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

Additional Resources

• Reference Manuals
• Web Tools
• Programs
• Reports

Reference Manuals

• OPM VetGuide explains the special rights and privileges that veterans enjoy in Federal civil service employment. The guide conveniently summarizes in one place material from many laws and regulations that affect the employment of veterans. The guide will help Federal human resources specialists ensure that veterans receive the advantages and entitlements they have earned.
• OPM VetsInfo Guide provides general information about how the system works and how veterans' preference and the special appointing authorities for veterans operate within the system.

Web Tools

• OPM Veterans Information. This site contains information for job-seeking veterans, veterans currently employed by the Federal Government, and Federal human resources specialists.
• The Department of Labor's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Veterans Employment and Training Service developed an "expert system" to help veterans receive the preferences to which they are entitled. This system helps veterans determine the type of preference to which they are entitled, the benefits associated with the preference, and the steps necessary to file a complaint due to the failure of a Federal agency to provide those benefits.
• Online Directory of Veterans Service Organizations (VSO). The Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs publishes this online directory. This database-driven Web site allows you to access VSO information for possible recruitment purposes.

Programs

• The Veteran Invitational Program (VIP) targets veterans nationwide by providing informative educational tools and publications to Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and Federal regional offices of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Labor. The new VIP educates veterans and allows a timely and accurate distribution of information on job opportunities in the Federal workforce.

  Select this link to view the kickoff VIP address titled "A Promise Given — A Promise Kept: Providing Opportunities for Veterans in the Civil Service."

• Disabled Veterans Enrolled in VA Training Programs, 5 CFR 315.604. Disabled veterans who are 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 the VA. The veteran is not a Federal employee for most purposes while enrolled in the program, but is a beneficiary of the VA. The training is tailored to individual needs and goals so there is no set length. If the training is intended to prepare the individual for eventual appointment in the agency rather than just work experience, the agency must ensure that the training will enable the veteran to meet qualification requirements for the position.

Reports

• The Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government FY 2002. Most departments and agencies in the Federal Government are required to have an affirmative action program for the recruitment, employment, and advancement of disabled veterans. The law requires agencies to develop annual Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program (DVAAP) Plans.

  Each year, agencies must submit DVAAP accomplishment reports to OPM. The accomplishment reports describe agency efforts to promote employment and job advancement opportunities for disabled veterans as well as certain veterans of the Vietnam era and of the post-Vietnam era who are qualified for such employment and advancement. The Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government Report summarizes these accomplishments.

• Operation Transition: Year One Report. Using the San Diego community as a 12-month demonstration site, Operation Transition examined the existing military employment transition resources to develop a transitioning veterans model that can be replicated in other communities. The project defined and created local solutions that effectively bridge the gap between employers who need workers, the providers of workforce services, and the transitioning military and their spouses in need of jobs and advancement opportunities.

Select the Next button to continue.