Most employees with disabilities are appointed from a competitive hiring register. However, when the competitive process itself is a barrier to employment for qualified individuals with severe disabilities, and these individuals would be able to perform at or above the normal standards of job performance, a special noncompetitive authority may be used.
State DVR and VA organizations that wish to participate in the referral of applicants for noncompetitive hiring consideration must be certified by the Postal Service. These organizations must submit a certification package to the Manager, Human Resources (District) and to the vice president of Employee Resource Management for review and approval. The package must include the following information:
Once a certification package for a vocational rehabilitation agency is approved, that agency is authorized to identify and screen applicants for Postal Service positions when referrals are requested. In essence, the agency provides the Postal Service with an alternative means of assessing an applicant’s qualifications. An applicant referred by a certified agency is considered to have successfully met the Postal Service’s selection requirements. Therefore, a certified agency must ensure that each applicant referred meets selection standards and has the ability to perform satisfactorily as a Postal Service employee.
