Skills & Careers
Massachusetts has formally seated a new Veterans Employment Opportunities Commission, a five-member panel charged with identifying the barriers veterans face in finding civilian work, and said 32 businesses are now certified or have pledged to become state-recognized Veteran Ready Businesses. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration announced both steps on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The 32 figure counts participating employers, not job openings. The state did not say how many veterans the participating companies plan to hire, and the program does not require a hiring quota.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll swore in the commission members during the Edge4Vets fall workshop at the University of Massachusetts Boston, according to the governor’s office. She was joined by Veterans Services Secretary Eric Goralnick and officials from the state’s economic development and labor and workforce development offices.
What the commission is supposed to do
The administration said the commission, established under state law, brings together government, business, education and veteran representatives to identify barriers to employment and strengthen career opportunities for veterans. It will examine workforce challenges, including potential employment discrimination based on veteran status, and report recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Services in an annual report each March. The release did not say when the first report is due beyond that annual schedule.
The five members named Wednesday are Tom LaRose, director of the Veteran Education, Employment and Training (VEET) Office at the Executive Office of Veterans Services and an Army veteran, who will chair the panel; David Abdoo, chief of staff and chief administrative officer at MassDevelopment; state Sen. John J. Cronin, an Army veteran who represents the Worcester and Middlesex District; Joseph B. Fuller, a Harvard Business School professor who co-leads its Managing the Future of Work initiative; and Jooyi Ryan, an employment coordinator with the VA Boston Veteran Readiness and Employment Program and a Coast Guard veteran. Christopher Mills, a Local Veterans Employment Representative at MassHire, was named an ad hoc member, and the state said more ad hoc members will be named later.
“Veterans represent one of the best pools of talent available in the Commonwealth, but too often face barriers that inhibit their career prospects,” Fuller said in the release.
What a Veteran Ready Business commits to
The Veteran Ready Business designation is a free state certification run by the VEET Office. According to the state’s program pages, any business registered in Massachusetts can apply. Applicants must submit a certificate of good standing from the state Department of Revenue, sign the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve statement of support, and commit to attending at least one veteran hiring event in the state each year. Certification must be renewed every two years.
In return, the state notifies participating employers of veteran hiring events, provides a veteran employee resource sheet, and shares the companies’ job opportunities with veterans. The release said participants span construction, manufacturing, health care, IT, consulting, logistics, supply chain management and transportation.
The state’s public list of certified businesses showed 20 companies when checked Thursday, Oct. 29, with join dates from 2023 to 2026. They include Draper in Cambridge, Commodore Builders in Newton, Graybar Electric, Nagarro, Ballard Truck Centers in Worcester and WIN Waste Innovations. The release’s count of 32 also includes companies that have pledged to certify but are not yet listed. A few listed employers give headquarters outside Massachusetts, including in Maine, New Hampshire and New Jersey.
Why it matters for job seekers
For veterans leaving the service, the practical value of the program is a curated set of employers that have agreed to attend veteran hiring events and whose openings the state will circulate. A few entries on the certified list include direct application contacts. The program does not guarantee interviews or positions.
The announcement also pointed to related state measures: an expanded Vet-Hire Tax Credit for small businesses that hire veterans under the HERO Act, a new tax credit for businesses that hire active National Guard members, and the elimination of apprenticeship registration renewal fees for veterans in July. Veterans also receive priority access to MassHire employment and training services, the administration said.
The release cited an estimate that about 200,000 veterans transition out of the military nationwide each year. That is a national figure, not a Massachusetts count.
Sources
- Office of Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, “Governor Healey Announces Veterans Employment Opportunities Commission, Highlights Growing Number of Veteran Ready Businesses in Massachusetts,” October 28, 2026. https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-announces-veterans-employment-opportunities-commission-highlights-growing-number-of-veteran-ready-businesses-in-massachusetts
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services, VEET Office, “Certified Veteran Ready Businesses,” accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/certified-veteran-ready-businesses
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services, VEET Office, “Veteran Ready Business Program FAQs,” accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/veteran-ready-business-program-faqs
- Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services, VEET Office, “How to become a Veteran Ready Business (VRB),” accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/how-to-become-a-veteran-ready-business-vrb
Featured photo: The Campus Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Feb. 8, 2011. The Veterans Employment Opportunities Commission was sworn in at a UMass Boston workshop on Oct. 28, 2026; this is not a photo of that event. Photo: Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Cropped from the original.
