Looking to put your experience as a veteran in the United States military to work in a civilian career?
Interested in federal opportunities for military spouses?
Veterans' Preference
Veterans have hiring advantages when applying to vacancy announcements open to the general public or open to current federal employees. Eligible veterans are referred to management ahead of and selected before non-preference applicants on public announcements. The preference eligibility categories are listed below.
Veterans' Preference eligibility can be based on dates of active duty service, receipt of a campaign badge, receipt of a Purple Heart, or a service-connected disability.
There are five different categories of veterans’ preference for which you may be eligible to use in the hiring process:
- CPS - Disability rating of 30% or more (10 points)
- CP - Disability rating of at least 10% but less than 30% (10 points)
- XP - Disability rating less than 10% (10 points)
- TP - Preference eligibles with no disability rating (5 points)
- SSP - Sole Survivorship Preference (0 points)
There are many nuances to this authority, so we recommend you consult one of the many veteran organizations available to assist you in determining your own veteran preference.
Veteran Hiring Authorities
In addition, DCAA takes advantage of several federal programs to help qualified veterans and military spouses launch their civilian government careers. These hiring authorities are exclusive to our Nation’s veterans to fill positions in auditing, IT, human resources, and other support areas. Explore the following programs to learn more about the eligibility criteria.
Veterans Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 (VEOA) – This allows veterans to apply for permanent positions that otherwise would be open only to current or former federal employees (often referred to as "status" candidates). Eligible veterans can compete for job opportunities that are not offered to other external candidates.
Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) – This lets an agency hire a veteran to fill a time-limited or permanent job, at any grade level through GS-11, without using competitive selection procedures. After that veteran satisfactorily completes 2 years of service, the veteran will be converted from their current position (except for those in time-limited positions) to a career or career-conditional appointment. Following this transition, the veteran acquires 'competitive status' within the federal government. This allows the individual to compete for jobs not offered to candidates outside the federal government.
30% or More Disabled Veteran - This allows an agency to fill any position for which a veteran applicant is qualified, without using competitive selection procedures. Unlike the VRA, there's no grade-level limitation. The initial appointment is time-limited to no more than 60 days, but the employee may be converted to permanent status at any time during the appointment.
Military Spouse - This authority lets agencies hire a military spouse without using competitive selection procedures, for a time-limited or permanent position. A military spouse candidate is eligible if the active duty military member:
- Received a mandatory Permanent Change of Station move within the last two years; OR
- Has a 100% disability rating; OR
- Died while on active duty.
Resources and Upcoming Hiring Events
DoD provides a resource center to help veterans plan for transitioning to civilian life and careers, including guidance and resources for education and employment.
DCAA attends career fairs and holds hiring events for specialized groups throughout the year. Learn more about these and all of our hiring events here.