1. OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (ODI)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
August 2013

2. Mission
The mission of the VA diversity and inclusion program is to build a diverse workforce and cultivate an inclusive workplace to deliver the best services to our Nation’s Veterans, their families, and beneficiaries.

3. Vision
VA is a leader in creating and sustaining a high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering employees to achieve superior results in service to our Nation and its Veterans.

4. Values
VA’s diversity and inclusion program adheres to the Department’s core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and
excellence (I CARE).

5. ODI’s Three Goals
1. A Diverse Workforce: Build a diverse, high-performing workforce that reflects all segments of society.
2. An Inclusive Workplace: Cultivate a flexible, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that leverages diversity and empowers all contributors.
3. Outstanding Public Service: Facilitate outstanding, culturally competent public service and stakeholder relations through effective leadership and accountability.
To address these goals, ODI has three teams.

6. Deputy Assistant Secretary
ODI Structure
Workforce Analysis Team
Manages the workforce planning and analysis system, conducts technical assistance and training, creates diversity tools for managers and supervisors, and prepares ad-hoc reports.
Outreach and Retention Team
Develops diversity and affirmative employment policy, manages special emphasis programs, provides guidance on diversity internships, produces a majority of the Department's annual diversity reports, conducts Technical Assistance Reviews (TARs), and facilitates outreach with community and VA supervisors to increase diversity awareness and opportunities.
Georgia Coffey
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Training and Communications Team
Provides diversity and inclusion training (online and onsite), distributes weekly diversity news updates and bimonthly newsletter, produces monthly video news program, and prepares various how-to guides and special reports, and maintains the ODI Web site.

7. Office of Diversity and Inclusion U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
WORKFORCE ANALYSIS
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

8. Functions
Establish strategies and guidance for achieving diversity Department-wide
Workforce planning and analysis
Conducting technical assistance and training
Create analytical applications for managers and supervisors to evaluate diversity initiatives
Prepare ad hoc reports and analysis
Responsible for the collection and analysis of information for the Department's annual EEOC MD 715 report.

9. Workforce/Barrier Analysis
Less than expected participation
Hires
Promotions
Separations
Ethnicity/National Origin/Gender
Veterans/Disabled Veterans
Targeted Disabilities

10. OUTREACH AND RETENTION
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

11. Responsibilities Provide affirmative employment policy
Manage Special Emphasis Programs (SEP)
Advocate use of diverse student internships, training and education
Submit Agency Diversity Reports to the Office of Personnel Management, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and White House Initiatives.
Prepare plans to address identified barriers in employment

12. Responsibilities Cont’d
Prepare correspondence to inform Departmental employees of special events and initiatives
Conduct Technical Assistance Reviews (TARs)
Create partnerships with Affinity Organizations
Support Affinity groups at National Conferences
Provide training in Reasonable Accommodations and Schedule A.

13. Special Emphasis Programs
Federal Women’s Program
Disability Employment Program
Hispanic Employment Program
Black or African-American Program
Asian American and Pacific Islander Program
American Indian and Alaska Native Program
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) Program

14. Annual Reports/Plans Management Directive 715 (MD-715)
Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP)
Hispanic Employment Program (HEP)
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI)
Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) which includes Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI)

15. Diversity Recruitment Outreach, Development, and Retention Initiatives
Reasonable Accommodation Centralized Fund
Reasonable Accommodation Tracking System
Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students and Recent Graduates with Disabilities Centralized Fund
Secretary’s 3% Hiring Goal for Persons with Targeted Disabilities
The fund operates on a reimbursable basis: offices purchase the accommodation and apply to ODI for reimbursement.
The fund, used to reimburse offices that have paid for any approved reasonable accommodation requests, significantly reduces potential barriers to equal opportunity for people with disabilities within the workforce.
ODI refunded over 85 thousand dollars for reasonable accommodations in fiscal year 2010, the inaugural year, and is expecting to receive a higher volume of requests this fiscal year.
Additionally, the fund can be used to reimburse the cost of reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities to attend suitable training opportunities, including career development training such as Leadership VA and the LEAD programs
ODI is currently working with the Administrations and a contractor to customize a reasonable accommodation (RA) tracking system that will allow VA to track and report various facets of the reasonable accommodation process.
When completed, the system will allow ODI to track all information required by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including the timeliness of decisions and provision of the reasonable accommodation.

16. Diversity Recruitment Outreach, Development, and Retention Initiatives Cont’d
National Diversity Internship Program
Diversity Training
Workforce Barrier Analyses
SES Performance Element
Corporate Outreach and Recruitment Strategic Planning Work Group (CORSPWG)

17. TRAINING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

18. Training Program
Consultant services for VA clients nationwide seeking customized diversity and inclusion training
Diversity and inclusion training for:
New VACO supervisors
VA managers and supervisors
VA leadership development program candidates
VA Senior Executive Service members and title 38 equivalents
At request of VA organizations, ad hoc training customized to their specialized D&I needs

19. Communications Products
External Web site
NewsLink
newsletter
Diversity News video

20. ODI Web site www.diversity.va.gov
Internet site housing:
Laws and regulations
Policies and directives such as VA’s EEO Policy
VA’s Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion
EEOC Management Directive 715 software and reports
Other EEOC reports and resources
newsletter
Diversity News video
Diversity calendar
Diversity organizations
Guidance from National SEPMs
Diversity, Inclusion, and EEO Training
National Diversity Internship program information

21. NewsLink
Summaries and links to recent diversity-related articles, research reports, or other publications gathered from a variety of online sources that help managers and staff step outside of VA
Monthly production; distributed Wednesdays
Distributed via to subscribers
8,000 current subscribers
Approx. 97 percent internal to VA
Approx. 3 percent external to VA
with the words “Subscribe News” in the subject line to subscribe

22. Diversity@Work Newsletter
Diversity news, calendar events, highlights of special activities, and information on practical tools that help managers and staff promote workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion
Monthly production
Distribution:
Published electronically (
Distributed via to subscribers
Approx. 8,000 current subscribers
Approx. 98 percent internal to VA
Approx. 2 percent external to VA

23. Diversity News Video
15-minute video program on diversity and EEO news, studies, surveys, interviews, book abstracts, training seminars, special emphasis issues, events, and activities
Bi-monthly production with support of Employee Education System studio and staff
Distribution:
VA Knowledge Network Communications Channel 2 (immediately following VA News)
ODI Web site (
DVDs (by special request)

24. Secretary’s Programs VA Diversity Council
Corporate advisory body established in 2008
ODI provides technical and administrative support to Council
Co-Chairs manage, monitor, coordinate SMC or ELB assignments to Council
Council charter approved by Secretary on March 23, 2010
Vehicle to call for annual performance and accomplishments in alignment with VA’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
Secretary’s Diversity and Inclusion Annual Awards Program
A panel of VA Diversity Council members review and rank nominations

25. QUESTIONS? Office of Diversity and Inclusion
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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