With record low unemployment, more and more employers are feeling the labor force crunch, but one group of job seekers may be overlooked – disabled veterans.

To raise employer awareness of this labor source and lower perceived barriers to hiring disabled veterans, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has released their 2018 hiring guide.

“The Veteran Advantage: DAV Guide to Hiring & Retaining Veterans with Disabilities” contains up-to-date statistics and incentives to help employers take advantage of this underused labor pool.

The guide takes employers step by step from answering the question, ‘Why hire a disabled veteran?’ to explaining the thousands of dollars in tax credits and incentives available if they do.

The guide also contains testimonials from currently employed veterans and a simple do’s and don’ts list for hiring disabled veterans.

Fifty-seven percent of disabled American veterans report fear of discrimination based on their disability, according to the DAV. Seventy-three percent of employers made a commitment in 2016 to hiring veterans, but 30 percent of employers still said they had concerns about hiring veterans with certain disabilities.

Many employers who hire veterans with disabilities report that the accommodations cost nothing; 36 percent reported that there was only a one-time cost. Using programs like the VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program and the Special Employer Incentives program, the hiring guide seeks to mitigate any additional cost that may come with hiring a disabled veteran.

“The idea of the ‘crazy veteran’ has become immortalized in film and media,” said Christian Benedetto, Jr. a marine veteran and founder of PTSDJournal. “In spite of how a veteran may have been changed by their military service, on the whole they are far more reliable and focused on mission accomplishment than their peers who did not serve.”

The non-profit DAV provides support for veterans of all generations and their families.