 5.3 100 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 157 92 58.5 83 8 9.1 65 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 160 45 27.8 45 - (1) 116 Disability rating not reported.......... 37 29 (1) 29 - (1) 8 Without service-connected disability......... 2,984 2,409 80.7 2,345 63 2.6 576 Presence of disability not reported.......... 471 371 78.8 360 11 3.0 100 Outside the Vietnam theater With service-connected disability............ 279 155 55.8 150 6 3.8 123 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 158 114 72.2 108 6 5.2 44 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 48 27 (1) 27 - (1) 21 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 52 10 (1) 10 - (1) 42 Disability rating not reported.......... 20 4 (1) 4 - (1) 16 Without service-connected disability......... 3,230 2,789 86.4 2,718 71 2.6 440 Presence of disability not reported.......... 498 378 75.8 374 4 1.1 120 Other war veterans With service-connected disability............ 769 94 12.2 87 7 7.3 675 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 368 44 12.0 38 6 (1) 324 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 138 16 11.6 16 - (1) 122 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 131 12 9.4 12 € (1) 119 Disability rating not reported.......... 132 22 16.5 22 - (1) 110 Without service-connected disability......... 6,603 1,314 19.9 1,262 52 3.9 5,289 Presence of disability not reported.......... 707 128 18.0 128 - - 580 Peacetime veterans With service-connected disability............ 505 390 77.2 385 5 1.2 115 Less than 30 percent disability rating.. 324 280 86.2 275 5 1.7 45 30- to 50- percent disability rating.... 93 72 77.4 72 - (1) 21 60 percent or higher disability rating.. 55 11 (1) 11 - (1) 44 Disability rating not reported.......... 32 27 (1) 27 - (1) 6 Without service-connected disability......... 5,947 4,861 81.7 4,705 156 3.2 1,086 Presence of disability not reported.......... 820 622 75.9 605 17 2.8 197 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." Additional information on periods of service and service-connected disability ratings appears in the Technical Note of this release. Dash represents zero. Table 5. Employed men 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, presence of service-connected disability, and class of worker, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted Percent distribution by class of worker Nonagricultural wage and salary workers Total Agricultural Veteran status, period of service, and employed(1) wage and presence of disability (thousands) Government salary, Total self-employed, Private and unpaid sector State family workers Total Federal and local All veterans................................. 13,464 100.0 70.5 17.8 5.5 12.3 11.7 With service-connected disability.......... 968 100.0 59.6 28.0 15.2 12.8 12.4 Without service-connected disability....... 11,030 100.0 71.1 17.2 4.8 12.4 11.6 War veterans............................... 7,770 100.0 66.8 19.0 6.1 13.0 14.2 With service-connected disability........ 583 100.0 53.3 28.7 14.2 14.6 18.0 Without service-connected disability..... 6,325 100.0 67.6 18.4 5.4 13.0 13.9 Vietnam era.............................. 6,293 100.0 67.9 21.2 7.1 14.1 11.0 With service-connected disability...... 496 100.0 51.4 32.7 16.6 16.1 15.9 Without service-connected disability... 5,063 100.0 69.3 20.4 6.2 14.1 10.3 Vietnam theater........................ 3,052 100.0 68.1 22.6 8.1 14.5 9.3 With service-connected disability.... 346 100.0 49.7 34.4 17.7 16.7 15.9 Without service-connected disability. 2,345 100.0 70.6 21.3 7.1 14.2 8.1 Outside the Vietnam theater............ 3,241 100.0 67.6 19.8 6.1 13.7 12.5 With service-connected disability.... 150 100.0 55.4 28.7 13.9 14.8 15.9 Without service-connected disability. 2,718 100.0 68.3 19.6 5.5 14.1 12.2 Other war veterans....................... 1,477 100.0 62.2 9.9 1.7 8.2 28.0 With service-connected disability...... 87 100.0 63.7 6.2 .5 5.7 30.1 Without service-connected disability... 1,262 100.0 60.8 10.6 1.9 8.7 28.5 Peacetime veterans......................... 5,694 100.0 75.5 16.2 4.8 11.4 8.3 With service-connected disability........ 385 100.0 69.2 26.9 16.8 10.1 3.9 Without service-connected disability..... 4,705 100.0 75.9 15.6 4.0 11.6 8.5 Nonveterans.................................. 56,738 100.0 78.6 10.3 1.8 8.6 11.0 1 Includes veterans who did not report presence of disability. NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." Additional information on periods of service and service-connected disability ratings appears in the Technical Note of this release. Data for nonveterans reflect revised population controls used in the Current Population Survey effective with January 1999 estimates. Table 6. Male veterans 18 years and over by period of service, presence of service-connected disability, and use of veterans' education and training programs, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted Percent distribution Percent reporting use of by reported use of specific programs(2) programs U.S. Department of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Labor-sponsored Total(1) programs Period of service and presence of disability (thousands) Total Used no Used any Veter- program program ans Voca- State GI Educa- tional job Other Bill(3) tional rehabil- service programs Assist- itation offices (5) ance (4) Programs All veterans................................. 23,466 100.0 57.3 42.7 35.7 5.8 1.8 6.3 2.0 With service-connected disability.......... 2,207 100.0 36.7 63.3 49.4 8.4 11.6 11.9 4.4 Without service-connected disability....... 18,763 100.0 55.6 44.4 37.6 6.0 .9 6.2 1.9 War veterans............................... 16,195 100.0 53.2 46.8 41.4 4.7 2.0 5.7 1.6 With service-connected disability........ 1,702 100.0 35.7 64.3 53.9 6.2 10.9 10.2 3.2 Without service-connected disability..... 12,817 100.0 51.1 48.9 43.7 4.9 1.0 5.7 1.6 Vietnam era.............................. 8,116 100.0 50.2 49.8 43.7 5.7 2.5 7.5 2.4 With service-connected disability...... 933 100.0 26.2 73.8 61.4 7.2 14.5 14.1 4.6 Without service-connected disability... 6,214 100.0 48.2 51.8 46.0 6.0 1.0 7.3 2.4 Vietnam theater........................ 4,109 100.0 47.0 53.0 46.2 6.5 3.0 7.6 2.5 With service-connected disability.... 654 100.0 25.9 74.1 61.2 7.0 13.8 13.7 4.0 Without service-connected disability. 2,984 100.0 45.1 54.9 48.6 7.2 1.1 7.2 2.6 Outside the Vietnam theater............ 4,007 100.0 53.4 46.6 41.1 4.8 1.9 7.3 2.3 With service-connected disability.... 279 100.0 26.7 73.3 61.8 7.7 16.0 15.0 5.9 Without service-connected disability. 3,230 100.0 51.0 49.0 43.6 4.9 .9 7.5 2.2 Other war veterans....................... 8,079 100.0 56.3 43.7 39.2 3.7 1.5 3.9 .8 With service-connected disability...... 769 100.0 47.4 52.6 44.8 5.1 6.5 5.4 1.5 Without service-connected disability... 6,603 100.0 53.8 46.2 41.6 3.8 1.0 4.1 .8 Peacetime veterans......................... 7,271 100.0 66.4 33.6 23.0 8.2 1.5 7.5 2.9 With service-connected disability........ 505 100.0 39.9 60.1 34.3 15.8 14.1 17.6 8.4 Without service-connected disability..... 5,947 100.0 65.2 34.8 24.5 8.4 .6 7.4 2.6 1 Includes veterans who did not report presence of disability and/or information on use of programs. 2 The sum of the percentages using specific programs will not equal the percentages for "used any program" because some veterans used more than one program. 3 Includes on-the-job training, not shown separately. 4 Provides such services as job counseling, testing, and employment referral and placement. 5 Includes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP), the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." Additional information on periods of service and service-connected disability ratings appears in the Technical Note of this release. Table 7. Disabled male veterans 18 years and over by period of service, disability rating, and effect of disability on jobholding, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted Disabled veterans Unemployed or not in the labor force Period of service and disability rating Percent whose Total disability (thousands) affected Percent whose past job- Total disability holding (thousands) currently affects job- holding All veterans(1)................................... 2,207 28.2 1,239 34.6 Less than 30 percent disability rating.......... 1,150 17.5 541 13.7 30- to 50- percent disability rating............ 436 29.7 238 28.4 60 percent or higher disability rating.......... 399 60.1 321 79.2 War veterans.................................... 1,702 27.8 1,119 33.3 Less than 30 percent disability rating........ 826 15.6 491 14.0 30- to 50- percent disability rating.......... 343 28.1 216 25.8 60 percent or higher disability rating........ 344 61.0 277 77.4 Vietnam era................................... 933 32.9 437 51.2 Less than 30 percent disability rating...... 458 17.6 161 20.2 30- to 50- percent disability rating........ 205 29.8 95 38.9 60 percent or higher disability rating...... 213 68.0 158 88.0 Vietnam theater............................. 654 32.6 308 49.0 Less than 30 percent disability rating.... 300 16.9 111 12.9 30- to 50- percent disability rating...... 157 35.1 73 (2) 60 percent or higher disability rating.... 160 63.0 116 87.3 Outside the Vietnam theater................. 279 33.4 129 56.4 Less than 30 percent disability rating.... 158 18.9 50 (2) 30- to 50- percent disability rating...... 48 (2) 21 (2) 60 percent or higher disability rating.... 52 (2) 42 (2) Other war veterans............................ 769 21.7 682 21.8 Less than 30 percent disability rating...... 368 13.2 331 11.0 30- to 50- percent disability rating........ 138 25.7 122 15.7 60 percent or higher disability rating...... 131 49.6 119 63.4 Peacetime veterans.............................. 505 29.6 120 47.0 Less than 30 percent disability rating........ 324 22.4 50 (2) 30- to 50- percent disability rating.......... 93 35.6 21 (2) 60 percent or higher disability rating........ 55 (2) 44 (2) 1 Includes veterans who did not report disability rating, as well as those who did not respond to the question on the effect of disability on jobholding. 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Male veterans are men who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are men who have never served in the Armed Forces. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." Additional information on periods of service and service-connected disability ratings appears in the Technical Note of this release. Table 8. Employment status of women 18 years and over by veteran status and period of service, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Unemployed Not in Veteran status and period of service noninsti- labor tutional Percent force population Total of Employed Percent population Number of labor force Total, 18 years and over....................... 104,359 63,301 60.7 60,645 2,656 4.2 41,058 Veterans..................................... 1,538 1,065 69.2 1,018 47 4.4 473 War veterans............................... 454 165 36.3 160 5 2.8 289 Vietnam era.............................. 182 129 71.1 128 2 1.5 52 Vietnam theater........................ 61 47 (1) 47 - (1) 14 Outside the Vietnam theater............ 121 82 68.2 80 2 2.3 38 Other war veterans....................... 272 35 12.9 33 3 (1) 237 Peacetime veterans......................... 1,084 900 83.0 858 42 4.7 184 With service-connected disability.......... 105 60 57.6 60 1 (1) 44 Without service-connected disability....... 1,278 909 71.1 868 41 4.5 369 Presence of disability not reported........ 155 96 61.6 90 5 5.4 60 Nonveterans.................................. 102,821 62,236 60.5 59,627 2,609 4.2 40,585 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Female veterans are women who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Nonveterans are women who have never served in the Armed Forces. A service-connected disability is a health condition or impairment caused or made worse by military service. The associated disability rating, which can range from 0 to 100 percent, is determined from a rating schedule published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, "Title 38." Additional information on periods of service and service-connected disability ratings appears in the Technical Note of this release. Data for total women, 18 years and over, and nonveterans reflect revised population controls used in the Current Population Survey effective with January 1999 estimates. Dash represents zero. Table 9. Employment status of veterans 18 years old and over by year of discharge from the Armed Forces, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, September 1999, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Civilian labor force Civilian Year of discharge, sex, race, noninsti- Employed Unemployed Not in and Hispanic origin tutional Percent labor population Total of force population Percent Percent Total of Number of population labor force TOTAL Prior to 1965................. 9,248 2,618 28.3 2,520 27.3 98 3.7 6,630 1965 to 1974.................. 5,122 4,076 79.6 3,979 77.7 97 2.4 1,046 1975 to 1984.................. 2,641 2,200 83.3 2,144 81.2 57 2.6 441 1985 to 1994.................. 2,805 2,534 90.4 2,472 88.1 62 2.5 271 1995 to 1999.................. 1,197 1,109 92.6 1,033 86.3 76 6.9 89 Year not available............ 3,990 2,403 60.2 2,334 58.5 69 2.9 1,588 Men Prior to 1965................. 8,960 2,536 28.3 2,441 27.2 95 3.7 6,425 1965 to 1974.................. 5,020 4,003 79.8 3,907 77.8 97 2.4 1,016 1975 to 1984.................. 2,344 1,936 82.6 1,884 80.4 52 2.7 407 1985 to 1994.................. 2,397 2,201 91.8 2,159 90.1 41 1.9 196 1995 to 1999.................. 997 946 94.9 884 88.6 63 6.6 51 Year not available............ 3,748 2,253 60.1 2,189 58.4 64 2.8 1,495 Women Prior to 1965................. 288 82 28.5 79 27.6 3 3.3 205 1965 to 1974.................. 102 73 71.3 73 71.3 - (1) 29 1975 to 1984.................. 298 264 88.7 260 87.2 4 1.7 34 1985 to 1994.................. 408 334 81.7 313 76.6 21 6.3 75 1995 to 1999.................. 200 162 81.1 149 74.4 13 8.2 38 Year not available............ 242 150 61.8 144 59.7 5 3.4 93 White Prior to 1965................. 8,622 2,453 28.5 2,367 27.5 86 3.5 6,168 1965 to 1974.................. 4,606 3,703 80.4 3,620 78.6 83 2.2 903 1975 to 1984.................. 2,210 1,839 83.2 1,802 81.5 37 2.0 371 1985 to 1994.................. 2,220 2,001 90.1 1,964 88.5 37 1.8 219 1995 to 1999.................. 881 824 93.5 768 87.1 56 6.8 57 Year not available............ 3,319 1,989 59.9 1,943 58.5 46 2.3 1,330 Black Prior to 1965................. 512 124 24.2 113 22.0 11 9.0 388 1965 to 1974.................. 436 312 71.7 300 68.9 12 3.9 123 1975 to 1984.................. 367 313 85.2 296 80.5 18 5.6 54 1985 to 1994.................. 483 437 90.5 412 85.2 26 5.9 46 1995 to 1999.................. 274 245 89.3 228 83.0 17 7.0 29 Year not available............ 589 355 60.3 332 56.4 23 6.4 234 Hispanic origin Prior to 1965................. 229 66 29.0 66 29.0 - (1) 162 1965 to 1974.................. 163 140 86.0 140 86.0 - - 23 1975 to 1984.................. 106 94 88.9 90 84.7 4 4.7 12 1985 to 1994.................. 137 129 94.4 129 94.4 - - 8 1995 to 1999.................. 64 57 (1) 50 (1) 7 (1) 7 Year not available............ 189 142 75.4 138 73.2 4 2.8 47 1 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000. NOTE: Veterans are men and women who served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, the Korean war, World Wars I and II, and all other service periods. Information on specific periods of service appears in the Technical Note of this release. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Dash represents zero.