The "VERY Act of 2025" modernizes language in veteran employment laws by replacing outdated terms like "employment handicap" with "employment barrier."
Donald Davis
Representative
NC-1
The Veterans Employment Readiness Yield Act of 2025, or VERY Act of 2025, updates terminology in Title 38 of the United States Code. It replaces the terms "employment handicap" with "employment barrier" and "employment handicaps" with "employment barriers" to modernize language related to veteran employment.
Word Swap for Vets: VERY Act Updates 'Employment Handicap' to 'Employment Barrier' in Federal Law
Okay, let's break down the VERY Act of 2025. This one's pretty straightforward: it changes some specific words used in federal law regarding veteran employment. Specifically, Section 2 targets Title 38 of the U.S. Code, which deals with veterans' benefits, including employment support.
A Quick Find-and-Replace
The core action here is simple: the bill directs a terminology update. Everywhere the phrase "employment handicap" or "employment handicaps" currently appears in Title 38, it will be replaced with "employment barrier" or "employment barriers." That's it. No new programs, no funding changes, just swapping out one term for another in the official language used for veteran employment services.
While it seems like a minor edit, language matters. The shift from "handicap" to "barrier" reflects a move towards more modern, person-first language. The idea is likely to frame employment challenges for veterans not as inherent limitations ("handicaps"), but as obstacles ("barriers") that can potentially be addressed or overcome with the right support. It's a subtle change on paper, but it could influence how government programs talk about and approach veteran employment issues, aiming for a less stigmatizing and more empowering framework.