By law, veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others from competitive lists of eligibles.

The Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, as Amended

The law requires that:

• Agencies allow eligible veterans to compete for vacancies advertised under the agency's merit promotion procedures when the agency is seeking applications from individuals outside its own workforce.



• All merit promotion announcements open to applicants outside an agency's workforce include a statement that these eligible veterans may apply.

How Federal Jobs Are Filled

There are essentially two classes of jobs with the federal government: those that are in the competitive civil service and those that are in the excepted service. Competitive civil service jobs are under OPM's jurisdiction and subject to the civil service laws enacted by Congress in title 5, United States Code. When filling a competitive service job from outside the civil service, agencies may:

• appoint a well-qualified candidate from a competitive list of eligibles developed by OPM or by an agency with delegated examining authority; or



• appoint someone who is eligible under one of a number of special appointing authorities (e.g. the VRA or Schedule B authorities discussed later on, as well as others authorized by either law or executive order).

Alternatively, in filling jobs from among "status" candidates, agencies may:

• appoint someone from an agency-developed merit promotion list (When these jobs are open to candidates outside the agency, the agency must allow eligibles under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, as amended to apply); or



• reassign a current agency employee, transfer an employee from another agency, or reinstate a former federal employee.

(NOTE: "Status" candidates are those who are eligible for noncompetitive movement within the competitive service because they either are now or were serving under career-type appointments in the competitive service.)

Types of Appointments

1. A competitive appointment is one in which the veteran competes with others on an OPM list of eligibles (or agency equivalent under delegated examining authority). Veterans' preference applies in this situation, and those veterans who qualify as preference eligibles have 5 or 10 extra points added to their passing score on a civil service examination.



2. A noncompetitive appointment under special authority is one such as the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) authority (formerly known as the Veterans Readjustment Appointment authority) and the special authority for 30 percent or more disabled veterans. Eligibility under these special authorities gives veterans a very significant advantage over others seeking to enter the federal service in that they do not compete with them.



3. A Merit Promotion selection under the VEOA is one in which the veteran competes with current federal employees under an agency's merit (or internal) promotion procedures.

Who Is Entitled To Veterans' Preference In Employment?

Five-point preference is given to those honorably separated veterans (this means an honorable or general discharge) who served on active duty (not active duty for training) in the Armed Forces:

• during any war (this means a war declared by Congress, the last of which was World War II);



• during the period April 28, 1952, through July 1, 1955;



• for more than 180 consecutive days, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976;



• during the Gulf War period beginning August 2, 1990, and ending January 2, 1992; or



• in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized, such as El Salvador, Lebanon, Granada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti.

Medal holders and Gulf War veterans who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered on active duty on or after October 14, 1982, without having previously completed 24 months of continuous active duty, must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty.

Ten-point preference is given to:

• those honorably separated veterans who have received a Purple Heart or qualify as disabled veterans because they have served on active duty in the Armed Forces at any time and have a present service-connected disability or are receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs;



• the spouse of a veteran unable to work because of a service-connected disability;


• the unmarried widow of certain deceased veterans; and



• the mother of a veteran who died in service or who is permanently and totally disabled.

When applying for federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on their application or resume. Applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete form SF-15, the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted 5 points tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference.

Filing Applications After Announcements Close

A 10-point preference eligible may file an application at any time for any position for which a nontemporary appointment has been made in the preceding three years; for which a list of eligibles currently exists that is closed to new applications; or for which a list is about to be established.

Special Appointing Authorities For Veterans

The Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) — A new law, Public Law 107-288, the Jobs for Veterans Act ("Act"), enacted November 7, 2002, revised the eligibility requirements for a Veterans Readjustment Appointment (which the Act redesignated as a Veterans Recruitment Appointment: "VRA"). When two or more VRA applicants are preference eligibles, the agency must apply veterans' preference as required by law.

30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans — These veterans may be given a temporary or term appointment (not limited to 60 days or less) to any position for which qualified (there is no grade limitation).

Disabled Veterans Enrolled In VA Training Programs — Disabled veterans eligible for training under the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) vocational rehabilitation program may enroll for training or work experience at an agency under the terms of an agreement between the agency and VA. The veteran is not a federal employee for most purposes while enrolled in the program, but rather is a beneficiary of the VA. Upon successful completion, the veteran will be given a Certificate of Training showing the occupational series and grade level of the position for which trained.

How To Find A Federal Job

Remember that veterans are not guaranteed employment by federal agencies. Whether to hire a veteran, or anyone else, is up to the agency to decide.

Internet:

The web site at www.usajobs.opm.gov provides access to the Federal Jobs Data Base, full-text job announcements, and answers to frequently asked questions about federal employment.

USAJOBS by Phone

This automated phone system provides 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week information about current employment opportunities (nationwide and worldwide). Within the United States, dial 478-744-2299; elsewhere call 478-757-3000.

In Person

Visit your local state employment service office. There you will find information on current federal job opportunity listings. The list may be on a printed report, on microfiche, or on computer.