You've served as a caregiver for your husband or wife, son or daughter. As you search for federal employment, you should know there are caregiver hiring preferences that may be available to you. Navigating the federal hiring system may feel overwhelming at first, but services are available to help you get answers and point you in the right direction. Knowing what legislation is out there can mean the difference between struggling to find work and being hired when it matters most.
You may be eligible - as a veteran's spouse, family member, widow or widower - to receive a place in the federal government job-applicant pool through the Family Member (Derived) Preference or the Military Spouse Appointing Authority. Hiring preference and appointing authority do not guarantee a job but do allow qualified candidates to get their foot in the door.
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Family Member (Derived) Preference
Veterans and eligible family members seeking government jobs receive preference, or priority, typically in the form of bonus points. This recognizes veterans' service and sacrifices and ensures they remain competitive. The extra points are added to scoring systems most federal agencies use to tally applicants' education, experience, skills and other qualifications. When points aren't used in scoring systems, referrals are given.
When veterans aren't able to use their preference because they're disabled or have died, their eligible spouses, widows, widowers and mothers can use it. This is known as derived preference. If you are eligible for derived preference, you'll receive a 10-point, or XP, appointment preference.
Both a mother and a spouse may be entitled to preference based on the service of the same veteran if both meet the requirements. Note that neither will receive preference if the veteran is living and qualified for federal employment.
Military Spouse Appointing Authority (Executive Order 13473)
The Military Spouse Appointing Authority allows agencies to appoint a caregiver spouse or widow without competition. The Military Spouse Appointing Authority is not a hiring preference or an entitlement, but knowing about the authority and identifying your eligibility may help in your job search. As you review job announcements, look for positions that fall under the authority in the "Who May Apply" section. Spouses who are eligible for the Military Spouse Appointing Authority should seek "all sources" job or merit-promotion announcements.
- Under an "all sources" announcement, agencies can either consider military spouse applicants on a separate, Military Spouse Appointing Authority specific list, or with other applicants on the competitive list.
- Under a merit-promotion announcement, the agency must consider eligible, qualified military spouses in the same manner as it considers other applicants who are eligible for non-competitive appointments.
The Military Spouse Appointing Authority is different from the Military Spouse Preference, which provides for civilian personnel management within the Defense Department. Contact the Department of Defense personnel office closest to your location or visit Department of Defense Military Spouse Preference for more information.
Eligibility categories for Military Spouse Appointing Authority
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The three categories of spouses considered under this authority are:
- Spouses whose service member partner has a 100 percent disability rating
- Spouses whose service member died or was killed while on active duty
- Military spouses who've recently made a permanent change of station move
Go ahead, jump into the pool - of federal job applicants. Read more about both special-hiring authorities on the Office of Personnel Management's government-wide veterans' employment website.