The 4+1 Commitment: VA’s pledge to support military spouse employment  

As part of our ongoing effort to support the hiring of military spouses, VA recently became the first federal agency to sign the 4+1 Commitment in support of policies aimed at helping military spouses find meaningful employment.

Developed by Blue Star Families, Hiring Our Heroes and Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), the 4+1 Commitment is a voluntary pledge by employers to adopt at least 1 of 4 important employment policies designed to expand employment and career opportunities for military spouses:

1. Facilitate job transferability.
2. Offer remote or telework options.
3. Offer flexible work hours.
4. Provide paid or permissive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) leave.

Through our Veteran and Military Spouse Talent Engagement Program (VMSTEP), we maintain our ongoing efforts to being a leader in developing and implementing military spouse-friendly policies and agencies.

VMSTEP provides employment readiness assistance and support while advocating the use of special hiring authorities, employment programs, and retention strategies to position VA as the employer of choice for Veterans and military spouses. 

Through VMSTEP, and through our participation in the 4+1 Commitment, we’re taking actionable steps to reduce military spouse unemployment and underemployment rates, thus contributing to stability of military families.

Work at VA

Visit VA Careers now to learn more about how we’ve embraced the 4+1 Commitment and how our VMSTEP team offers resources to help military spouses find employment on our team.