| Managers Questions
& Answers |
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Welcome to our Questions & Answers (Q&A) Page.
These questions were asked by other managers seeking to hire disabled veterans. We
will continue to add questions and post our answers as we receive them. If your question
has not been answered, please do not hesitate to Ask Us, and we
will respond within 48 hours or sooner.
Question: What appointing authorities may I use to hire a disabled veteran?
There are two programs with special appointing authorities that may be used to appoint
an eligible veteran without competition. They are described below:
1. The Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) is an authority that can
be used when:
- The grade level of the position does not exceed GS-11 (or equivalent in other pay systems); and
- The veteran is "qualified," i.e., able to perform the essential duties of the position.
- Agencies must establish a training or education program for any VRA appointee who has less than 15 years of education. The program should meet the needs of both the agency and the employee.
- After two years of successful employment, the employee must be converted to a permanent career/career-conditional appointment; and
- When used for temporary or term appointment, the VRA authority does not lead to conversion to a permanent position.
2. 30 percent or more Disabled Veteran Program can be used when:
- The veteran must have a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
- The disability must be documented by a notice of retirement or discharge due to service-connected disability from
active military service dated at anytime, or by a notice of compensable
disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs dated within
the last 12 months.
- The veteran must meet all qualification requirements
for the position including the requirement to achieve a passing score
on a written test, if applicable.
- The veteran can be appointed to any grade level or equivalent.
Question: I heard about the Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA). Can I hire a disabled veteran under the provisions of this Act?
Yes, however, veterans' preference does not apply. Agencies (agency is the executive agency, or DoD) can appoint a preference eligible or a veteran who has three or more years of continuous active military service provided:
- The veteran is selected from among the best qualified following competition under a merit promotion announcement that was open to candidates outside the agency's (DoD) workforce; and
- The veteran's most recent separation from the military was under honorable conditions.
- Veterans who were released shortly before completing a three-year tour are considered to be eligible.
Some important things to remember about the VEOA are:
- It was intended to open up opportunities for veterans that would otherwise be closed to them because the agency was recruiting from among status candidates;
- It cannot be used to make temporary, term, or excepted service appointments; and
- It is not applicable unless an agency (DoD) is accepting applications from outside its own workforce under merit promotion procedures.
Question: How are veterans eligible for VEOA appointments?
To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either be a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty; annual training duty; full-time National Guard duty; and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.
Question: How do veterans apply under VEOA?
Agency announcements will state when veterans are eligible to apply under this law. Veterans will be rated and ranked with other merit promotion eligibles. Those who are among the best qualified may be selected by the appointing official, but veterans' preference does not apply. If selected, the veteran will be given a career or career conditional appointment, as appropriate.
Question: I want to refer a veteran to jobs in the Department of Defense. What do I do?
The Department of Defense publishes electronic vacancy announcements on their
employment websites, accessible through “Search for Jobs” at http://www.godefense.com. Additionally, the Department as well as other Federal agencies vacancies are listed on the Office of Personnel Management website USAJOBS.
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