Why Employing Veterans and Military Spouses Matters: Veterans Guardian Leads by Example

America’s military men and women make extraordinary sacrifices in service to their country. When they transition to civilian life, whether as veterans themselves or as the spouses who stood beside them through deployments, relocations and long separations, they bring with them a depth of experience that most workplaces rarely encounter.

Yet too many of these talented people struggle to find meaningful employment. Veterans Guardian, a veteran-founded disability claim consulting firm, has built its entire organization around a different philosophy in that hiring from the military community isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s smart business.

The Scale of the Opportunity and the Problem

The U.S. military community represents a vast and largely underutilized talent pool. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 8.3 million veterans were part of the U.S. labor force as of early 2025, and the veterans’ unemployment rate of 3.0% actually runs below the national nonveteran rate of 3.9%. Those numbers tell a success story in some respects, but they don’t capture the full picture.

Military spouses face a much steeper climb. Research from the National Military Spouse Network puts the military spouse unemployment rate at 21%, which is a figure that has remained statistically unchanged for nearly a decade and sits significantly above the national average. Frequent relocations due to Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, the demands of solo parenting during deployments, professional licensing challenges across state lines and the scarcity of affordable childcare all compound to make sustained employment nearly impossible for many spouses.

The consequences extend well beyond individual households. Federal News Network has reported that the estimated annual social cost of military spouse unemployment ranges from $710 million to $1.07 billion when accounting for increased dependence on social services, mental health strain and workforce underutilization.

Addressing this issue isn’t just good for military families. It’s good for the country.

What Veterans Bring to the Workplace

Veterans don’t just arrive with a resume. They arrive with a proven track record of performing under pressure.

The leadership, discipline and adaptability developed through military service translate directly into workplace value that’s difficult to replicate through civilian training programs.

Military branches invest heavily in leadership development at every rank and then put those skills to the test in high-stakes environments. Veterans have managed teams, made rapid decisions with incomplete information and held themselves accountable for outcomes that affected the lives of others. Research backed by Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families found that veterans’ military experience positively correlates with the cognitive ability to evaluate evolving situations and act effectively in the face of uncertainty, which is a skill in high demand across virtually every industry.

Veterans are also accustomed to mastering new technologies quickly, working within diverse teams and thriving amid organizational change. Employers surveyed through Hiring Our Heroes consistently cite work ethic, leadership, adaptability, versatility and adherence to a strong ethical code as top reasons for prioritizing military talent. As one Arconic executive put it, veterans understand that in the armed forces, there are no awards given for second place, and that’s a mindset that carries over into civilian careers.

Military spouses bring their own complementary strengths:

• They’ve demonstrated resilience navigating frequent moves, managing households independently and rebuilding professional networks from scratch in new communities.
• They tend to be resourceful self-starters who’ve learned to adapt quickly.

These are qualities that make them highly effective contributors in flexible, fast-paced work environments.

The Business Case Is Clear

Beyond the intangible benefits, there’s a compelling financial case for hiring from the military community. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) provides tax benefits ranging from $2,400 to $9,600 per veteran hired, depending on the individual’s circumstances and length of employment. Additional VA programs, including on-the-job training subsidies and the Special Employer Incentive program, can further offset onboarding and training costs.

Then there’s retention. Veterans tend to be loyal employees who stay with organizations longer than average, which reduces recruitment and training costs over time. The Department of Labor’s employer guide notes that enlistment standards are among the most rigorous of any institution, meaning employers who hire veterans are drawing from a pool already screened for discipline, character and aptitude. Approximately 180,000 service members separate annually from the military, representing a continuous pipeline of skilled talent entering the civilian workforce.

For companies genuinely committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, hiring from the military community also strengthens workplace culture. Veterans have served alongside people from every background and region of the country and the world. That breadth of experience fosters cultural sensitivity, open-mindedness and a team-first mentality that elevates the performance of entire organizations.

Veterans Guardian Walks the Talk

Veterans Guardian was founded in 2017 with a clear mission to provide veterans with expert pre-filing consulting guidance as they navigate the VA disability claims process. But the company’s commitment to the veteran community doesn’t stop at its services. It’s woven into the fabric of how Veterans Guardian operates.

Approximately 62% of Veterans Guardian’s staff are veterans or military spouses. That’s not a talking point. It’s a structural reflection of the company’s belief that the people best equipped to help veterans are those who’ve lived the military experience or supported someone who has.

The company has earned federal recognition through the HIRE Vets Medallion Award, a Department of Labor recognition granted to employers who demonstrate outstanding efforts in veteran recruitment, employment and retention.

Veterans Guardian has also received repeated Military Friendly Employer designations, further cementing its standing as a workplace that doesn’t just thank veterans for their service. It actively builds careers around them. As noted in the SF Examiner, the company sees its veteran-first staffing model as a competitive advantage, not a charitable gesture. The insight, empathy and firsthand knowledge that veterans and military spouses bring to disability claim consulting are simply irreplaceable.

A Call to Action for Employers Everywhere

Veterans Guardian’s model offers a blueprint that employers across every sector can learn from. The military community represents one of the most disciplined, mission-driven and high-performing talent pools in the country, and too many businesses are overlooking it.

Hiring veterans and military spouses isn’t a favor extended to those who served. It’s a strategic decision that brings measurable benefits: stronger leadership pipelines, higher retention rates, tax incentives and a workforce culture grounded in accountability and teamwork. As the 2024 DoD Active Duty Spouse Survey found, when a spouse supports their service member staying in the military, that member is seven times more likely to remain in service. In other words, supporting military spouse employment doesn’t just benefit businesses. It strengthens the all-volunteer force that protects the nation. Veterans Guardian has demonstrated that building a veteran-first workplace is achievable and advantageous. By prioritizing the military community in hiring decisions, companies can do well and do good at the same time by honoring the sacrifices of service while building stronger organizations in the process.