FAQs

No.  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 are eligible for veterans' preference.

Maybe. The parent of a disabled veteran may be eligible to claim veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it. Further details on the specific criteria that must be met can be found at: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/familypref/index.aspx

It depends. Spouses may be eligible when the veteran has a service-connected disability and has been unable to qualify for any position in the civil service.

No.  While OPM provides Government-wide leadership on Federal programs and policies, OPM does not investigate individual complaints alleging prohibited personnel practices.  Complaints alleging prohibited personnel practices and retaliation should be directed to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).  OSC receives, investigates, and prosecutes allegations of prohibited personnel practices and can be visited at https://osc.gov/.

In the Federal government, layoffs are called reduction in force (RIF) actions.  When an agency must abolish positions, the RIF regulations determine whether an employee keeps his or her present position, or whether the employee has a right to a different position.

Most positions within the Federal government can be found on the USAJOBS website: www.usajobs.gov. Additionally, individual agency websites may list employment opportunities.

Yes.

The agency may identify these as specific individuals from which it will accept applications to compete for its vacancy. When a job opportunity announcement is open to “All Sources,” or “All U.S. Citizens,” it means anyone may apply. While there are no restrictions on the individuals who may apply to these types of announcements, in most cases, U.S. citizenship is required.   “Status Applicants” or “Status Candidates” refers to those individuals who are current or former Federal civilian employees who hold or held non-temporary appointments in the competitive service, not the excepted service.   NOTE: Certain veterans eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) may also apply and be considered under job opportunity announcements limited to status candidates. For information on VEOA eligibility, please visit: https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx#veoa.   Reinstatement eligibility refers to the ability of those individuals who previously held a career or career-conditional appointment to apply for jobs in the competitive civil service that are open to status applicants. There is no time limit on reinstatement eligibility for those who either have veterans' preference, or acquired career tenure by completing 3 years of substantially continuous creditable service.

Each of the military services maintains a discharge review board with authority to change, to correct or to modify discharges or dismissals that are not issued by a sentence of general courts-martial.  You can apply for a review of discharge by writing to the military department concerned, using DoD Form 293 available at  http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/eforms/dd0293.pdf

Yes. There are 24 Veteran Employment Program Offices (VEPO) responsible for promoting Veterans' recruitment, employment, training and development, and retention within their respective agencies. Veterans are encouraged to contact these individuals for specific information on employment opportunities in those agencies. For a complete listing of VEPOs visit https://www.fedshirevets.gov/AgencyDirectory/index.aspx

It depends on the appointing authority. For instance, the VRA and Schedule A for Persons with Disabilities appointing authorities do not require the veteran to be a preference eligible.

The Feds Hire Vets website. Go to  http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx

Page 2 of the SF-15 provides information on acceptable documentation based on the criteria for claiming 10-point preference.

No. The SF-15, along with supporting documentation, should be submitted with your application to the agency where you are applying for Federal employment.