The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) has released a statement lauding the U.S. AbilityOne Commission’s final rule issued last week that prohibits payment of subminimum wages on contracts within the AbilityOne Program.

Under the rule, individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities and who work on AbilityOne contracts will earn at least the federal minimum wage, the applicable local or state minimum wage, or the applicable prevailing wage – whichever is highest.

“This final rule has been long overdue for blind and other persons with disabilities who were earning subminimum wages,” said Jim Vale, BVA National Service Director, Benefits & Policy. “It is about time their work is valued equally, and we thank the Commission’s unwavering commitment to modernizing the AbilityOne Program.”

For more information about the decision, please see the Commission’s statement (CLICK HERE) and the final rule published on July 21 in the Federal Register (CLICK HERE).