West Nyack Organization Helps Veterans Find Jobs

One supporter of Senator David Carlucci’s bill to give employers incentives to hire veterans heads up a company that creates employment programs for veterans.

Be A Hero Hire A Hero CEO Jeff Klare said, “We at ‘Be A Hero’ support this bill 110 percent.”

Klare attended Carlucci’s introduction on Friday of comprehensive legislation designed to help unemployed and returning veterans find jobs. He said the bill is critical and without it many returning veterans will find themselves unemployed.  The proposed legislation, Jobs for Heroes, would provide economic incentives and allow employers to receive tax credits for each veteran they hire.

West Nyack-based Be A Hero Hire A Hero started five years ago and assisted more than 3,000 veterans across the country with finding employment. 

“We work with vets across the State of New York in partnership with the New York State Department of Labor,” explained Klare. “So we put together employment programs to make sure that the young men and women returning or who have returned do have the skill sets necessary to partner with a corporation to get a career not just a job.”

He said the importance of having work cannot be overstated.

“Having a job is about who you are as a person,” said Klare. 

The proposed legislation applies to veterans who were discharged after 9/11 and unemployed for six months or longer. The tax credit would take effect after the veteran has been employed for one year and would be equal to 10 percentage of the gross annual salary. 

The allowed tax credit for each non service-disabled veteran would be up to $10,000 and up to $15,000 for each newly hired service-disabled veteran. Companies could receive a tax credit for each new veteran. The bill would not limit the number of tax credits.  

Klare said Be A Hero is a for-profit business that does not accept any government funds. In addition to its website veterans can contact the company through their Veterans Service Officer or 800-238-5373 to find out more about their services.