Opportunities for Veterans

The Air Force Civilian Service (AFCS) is, and has always been, committed to hiring veterans. While there are Federal laws providing hiring preference and special appointing authorities for veterans, it recognizes that hiring veterans just makes sense. By actively pursuing veterans, AFCS gains the value of their experience and provides them with a means to continue their service to this country.

AFCS’s commitment to veterans includes using the following Special Hiring Authorities designed just for them.

Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) is an excepted authority that allows AFCS to appoint eligible veterans. If they meet any of the following requirements, they are VRA eligible:

• Received a campaign badge for service during a war or in a campaign or expedition
• A disabled veteran
• Received an Armed Forces Service Medal for participation in a military operation
• A recently separated veteran (within the last 3 years), and separated under honorable conditions (an honorable or general discharge)

Veterans can be appointed under this authority at any grade level up to and including a GS-11 or equivalent. After successfully completing 2 years, they will be converted to competitive service. Veterans' preference applies when using the VRA authority.

The Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 (VEOA) is a competitive service appointing authority that can only be used when filling permanent, competitive service positions. It cannot be used to fill excepted service positions. It allows veterans to apply to announcements that are only open to so-called "status" candidates, which means "current competitive service employees."

To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, veterans latest discharge must be issued under honorable conditions (an honorable or general discharge), AND be either preference eligible (defined in title 5 U.S.C. 2108(3)), OR have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service.

Disabled Veterans

Like all Federal agencies, AFCS provides an affirmative program for the recruitment, employment, and advancement of disabled veterans, driven by the development of annual Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program plans. AFCS strives to provide qualified disabled veteran applicants and employees with affirmative employment in recruitment, hiring, placement, advancement, training, career development and, when appropriate, reasonable accommodation. This includes a special emphasis on veterans with disabilities rated at 30 percent or more.

Special Hiring Authority for 30% or More Disabled Veterans

This authority can be used to make permanent, temporary (not to exceed 1 year) or term (more than 1 year, but not more than 4) appointments in the competitive service. There is no grade level restriction.

Veterans are eligible if they are retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more or have a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.

To meet all veterans' employment information needs, The Office of Personnel Management created a web site to act as the preeminent source for Federal employment information for Veterans. Visit www.FedsHireVets.gov for all post-military career needs.