The Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs wants to promote the benefits of hiring veterans and teach employers to accommodate some of their unique needs. An upcoming summit is one in a chain of efforts aimed to decrease veteran unemployment.
In 2014, the unemployment rate among post-9-11 veterans was 10 percent, nearly double the state's overall rate. Yet by the end of 2015, the rate among newer veterans dropped to just 1.4 percent.
Deanna Pugh is the director of employment and education for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. She says the state gets some credit for that drop.
"Our IDVA and Indiana National Guard employment team has placed, since 2014, over 1600 of our veterans into employment," Pugh says.
Pugh says there are still barriers for the 1.4 percent who are actively looking for employment. She says this week's summit aims to provide information companies are asking for.
"Where can we find them? What are we looking at with their military culture? Because it's different than the civilian cultures," Pugh says.
Pugh says the summit will include presentations from businesses that have set up veteran organizations within their companies to help new hires adjust to the workplace.