Veterans (Veteran Employment)

HB 3428 requires Oklahoma employers with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees to display a veterans benefits poster in the workplace. The poster, created by the Oklahoma Department of Labor in collaboration with the Division of Veterans Services, must list specific resources including mental health services, education programs, tax benefits, veteran driver licenses, unemployment insurance eligibility, legal aid, and the VA Crisis Line contact. Employers must display the poster in a conspicuous location accessible to all employees. The law takes effect November 1, 2026, and directly affects large employers statewide by mandating clear access to veteran support services.

SB 723 updates Oklahoma law to clarify which positions at the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs are exempt from standard civil service rules. It adds 11 specific healthcare and administrative roles - including physician assistants, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and Veterans Center administrators - to the list of exempt positions. The bill removes outdated references to previous exemption methods and confirms existing exempt positions remain unaffected. This change takes effect November 1, 2025.

SB 242 creates Oklahoma's Veterans Entering Teaching (VET) Program, providing tuition and mandatory fee assistance to veterans discharged honorably from the U.S. Armed Forces who enroll in approved teacher preparation programs at Oklahoma colleges or universities. To qualify, veterans must commit to teaching in an Oklahoma public school district for three consecutive years after earning their degree. The program covers tuition and fees for degree completion (up to $2 million annually) but requires veterans to exhaust federal education benefits first and prohibits overlapping with another teacher training program. Failure to meet the teaching commitment requires repayment calculated based on months missed, with hardship waivers available.