The Moreno Valley City Council added veterans to a line-up of business-friendly incentive programs at the May 7 Council meeting. With the City Council’s approval of the Hire a MoVal Veteran program, businesses are now eligible to receive up to $5,000 for hiring Moreno Valley veterans.
“Moreno Valley veterans play a vital role in the City’s Economic Development strategy,” said Mayor Dr. Yxstian A. Gutierrez. “With every Federal dollar veterans spend in the community on housing, education, food or entertainment, they are contributing to our local economy.”
The Hire a MoVal Veteran program is part of the City’s overall Hire MoVal program and allows businesses to receive $1,000 per each veteran they hire for up to five (5), new veteran employees. Businesses must have an active business license, be located in the City of Moreno Valley, and retain the employee for at least six months for a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Participants must be a Moreno Valley resident, have served a minimum of 90 days, have received an honorable discharge, and prove they were released from active duty under honorable conditions by providing DD-214 discharge papers. Additional details and enrollment forms are available online at www.moval.org/hiremoval.
The program is modeled after the City’s Hire a Grad program, which allows businesses to receive a similar incentive for hiring local graduates. Both programs are now available to Moreno Valley businesses.
“This program was brought forth by Council Member Karla Thornton of District 2, who is also a veteran,” said Mayor Gutierrez. “Hire a MoVal Veteran is a meaningful way for the City to acknowledge businesses that hire those who have given so much to our country and community.”
“The Hire a MoVal Veteran and MoVal Vets programs illustrate how Moreno Valley is taking the lead in supporting our veterans. We are becoming the best city in the Inland Empire for veterans to live,” said Council Member Thornton. “We want to create pathways for returning vets and their families to integrate back into our community and thrive with the City’s veteran initiatives.”
Hire a MoVal Veteran adds to a host of veteran-friendly programs, which the City offers through MoVal Vets, an umbrella program that provides access to services for veteran job seekers and veteran-owned small business.
MoVal Vets offers programs such as the Hire MoVal Veteran Jobseekers List, career assessments, job boards, Job Skill Testing, a digital computer lab, educational opportunities and career workshops like LinkedIn for Veterans and the LevelUp Certificate program. The City recently launched LinkedIn Learning for Veterans, which allows veterans and their spouses to receive a one (1) year subscription to LinkedIn Learning, an online platform for users to access digital learning content. Please visit the Moreno Valley Employment Resource Center at 12625 Frederick Street, Suite K-2, in the TownGate Center, or connect online at www.moval.org/erc for additional information.
MoVal Vets also provides services specifically for veteran-owned business with one-on-one expert business consulting and workshops. The City offers programs like “How to Start Your Own Business for Veterans” in partnership with the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center. MoVal Vets programs are available to all veterans.
Registration for upcoming classes and additional information about the City’s Small Business Wednesdays is available at www.morenovalleybusiness.com/events or by emailing erc@moval.org.
For more information about the Hire a MoVal Veteran program or to enroll, please visit the Hire MoVal website or contact hiremoval@moval.org or 951.413.3475.
