Obama proposes job program for veterans

With 33,000 U.S. troops returning from Afghanistan to a nation still wracked by a recession and persistent unemployment, President Obama is proposing using tax credits to encourage private companies to hire jobless veterans, senior administration officials said Thursday.

Obama on Friday will unveil a plan that offers a $4,800 tax credit to companies that hire veterans who have been unemployed for more than six months. If the veteran has been out of a job for less than six months, the tax credit would be $2,400. Companies would get a $9,600 tax credit if they hired a disabled vet.