The Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
The VRA is a special authority by which agencies can appoint an eligible
veteran without competition. The VRA is an excepted appointment to a position
that is otherwise in the competitive service. After 2 years of satisfactory
service, the veteran is converted to a career-conditional appointment in the
competitive service. (Note, however, that a veteran may be given a
noncompetitive temporary or term appointment based on VRA eligibility. These
appointments do not lead to career jobs.)
Eligibility: To be eligible for a VRA appointment, a veteran
must:
- have served on active duty in the Armed Forces for more
than 180 days and received other than a dishonorable discharge. The 180-day
requirement does not apply to veterans released from active duty because of
a service-connected disability, or to members of a Reserve component ordered
to active duty during a period of war or in a campaign or expedition for
which a campaign or expeditionary medal is authorized.
Active duty is full-time duty in the Armed Forces, other than
active duty for training.
For VRA eligibility, the term "period of war" includes the Vietnam era
and the Persian Gulf War beginning August 2, 1990 and ending November 30, 1995,
but does not include other operations such as Panama and Somalia.
30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans
These veterans may be given a temporary or term appointment (not limited to 60
days or less) to any position for which qualified (there is no grade
limitation). After demonstrating satisfactory performance, the veteran may be
converted at any time to a career-conditional appointment.
Terms and conditions of employment: Initially, the disabled
veteran is given a temporary appointment with an expiration date in excess of 60
days. This appointment may be converted to at any time to a career conditional
appointment. Unlike the VRA, there is no grade limitation.
How To Apply: Veterans must submit a copy of a letter dated
within the last 12 months from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the
Department of Defense certifying receipt of compensation for a service-connected
disability of 30% or more.
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