Careers at SSA: Veterans

Opportunities for Veterans

The Social Security Administration offers many career options for people who have proudly served our country. With so many diverse career fields available in our agency, your military experience and willingness to serve can lead to a rewarding career in public service.

To learn more about opportunities for veterans, visit FedsHireVets.gov, or select a link from the following list about the program of your choice:

Veterans Preference

Veterans who are disabled or who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others in hiring from competitive lists of eligibles.

There are three types of preference eligibility:

  • Disabled, regardless of the rating (10 point preference)
  • Non-Disabled (5 point preference) and
  • Sole survivorship preference (0 Preference)

Preference eligibles are divided into five groups:

  • 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)

For more information on the types of Veterans’ preference, visit the Feds Hire Vets Veterans’ Preference webpage.

Veterans Recruitment Act (VRA)

Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment also known as VRA, allows for the appointment of eligible veterans, without competition into an excepted service position. This hiring authority can be used for positions up to GS-11 or equivalent. After the individual satisfactorily completes 2 years of satisfactory service, the veteran may be converted non-competitively to a career or career-conditional appointment.

You are eligible for an excepted appointment under the VRA appointment if you:

  • are in receipt of a campaign badge for service during a war or in a campaign or expedition; OR
  • are a disabled veteran, OR
  • are in receipt of an Armed forces Service Medal for participation in a military operation, OR
  • are a recently separated veteran (within the last 3 years), AND separated under honorable conditions (this means an honorable or general discharge), you are VRA eligible.

If you are interested in applying for employment under this special hiring program, please visit OPM's Veterans Employment Initiative.

30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans

The 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans authority enables the appointment of an eligible candidate to any position for which he or she is qualified without competition. Unlike the VRA, there is no grade-level limitation. Initial appointments are time-limited, lasting more than 60 days; however, individuals can be non-competitively converted to a permanent status at any time during the time-limited appointment.

Eligibility applies to the following categories:

  • Disabled veterans who were retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more; OR
  • Disabled veterans rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as having a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more

If you are interested in applying for employment under this special hiring program, please contact us at DCHR.OPE.Veterans.Employment@ssa.gov.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA)

This flexibility gives preference eligibles and other certain eligible veterans access to jobs that otherwise are only available to status employees. In VEOA appointments, preference eligible and other veterans are not afforded any preference, but they are allowed to compete for job opportunities open to status candidates outside the recruiting agency. A VEOA eligible who is selected will be given a career or career-conditional appointment.

VEOA eligibility applies to the following veterans:

  • A preference eligible or Veteran separated from the Armed Forces after 3 or more years of continuous active service under honorable conditions or who were released shortly before completing a three year tour.

For more information go to FedsHireVets Special Hiring Authorities webpage.

Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program

Disabled veterans eligible for training under the Veterans Administration (VA) vocational rehabilitation program may enroll for training or work experience at an agency under the terms of an agreement between the agency and VA. While enrolled in the VA program, the veteran is not a Federal employee, but is a beneficiary of the VA.

Training is tailored to the individual's needs and goals, so there is no set length. The training is intended to prepare the individual for eventual appointment in the agency rather than just provide work experience. The agency must ensure that the training will enable the veteran to meet the qualification requirements for a specific position.

Upon successful completion, the host agency and VA give the veteran a Certificate of Training showing the occupational series and grade level of the position for which the veteran is trained. The Certificate of Training allows any agency to appoint the veteran non-competitively under a status quo appointment, which may be converted to career or career conditional at any time.

For more information go to FedsHireVets Special Hiring Authorities webpage.

Additional Information