From USAJOBS Help
Individuals, who previously held a career or career-conditional appointment with the Federal government, may be eligible for reinstatement, which allows reentry to the Federal competitive service workforce without competing with the public. Reinstatement eligibles can also apply for Federal jobs open only to status or merit promotion candidates.
Eligibility Requirements
There is no time limit on eligibility for those who:
- Are Veterans' preference eligible and served one day as a career conditional employee, or
- Acquired career tenure by completing three years of substantially continuous creditable career-conditional service.
Non-veterans' preference eligibles who separated from civil service as a career-conditional employee may be reinstated within three years after the date of separation. Reinstatement eligibility may be extended by certain activities that occur during the three-year period after separation from your last career or career-conditional appointment, those activities include:
- Federal employment under temporary, term, or similar appointments.
- Federal employment in excepted, non-appropriated fund, or Senior Executive Service positions.
- Federal employment in the legislative and judicial branches.
- Active military duty terminated under honorable conditions.
- Service with the District of Columbia Government prior to January 1, 1980 (and other service for certain employees converted to the District's independent merit system).
- Certain government employment or full-time training that provided valuable training and experience for the job to be filled.
- Periods of overseas residence as a dependent who followed a Federal military or civilian employee to an overseas post of duty.
