Blind vets want AbilityOne priority at VA

      Thomas Zampieri, president of the Blinded Veterans Association, said the group is endorsing HR4920 to restore, at the Veterans Affairs Dept., longstanding AbilityOne procurement preferences for non-profit contractors hiring blind and disabled people.

      Until recently AbilityOne vendors were awarded about $200 million a year from the VA, supporting hundreds of jobs for blind and disabled people.

      "The unemployment rate among blind veterans is 45%," Zampieri said at a Feb. 26 congressional hearing. HR4920 "is going to help," he said.

      The Supreme Court recently deemed that Congress, in passing a 2006 law creating VA’s procurement preferences for small firms owned by veterans (including service-disabled), intentionally overruled AbilityOne preferences in place under a 1939 law. HR4920 backers say Congress did not intend to override AbilityOne at VA.

More information:
Video of Joint SVAC and HVAC Legislative Presentation of Multiple Verterans Service Organizations: https://bit.ly/2W7YvEu

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