President Obama signed an executive order late Monday evening that aims to hire veterans into the federal government. The order creates for the first time an interagency council that will track veteran employment and report to the White House. The new Council on Veteran's Employment will serve as a federal employment agency for veterans, helping them in real settings rather than only with loosely enforced preference rules. The Council will require Veteran Employment Agencies in 24 executive branch divisions and will both help veterans get hired, and measure how well each department does. The Department of Homeland Security has already moved to improve its hiring of veterans, holding a job fair and setting new hiring goals.
See "With jobs order, Obama gives veterans more to celebrate", Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, November 10, 2009