U.S. Department of Labor
Veterans' Employment and Career Transition Advisor
Federal Employment
Applying for a job with the Federal government may be more complex than applying for a private sector position. However, as a veteran, you may be eligible for preference over non-veterans and/or direct appointment into a Federal position.
Veterans' Preference – By law, qualified veterans with a service-connected disability or who served on active duty in the United States Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns may be entitled to preference over non-veterans in competitive appointments for Federal civil service positions and in retention during reductions in force. For more information, please visit the elaws Veterans' Preference Advisor.
Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) – The Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) program allows certain eligible veterans to be appointed noncompetitively to Federal civil service jobs that lead to a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service, upon satisfactory completion of two years of service.
30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans – Veterans considered to be 30 percent or more disabled as a result of a service-connected injury may be given a non-competitive temporary or term appointment to a position for which they are qualified. After demonstrating satisfactory performance, the veteran may be converted at any time to a career or career-conditional appointment.
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) – The VEOA gives eligible veterans the right to compete for vacant positions offered under agency merit promotion procedures that are open to candidates from outside the agency.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) – Disabled veterans eligible for training under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) vocational rehabilitation program may enroll for training or work experience at a Federal agency under the terms of an agreement between the agency and VA. In this case, the veteran is generally not a Federal employee, but rather a VA beneficiary. Training is tailored to individual needs and is not subject to a set length of time.
It is important to note that these special appointment authorities do not guarantee appointments for veterans. More information on veterans’ preference and the special appointment authorities can be found at the Office of Personnel Management's Veterans Employment Information page.
Federal Application Procedure – Because the application process for Federal employment can be complicated and sometimes overwhelming, it is recommended that you contact the Director for Veterans’ Employment and Training in your state for one-on-one assistance. For contact information and additional employment options, please visit our state map and select your state. You may access Federal job openings, full job announcements, answers to frequently asked questions, and application forms, at USAJOBS. However, be sure to read any job announcement carefully as you may lose consideration for a position if your application does not provide all of the information required in the job announcement.
