Government Job Information

A 5-point preference is given to Veterans who served during a war, from April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955, on Active Duty for more than 180 consecutive days (other than for training), any part of which occurred between January 31, 1955 and October 15, 1976, during the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992, for more than 180 consecutive days (other than for training), any part of which occurred between September 11, 2001 and an ending prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law as the last day of Operation Iraqi Freedom, or in a campaign or expedition for which a Campaign Medal has been authorized. Any Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or Campaign Badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, or Haiti, qualifies for preference. NOTE: a Campaign Medal holder or Gulf War Veteran who originally enlisted after September 7, 1980 (or began Active Duty on or after October 14, 1982) and has not previously completed 24 months of continuous Active Duty must have served continuously for 24 months or the full period called or ordered to Active Duty.

A 10-point preference is given to Veterans who served at any time and received a Purple Heart or who has a present service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This eligibility is qualified as a “derived preference” if the Veteran is not able to use the preference. To obtain the 10-point preference, the Veteran (or qualifying relative) must complete form SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans’ Preference, available from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website: www.opm.gov/forms/html/sf.asp.

VRA gives federal agencies discretionary authority to hire Veterans who meet the basic requirements for the position without competition. After two years of satisfactory service, the Veteran may be converted to a career-conditional appointment in the Competitive Service, or may receive a non-competitive temporary or term appointment based on VRA eligibility (which does not lead to a career job).

The VRA now limits appointments to Veterans who are disabled, 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), who served on Active Duty or participated in a U.S. military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded, or who are recently separated from the military (generally, meaning Veterans discharged within the past three years). VRA allows appointment of eligible Veterans up to the GS-11 or equivalent grade. Direct appointments can be made for entry-level to mid-level positions, often without need for a vacancy announcement.

Disabled Veterans can be appointed to positions with no grade-level limitation and without a vacancy announcement. Initial appointments can be time-limited to 60 days or more, with potential non-competitive conversion to permanent status at any time during the time-limited appointment. Such positions are discretionary within federal agencies.

A VEOA eligible who is selected will be given a career or career-conditional appointment. VEOA applies to Veterans who are “preference eligible” (as explained above) or who are separated under honorable conditions after three or more years of continuous active service.