Operation PAVE FAQs

Corporate Investors’ Frequently Asked Questions

 
What is Operation PAVE?

An innovative, public-private partnership between Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and our corporate partners who share a commitment to ending rampant unemployment in the disabled veteran community. The program employs a non-traditional approach to vocational intervention and rehabilitation.
 
How many veterans do you currently serve?

Our national caseload currently totals 1226 clients, including over 162 veterans who have served in OEF/OIF.

How many have you helped to obtain employment?

We have successfully placed over 200 hard-to-place clients in life-enhancing vocational pursuits, with over 120 of those in gainful employment. Those not employed have found vocational enrichment through post-secondary education, entrepreneurships, internships, nonpaid experience/volunteer opportunities, and other “access paving” activities.
 
Are your services available only to paralyzed veterans?

No. Our services are offered to any veteran, regardless of disability status. We also offer our services to the caregivers and family members of veterans who have been largely underserved by state and federal vocational rehabilitation programs.

How does your program differ from traditional vocational rehabilitation services?

In addition to providing vocational rehabilitation services to the spouses and children of veterans, Operation PAVE differs on two other fronts. One, our services tackle the challenge of finding jobs for the most difficult-to-place segments of the veteran demographic. Two, our clients receive expert support in VA benefits and health care as a part of their vocational rehabilitation package.

Where are the Operation PAVE offices located?

We have six offices, all collocated with VA Spinal Cord Injury Centers, in Richmond, VA; Augusta GA; San Antonio, TX; Long Beach, CA; Minneapolis, MN; and Boston, MA. Each office covers about eight to ten neighboring states in the region.

How is Operation PAVE funded?

We have received monetary support from 49 corporate partners with seven sponsoring an office. Each office requires an annual operating budget of approximately $135,000. Our office space is provided as an in-kind donation from VA, totaling approximately $78,000 in value. We also participate in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Ticket to Work program, which gives service providers monetary incentives to assist SSA beneficiaries with finding gainful employment.

How are those funds spent?

The majority of the funding pays the salaries/benefits for the Master's-level certified rehabilitation counselors working in each office. A significant portion of the budget also funds travel to the states within each office’s multi-state jurisdiction as well as expos, job fairs, and training events around the country. The remaining revenues go toward office operations, administrative costs, and outreach efforts.

Does your program work with other vocational rehabilitation agencies and organizations?

Yes. Our PAVE counselors will utilize resources offered by or collaborate with any other jobs program that might present the most efficient path to vocational enrichment and economic self-sufficiency for veterans, from state agencies to the Wounded Warrior Project to the VA Vocational Rehabilitation & Education.

How does an investment in Operation PAVE help my company?

The "blended value" of an investment in Operation PAVE runs along both qualitative and quantitative socioeconomic dimensions. To the cost-benefit question, your dollars are directly applied to core activities that result in the concrete, measurable impact of helping chronically unemployed and catastrophically disabled veterans become self-sufficient participants in the economy. Their unique stories also highlight your company's stake in taking care of veterans, a virtue that garners immense, immeasurable social value in the eyes of the cross-section of consumers who support veterans. To date, forty-nine corporations have recognized the tangible and reputational benefits accrued to their businesses through an investment in Operation PAVE.

Join our roll call of loyal corporate partners!