U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Appointing Authorities

Agencies may use a variety of appointing authorities to hire job applicants. This section describes the types of appointments available, including special appointments for targeting veterans.

• Direct-Hire Authority - Authorities that permit Federal hiring without regard to the provisions of title 5 U.S.C. 3309 through 3318.

• Disabled Appointing Authority - Information for recruiting and hiring employees with disabilities and providing reasonable accommodation in appropriate circumstances.

• Excepted Service Appointments - Appointments for positions that are specifically excepted from the competitive service by law, the President, or the U.S. Office of Personnel Management

• Hiring Flexibilities (DEOH 2007) - Information about a number of new hiring authorities enacted by Congress in 2002.

• Primary Appointing Authorities for Career and Career-Conditional Appointments - A list of the primary methods agencies use to make career and career-conditional appointments. Citations of law and regulation are provided. Also included are miscellaneous non-Title 5 authorities.

• 30% Disabled Veterans Appointing Authority - A noncompetitive temporary appointment of more than 60 days or a term appointment to any veteran with a disability rating of 30 percent or more, or with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.

• Veterans Employment Opportunity Authority - Veterans Guide (VetGuide) information about the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 that allows eligible veterans to apply for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the agency is recruiting outside of its own workforce.

• Veterans Recruitment Appointment Authority - VetGuide information about a special authority allowing agencies to appoint eligible veterans without competition to positions at any grade level through General Schedule (GS) 11 or equivalent.