De-mystifying 'Who May Apply' for Air Force civilian jobs Published March 16, 2010 By Paige Hughes Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Cracking the code of Air Force civilian job announcements can be as easy as understanding the specific appointment eligibilities, the "key" that allows individuals to be considered for various Air Force civilian jobs. Ensuring applicants and hiring officials understand the most frequently used hiring terms will benefit the Air Force and applicants as officials continue to bring federal employment opportunities to thousands of U.S. citizens in the upcoming years. "There are many great opportunities for civilian employment with the Air Force," said Maj. Gen. K.C. McClain, commander of the Air Force Personnel Center. "AFPC is committed to ensuring we provide the hiring officials and applicants with clear, concise information on the civilian employment process to better enable the selection of the right person at the right time." Hiring appointment authorities provide agencies with the legal means to bring individuals onto the civilian rolls, via a new appointment, transfer or reinstatement. "Hiring officials need to be aware of the various appointment authorities and eligibility requirements for each so they can recruit the best possible candidates for their vacancies," said Michelle LoweSolis, director of civilian force integration. "Only when everyone involved in the hiring process is well informed will we have the best pool of qualified candidates to consider for careers in the civil service." Why should managers care about appointment authorities and eligibility requirements for each? Hiring or selecting officials are asked to select the appointment authorities they would like to include in their job announcement. The appointment authorities are identified on the Request for Personnel Action, or RPA, checklist, which their Civilian Personnel Section then submits to the Air Force Personnel Center or servicing Operating Location. The RPA and RPA Checklist, with the selected authorities, are used to create a job announcement. Subsequently, the appointment authorities (along with qualification requirements) are used to create a pool of candidates for the hiring official. Why should applicants care about appointment authorities and eligibility requirements for each? Knowing the various appointment authorities can help increase an applicant's chance of being considered for federal employment. In order to be referred for consideration, among other requirements, potential applicants must be eligible for one or more of the appointment authorities identified in the job announcement. What is the difference between "Public" and "Candidates with Status?" Job announcements that list "Public" in the "Who May Apply" line are open to anyone who is a United States citizen. Job announcements that list "Status Candidate" in the "Who May Apply" line indicate that the applicant must meet certain criteria, or "status." An individual is considered to have "status" when they qualify for one or more appointment eligibility. How does an applicant know if a vacancy is being advertised using one of the appointment authorities they may be eligible for? There are variations on how a government agency lists the appointment authorities used for each job announcement. For positions announced by AFPC, applicants can check the appointment authorities being used in each job announcement by reviewing the "qualifications and evaluations" section in the USAJOBS announcement. Meeting the requirements of a particular appointment authority does not guarantee a federal job. However, by understanding the various appointment authorities an applicant will better understand their particular eligibility for federal employment. What if I'm a current Air Force civilian? Current Air Force civilians should refer to AFPC public Web site for instructions on applying for vacancies. If applying for positions at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, Osan Air Base, Korea, or United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), applicants must apply through USAJOBS and submit a resume for consideration. These bases are participating in a test pilot for a Single Staffing Tool for internal and external recruitment. How does the Air Force verify eligibility? Applicants must submit the required supporting documentation in accordance with the instructions provided in the particular job announcement. Appointment authorities have specific requirements and will therefore require different supporting documents. Frequently used hiring authorities include the following: · Current Permanent DoD Employees (excluding Air Force): Individual must be currently employed with the Department of Defense as a civil service employee. · Executive Order 13473 (Appointment of Certain Military Spouses): Three groups of spouses are eligible to apply for federal employment using this appointment authority: o A spouse of a service members who has received permanent change of orders to relocate; o A spouse of service members who retired with a disability rating at the time of retirement of 100 percent, or retired/separated from the Air Force and has a disability rating of 100 percent from the Department of Veterans Affairs; or o Un-remarried widows or widowers of service members killed while in active-duty status. · Executive Order 12721 (Appointment of Certain Former Overseas Employees): Enables certain eligible family members to be considered for employment once they return to the U.S. from an overseas assignment. A family member is an unmarried child under the age of 23 or a spouse. Applicant must have completed 52 weeks of service in an appropriated fund position performed under a local hire appointment overseas. Applicants must have been a family member at the time they met the overseas service requirement, but do not need to be a family member at the time of noncompetitive appointment in the U.S. · Reinstatement: A former career/career-conditional federal civil service employee. A career-conditional employee must have completed three years of substantially continuous service before becoming a career employee. In addition, a former career conditional federal service employee with veteran's preference has lifetime reinstatement eligibility. · Transfer: Permanent federal civil service employee serving in a non-DOD position who is a current career or career-conditional employee. · Veteran Authorities: Individuals must have served in the military, be able to produce proof of service and disability (DD Form 214 and VA Disability Rating), and meet one or more of the Veteran categories to be eligible to apply: o 30% Disabled Veterans: current or former military member with a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more. o Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 (VEOA): Veterans who are preference eligible OR separated after three or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. · Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA): Disabled veterans; or veterans 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; or veterans who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces Service Medal was awarded; or recently separated veterans. Veterans claiming eligibility on the basis of service in a campaign or expedition for which a medal was awarded must be in receipt of the campaign badge or medal. In addition to meeting the criteria above, eligible veterans must have been separated under honorable conditions; that is the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge. The law defines recently-separated veteran as any veteran during the three year period beginning on the date of discharge or release from active duty. This appointment authority can only be used in announcements for GS-11 (or equivalent) and below. Other hiring authorities that managers and applicants should be familiar with: · Delegated Examining Authority: All announcements open to "public" in "Who May Apply" use this authority. An applicant need only be a United States citizen and 18 years of age, or a high school graduate 16 years old or older to apply. This authority allows individuals without "status" to be considered for a civilian position. Veteran's preference rules apply under this authority. (For more information, go to Delegated Examining Authority OPM's DEU Handbook) · Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): ICTAP covers displaced non- Department of Defense (DoD) employees who are seeking employment in other Federal agencies. Individuals are eligible for selection priority under ICTAP if they were separated from a career or career conditional position by reduction in force or because the employee declined a geographic relocation to a position in a different local commuting area. · Employment of People with Disabilities/Schedule A Appointment: Any applicant is considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. To be eligible for noncompetitive, Schedule A appointments, a person must meet the definition for being disabled. The person must have a severe physical, cognitive, or emotional disability; have a history of having such disability; or be perceived as having such disability. In addition, the person must obtain a certification letter from a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office or the Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible for appointment under these special authorities. For more information on hiring authorities, visit AFPC's Public Web site and OPM's Laws, Regulations and Other Guidance or call the 24-hour Air Force Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102.