FAQs

The SF-50 is the Notification of Personnel Action. It contains certain employment information useful to the applicant or if applying for another federal job. It is used by current and former federal employees.

The SF-15 can be found on the OPM website. Go to https://www.opm.gov/Forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf

A 5-point preference eligible is a veteran whose discharge or release from active duty in the armed forces was under honorable conditions and service meets the following criteria:

1. During a war; or
2. During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; or
3. For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; or
4. During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990, through January 2, 1992; or
5. For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on August 31, 2010, the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom;  or
6. In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including Afghanistan (Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraqi Freedom (OIF)), Bosnia (Operations Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard, and Joint Forge), Global War on Terrorism, Persian Gulf, and others may qualify for preference.

The veteran must have been discharged under an honorable or general discharge.

In general, veterans' preference eligibility is based on dates of active duty service, receipt of a campaign badge, Purple Heart, or a service-connected disability.  Only veterans discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions (honorable or general discharge) are eligible for veterans' preference.  If you are not sure of your preference eligibility, visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

There are basically three types of preference eligibles, disabled (10 point preference eligible), non-disabled (5 point preference eligible) and sole survivorship preference (0 point preference eligible).

To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, your latest discharge must be issued under honorable conditions (this means an honorable or general discharge), AND you must be either:

• a preference eligible (defined in title 5 U.S.C. 2108(3)), OR
• a veteran who substantially completed 3 or more years of active service.

Preference eligible under VEOA includes those family members entitled to derived preference.

To be eligible, the veteran must be:

• in receipt of a campaign badge for service during a war or in a campaign or expedition; OR
• a disabled veteran, OR
• in receipt of an Armed Forces Service Medal or Global War on Terrorism Service Medal for participation in a military operation, OR
• a recently separated veteran (within the last 3 years), AND

separated under honorable conditions (this means an honorable or general discharge).

A 10 point preference eligible is a veteran or eligible family member of a veteran who served at any time, was discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions and:

1. has a compensable service connected disability,
2. has a present service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs OR
3. has received a Purple Heart.

The veteran must have been discharged under an honorable or general discharge. Note: Certain spouses, widows, widowers, or parents of veterans may also be entitled.

It depends. If the applicant is eligible for both appointing authorities he or she should indicate their desire to receive consideration under both appointing authorities. However, the criteria for 30% or more disabled appointing authority are different from Schedule A Persons with Disabilities appointing authority. For additional information on the eligibility criteria visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx.

Schedule A is a special appointing authority that agencies can use to non-competitively appoint individuals, including eligible veterans, who have a severe physical, psychiatric, or intellectual disability.  For more information visit www.USAJOBS.gov, Individuals with Disabilities page.

No. There is no limit to the number of times you can use veterans’ preference.

Military Spouse Non-competitive Appointing Authority (Executive Order 13473) allows agencies to appoint certain military spouses without competition. The authority does not entitle spouses to an appointment over any other applicant. For additional information visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shams/index.aspx.

You can request ‘certification’ through your Military Personnel Office. 

If you are a current Federal employee, please contact the HR office within your agency for access to your records. If you are a former Federal employee, you may get a copy of your most recent SF-50, or a copy of your complete Official Personnel Folder, by requesting it from the National Archives and Records Administration National Personnel Records Center (civilian)  411 Boulder Blvd, Valmeyer, IL 62295. Federal law [5 USC 552a(b)] requires that all requests for records and information be submitted in writing. Each request must be hand signed (in cursive) and dated (within the last year). Please identify the documents or information needed and explain the purpose of your request. Certain basic information is needed to locate civilian personnel records and to respond to your request, including: 1. Full name. 2. Date of birth. 3. Social security number. 4. Last employing agency (including duty station) and approximate date(s) of the employment (for former Federal employees). 5. Signature The National Personnel Records Center provides this fax # for requests:  618-935-3014 or go to https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/civilian-personnel