• PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
• SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITIES
• 30% OR MORE DISABLED VETERANS

The U.S. Coast Guard fosters an inclusive environment that emphasizes support, achievement, sharing, challenge, and a spirit of camaraderie. We are an organization whose members are brought closer together because of our unique and important mission.

At the U.S. Coast Guard, we are proud to serve all Americans: all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnic origins. This same philosophy extends to the individuals we hire and develop.

What's our workforce thinking? We firmly believe that the more perspectives, distinct personalities, divergent points-of-view, and different ideas we can include in our team, the stronger our ability to grow and achieve.

The U.S. Coast Guard is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered regardless of political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. The U.S. Coast Guard provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities and to employees so they can perform their jobs effectively and efficiently, and enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment.

The U.S. Coast Guard welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities, and will work with the needs of those persons so they can enjoy a challenging and rewarding civilian career as a member of our team.

We are committed to meeting our affirmative employment goals to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity for employment and career advancement on the basis of merit within the U.S. Coast Guard. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities when applying for jobs. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

You do not have to be a current or former permanent federal civilian employee to be eligible for appointment under Schedule A of the excepted service. Appropriate documentation to support your claim for eligibility will be required.

SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITIES

Special Hiring Authorities (Schedule A) are available for people with disabilities. That means if you meet the specific requirements listed below, you may be hired without going through the competitive examining process.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

1. You must have a severe physical, cognitive, or emotional disability; or a history of having such disabilities or are perceived as having such disabilities; and
2. Proof of disability must be certified by a licensed medical professional, or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or a representative of any Federal agency, State agency, or Agency of the District of Columbia or U.S. Territory that issues or provides disability benefits; and
3. You must meet the qualification requirements for the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
4. If you are selected for the position, a second letter is required, a certification of job readiness may be included that states that a licensed medical professional, or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or a representative of any Federal Agency, State Agency, or Agency of the District of Columbia or U.S. Territory that issues or provides disability benefits has evaluated the job tasks and determined that you are able to perform the essential tasks of the position required. The letter must also state what reasonable accommodations, if any are required.
5. Where certification has not been provided, the Coast Guard may give you a temporary appointment to determine job readiness, or may accept service under another type of temporary appointment as proof of job readiness.

CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions about Schedule A, or require reasonable accommodation during the application process, please get in touch with the Point-Of-Contact that is listed in the vacancy announcement of the position for which you are applying.

RELATED LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.opm.gov/disability/index.htm
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov

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30% OR MORE DISABLED VETERANS PROGRAM

The Coast Guard has the authority, by law, to give noncompetitive appointments to any veteran who has a service-connected disability of 30% or more.

ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible, a candidate must be a disabled veteran who has a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more, and the disability must be officially documented by the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal agencies may now accept veterans' disability letters dated 1991 or later. (This change aligns with Department of Veterans Affairs policy, which considers letters issued in 1991 or later as proof of a permanent disability, unless specifically stated otherwise.)

QUALIFICATIONS
The candidate must meet all qualification requirements for any position to which he or she is appointed.

GRADE LEVEL OF JOBS
This authority covers all grade levels and occupations.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
An employee must serve initially under a temporary appointment not limited to 60 days or less. This provides the supervisor with a period of time to evaluate whether the employee is able to successfully perform the full range of duties the position requires. Once the supervisor certifies that the disabled veteran is successful in the position, he/she may be converted to a permanent appointment.

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