60-300.2—Definitions.
For the purpose of this part:
(a)
Act means the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4212.
(b)
Equal opportunity clause means the contract provisions set forth in § 60-300.5, “Equal opportunity clause.”
(c)
Secretary means the Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor, or his or her designee.
(d)
Deputy Assistant Secretary means the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Contract Compliance of the United States Department of Labor, or his or her designee.
(f)
United States, as used in this part, shall include the several States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Wake Island.
(g)
Recruiting and training agency means any person who refers workers to any contractor, or who provides or supervises apprenticeship or training for employment by any contractor.
(i)
Government contract means any agreement or modification thereof between any contracting agency and any person for the purchase, sale or use of personal property or nonpersonal services (including construction). The term Government contract does not include agreements in which the parties stand in the relationship of employer and employee, and federally assisted contracts.
(1)
Modification means any alteration in the terms and conditions of a contract, including supplemental agreements, amendments and extensions.
(2)
Contracting agency means any department, agency, establishment or instrumentality of the United States, including any wholly owned Government corporation, which enters into contracts.
(3)
Person, as used in this paragraph (i) and paragraph (l) of this section, means any natural person, corporation, partnership or joint venture, unincorporated association, state or local government, and any agency, instrumentality, or subdivision of such a government.
(4)
Nonpersonal services, as used in this paragraph (i) and paragraph (l) of this section, includes, but is not limited to, the following: Utility, construction, transportation, research, insurance, and fund depository.
(5)
Construction, as used in this paragraph (i) and paragraph (l) of this section, means the construction, rehabilitation, alteration, conversion, extension, demolition, or repair of buildings, highways, or other changes or improvements to real property, including facilities providing utility services. The term also includes the supervision, inspection, and other on-site functions incidental to the actual construction.
(6)
Personal property, as used in this paragraph (i) and paragraph (l) of this section, includes supplies and contracts for the use of real property (such as lease arrangements), unless the contract for the use of real property itself constitutes real property (such as easements).
(j)
Contractor means, unless otherwise indicated, a prime contractor or subcontractor holding a contract of $100,000 or more.
(k)
Prime contractor means any person holding a contract of $100,000 or more, and, for the purposes of subpart D of this part, “General Enforcement and Complaint Procedures,” includes any person who has held a contract subject to the Act.
(l)
Subcontract means any agreement or arrangement between a contractor and any person (in which the parties do not stand in the relationship of an employer and an employee):
(1)
For the purchase, sale or use of personal property or nonpersonal services (including construction) which, in whole or in part, is necessary to the performance of any one or more contracts; or
(2)
Under which any portion of the contractor's obligation under any one or more contracts is performed, undertaken, or assumed.
(m)
Subcontractor means any person holding a subcontract of $100,000 or more and, for the purposes of subpart D of this part, “General Enforcement and Complaint Procedures,” any person who has held a subcontract subject to the Act.
(1)
A veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or
(2)
A person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
(o)
Qualified disabled veteran means a disabled veteran who has the ability to perform the essential functions of the employment position with or without reasonable accommodation.
(p)
Other protected veteran means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
(q)
Recently separated veteran means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service.
(r)
Armed Forces service medal veteran means any veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985 ( 61 FR 1209 ).
(s) Essential functions—
(1) In general.
The term essential functions means fundamental job duties of the employment position the disabled veteran holds or desires. The term essential functions does not include the marginal functions of the position.
(2)
A job function may be considered essential for any of several reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
(i)
The function may be essential because the reason the position exists is to perform that function;
(ii)
The function may be essential because of the limited number of employees available among whom the performance of that job function can be distributed; and/or
(iii)
The function may be highly specialized so that the incumbent in the position is hired for his or her expertise or ability to perform the particular function.
(i)
Modifications or adjustments to a job application process that enable a qualified applicant who is a disabled veteran to be considered for the position such applicant desires; 1 or
Code of Federal Regulations
Footnote(s): 1 A contractor's duty to provide a reasonable accommodation with respect to applicants who are disabled veterans is not limited to those who ultimately demonstrate that they are qualified to perform the job in issue. Disabled veteran applicants must be provided a reasonable accommodation with respect to the application process if they are qualified with respect to that process (e.g., if they present themselves at the correct location and time to fill out an application).
(ii)
Modifications or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed, that enable a qualified disabled veteran to perform the essential functions of that position; or
(iii)
Modifications or adjustments that enable the contractor's employee who is a disabled veteran to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by the contractor's other similarly situated employees who are not disabled veterans.
(i)
Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by disabled veterans; and
(ii)
Job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules; reassignment to a vacant position; acquisition or modifications of equipment or devices; appropriate adjustment or modifications of examinations, training materials, or policies; the provision of qualified readers or interpreters; and other similar accommodations for disabled veterans.
(3)
To determine the appropriate reasonable accommodation it may be necessary for the contractor to initiate an informal, interactive process with the qualified disabled veteran in need of the accommodation. 2 This process should identify the precise limitations resulting from the disability and potential reasonable accommodations that could overcome those limitations. (Appendix A of this part provides guidance on a contractor's duty to provide reasonable accommodation.)
Code of Federal Regulations
Footnote(s): 2 Contractors must engage in such an interactive process with a disabled veteran, whether or not a reasonable accommodation ultimately is identified that will make the person a qualified individual. Contractors must engage in the interactive process because, until they have done so, they may be unable to determine whether a reasonable accommodation exists that will result in the person being qualified.
(u) Undue hardship—
(1)
In general. Undue hardship means, with respect to the provision of an accommodation, significant difficulty or expense incurred by the contractor, when considered in light of the factors set forth in paragraph (u)(2) of this section.
(2) Factors to be considered.
In determining whether an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the contractor, factors to be considered include:
(i)
The nature and net cost of the accommodation needed, taking into consideration the availability of tax credits and deductions, and/or outside funding;
(ii)
The overall financial resources of the facility or facilities involved in the provision of the reasonable accommodation, the number of persons employed at such facility, and the effect on expenses and resources;
(iii)
The overall financial resources of the contractor, the overall size of the business of the contractor with respect to the number of its employees, and the number, type and location of its facilities;
(iv)
The type of operation or operations of the contractor, including the composition, structure and functions of the work force of such contractor, and the geographic separateness and administrative or fiscal relationship of the facility or facilities in question to the contractor; and
(v)
The impact of the accommodation upon the operation of the facility, including the impact on the ability of other employees to perform their duties and the impact on the facility's ability to conduct business.
(v)
Qualification standards means the personal and professional attributes including the skill, experience, education, physical, medical, safety and other requirements established by the contractor as requirements which an individual must meet in order to be eligible for the position held or desired.
(w)
Direct threat means a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation. The determination that a disabled veteran poses a direct threat shall be based on an individualized assessment of the individual's present ability to perform safely the essential functions of the job. This assessment shall be based on a reasonable medical judgment that relies on the most current medical knowledge and/or on the best available objective evidence. In determining whether an individual would pose a direct threat, the factors to be considered include:
(x)
Compliance evaluation means any one or combination of actions OFCCP may take to examine a Federal contractor's or subcontractor's compliance with one or more of the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.
(y)
Employment service delivery system means a service delivery system at which or through which labor exchange services, including employment, training, and placement services, are offered in accordance with the Wagner-Peyser Act.
(z)
Veteran means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service of the United States, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.