Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans

The following special hiring authorities are available specifically to hire Veterans:

• Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program
• Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
• 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
• Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program

Disabled veterans eligible for training under the VA vocational rehabilitation program may enroll for training or work experience at an agency under the terms of an agreement between the agency and VA. While enrolled in the VA program, the veteran is not a Federal employee for most purposes but is a beneficiary of the VA.

Training is tailored to the individual's 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 provide work experience, the agency must ensure that the training will enable the veteran to meet the qualification requirements for the position.

Upon successful completion, the host agency and VA give the veteran a Certificate of Training showing the occupational series and grade level of the position for which trained. The Certificate of Training allows any agency to appoint the veteran noncompetitively under a status quo appointment which may be converted to career or career-conditional at any time.

38 U.S.C. chapter 31; 5 CFR 3.1 and 315.604

Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
(Formerly, Veterans' Readjustment Appointment)

• What it provides: VRA allows appointment of eligible Veterans up to the GS-11 or equivalent grade level. Veterans are hired under excepted appointments to positions that are otherwise in the competitive service. After the individual satisfactorily completes 2 years of service, the Veteran must be converted noncompetitively to a career or career-conditional appointment.
• When to use it: VRA can be a good tool for filling entry-level to mid-level positions.
• Who is eligible: VRA eligibility applies to the following categories:
   
  • Disabled Veterans;
  • Veterans who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war declared by Congress, 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 military operation for which the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) was awarded; and
  • Veterans separated from active duty within the past 3 years.
     
• Benefits to the hiring manager: VRA allows a manager to fill positions quickly by appointing eligible Veterans to positions for which they are qualified, up to and including GS-11 or equivalent, without issuing a vacancy announcement.

30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans

• What it provides: This authority enables a hiring manager to appoint an eligible candidate to any position for which he or she is qualified, without competition. Unlike the VRA, there is no grade-level limitation. Initial appointments are time-limited, lasting more than 60 days; however, you can noncompetitively convert the individual to a permanent status at any time during the time-limited appointment.
• When to use it: This authority is a good tool for filling positions at any grade level quickly.
• Who is eligible: Eligibility applies to the following categories:
   
  • Disabled Veterans who were retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more; and
  • Disabled Veterans rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as having a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
     
• Benefits to the hiring manager: A 30 percent or more disabled Veteran appointment is an effective way to quickly appoint eligible disabled Veterans to any position for which they are qualified without issuing a vacancy announcement.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

• What it provides: This flexibility gives preference eligibles and certain eligible Veterans' access to jobs that otherwise only would have been available to status employees. In VEOA appointments, preference eligibles and Veterans are not accorded preference as a factor, but they are allowed to compete for job opportunities that are not offered to other external candidates. A VEOA eligible who is selected will be given a career or career-conditional appointment.
• When to use it: Agencies may appoint VEOA eligibles who have competed under agency merit promotion announcements when they are recruiting from outside their workforce.
• Who is eligible: VEOA eligibility applies to the following categories of Veterans:
   
  • Preference eligibles; and
  • Service personnel separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.
     
• Benefits to the hiring manager: The VEOA allows managers to consider highly qualified, nonstatus preference eligibles and Veterans without using more restrictive competitive examination procedures.