Certain individuals can be directly appointed to competitive and excepted service positions without regard to standard open competitive processes. These candidates can apply directly and be considered along with internal candidates for any position open to status applicants. Huntington District vacancy announcements have a section entitled Area of Consideration that lists categories of individuals who may apply.
Following are the major types of status eligibility.
Reinstatement
Allows individuals with prior career or career-conditional service to re-enter the federal competitive service workforce without competing with the public in a civil service examination. You may apply for any open civil service examination, but reinstatement eligibility also enables you to apply for federal jobs open only to status candidates.
To be eligible for reinstatement, you must have held a career or career-conditional appointment at some time in the past. There is no time limit on reinstatement eligibility for those who have veterans' preference or acquired career tenure by completing 3 years of substantially continuous creditable service. If you do not have [veterans' preference] or did not acquire career tenure, you may be reinstated within 3 years after the date of your separation. Reinstatement eligibility may be extended by certain activities that occur during the 3-year period after separation from your last career or career-conditional appointment.
Examples of these activities are:
- 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 Branch;
- Active military duty terminated under honorable conditions;
- Service with the District of Columbia Government prior to Jan. 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 of a dependent who followed a Federal military or civilian employee to an overseas post of duty.
VRA Appointment
The VRA is a special authority by which agencies can appoint an eligible veteran without competition. The candidate does not have to be on a eligibility list of but must meet the basic qualification requirements for the position. The VRA is a convenient method of appointment for both the agency and the veteran. However, use of the authority is entirely discretionary and no one is entitled to a VRA appointment.
Service Requirements:
On Nov. 7, 2002, Congress passed the Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107-288). The act makes significant changes to the Veterans Readjustment Act, to include changing the title of the Act to "Veterans' Recruitment Appointment" (VRA). But until 5 CFR has been updated, you should use 38 USC 4214 as governing reference for VRA.
Under the new law, the following veterans are eligible for a non-competitive VRA appointment:
- Disabled veterans
- Veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war 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 United States military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded
- Recently separated veterans. Recently separated veterans are defined as those who have separated from active service within the last three years
These provisions are a substantial change from the previous language.
- They provide additional flexibility by eliminating all time restrictions on appointments for veterans in the first three categories, i.e., disabled veterans and those with a campaign badge or AFSM. This means that individuals in the first three categories may be appointed or converted to a VRA appointment without regard to any time limit.
- Length of service requirements have been eliminated for all categories of veterans. On the other hand, veterans who are not disabled and who do not have a campaign badge or AFSM may only be appointed within the first three years after their most recent separation.