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

Veterans Appointing Authorities

Veterans may be hired under the following three authorities:

• Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
• 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
• Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) (Formerly, Veterans' Readjustment Appointment)

• What it provides: VRA allows appointment of eligible veterans up to the GS-11 or equivalent. Veterans are hired under excepted appointments to positions that are otherwise in the competitive service. After the individual satisfactorily completes 2 years of service, the veteran must be converted noncompetitively to a career or career-conditional appointment.
• When to use it: VRA can be a good tool for filling entry-level to mid-level positions.
• Who is eligible: VRA eligibility applies to the following categories:
• Disabled veterans;
• Veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war declared by Congress, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized;
• Veterans who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in a military operation for which the Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded; and
• Veterans separated from active duty within 3 years.
• Benefits to the hiring manager: VRA allows a manager to fill positions quickly by appointing eligible veterans to positions for which they are qualified, up to and including GS-11 or equivalent, without issuing a vacancy announcement.

30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans

• What it provides: This authority enables a hiring manager to appoint an eligible candidate to any position for which he or she is qualified, without competition. Unlike the VRA, there's no grade-level limitation. Initial appointments are time-limited, lasting more than 60 days; however, you can noncompetitively convert the individual to permanent status at any time during the time-limited appointment.
• When to use it: This authority is a good tool for filling positions at any grade level quickly.
• Who is eligible: Eligibility applies to the following categories:
• Disabled veterans who were retired from active military service with a disability rating of 30 percent or more; and
• Disabled veterans rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (within the preceding year) as having a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
• Benefits to the hiring manager: A 30 percent or more disabled veteran appointment is an effective way to quickly appoint eligible disabled veterans to any position for which they are qualified without issuing a vacancy announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

• What it provides: This flexibility gives eligible veterans access to jobs that otherwise only would have been available to status employees. In VEOA appointments, veterans are not accorded preference as a factor, but they are allowed to compete for job opportunities that are not offered to other external candidates. A VEOA eligible who is selected will be given a career or career-conditional appointment.
• When to use it: Agencies may appoint VEOA eligibles who have competed under agency merit promotion announcements when they are recruiting from outside their workforce.
• Who is eligible: VEOA eligibility applies to the following categories of veterans:
• Preference eligibles; and
• Service personnel separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.
• Benefits to the hiring manager: The VEOA allows managers to consider highly qualified, nonstatus veterans without using more restrictive competitive examination procedures.

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