How to Hire 

Using the 

Schedule A 

Appointing 

Authority

The ABCs of 

SCHEDULE A

For the Hiring Manager
INTRODUCTION

One of the most common complaints about 

the federal hiring process is that it takes 

too long. As noted by the Merit Systems 

Protection Board in its report entitled 

Reforming Federal Hiring -- Beyond Faster 

and Cheaper (September 2006), it takes 

an average of 102 days to complete all of 

the steps in the competitive hiring process, 

from making the request, to making the 

appointment. Certainly you, as a federal 

hiring manager or official, do not look 

forward to the prospect of spending three 

months or more trying to fill a position. 

Moreover, we know that excellent potential 

employees are lost because they too do 

not want to wait (or cannot afford to wait) 

months for a hiring decision. So what can 

you do? Use Schedule A! 

Schedule A is an excellent alternative to 

the frustrating and bloated traditional 

hiring process. Moreover, hiring individuals 

with disabilities furthers several goals. 

Every federal agency strives to be diverse, 

inclusive and provide equal opportunity 

to all. Agencies appreciate that a 

diverse workforce is its greatest asset. 

Further, Congress has mandated that 

the federal government be the model 

employer. Reaching that status means 

federal agencies need to make 

significant improvement in the area 
INTRODUCTION

of hiring people with disabilities. Meeting 

that goal while also getting positions filled 

quickly makes using Schedule A a WIN-WIN 

proposition!

Using the Schedule A appointing authority, 

found at 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), qualified 

candidates who meet the Office of Personnel 

Management’s (OPM) guidelines can be hired 

non-competitively – 

v without the typical recruitment 

headaches;

v without posting and publicizing the 

position; and

v without going through the certificate 

process.

How? By following the Easy How To Steps 

detailed in the next section.
EASY HOW TO STEPS

Hiring managers should first approach the 

Selective Placement Coordinator (SPC) or 

Disability Program Manager (DPM) in their 

agency (this person might be housed in HR, 

or they may be a part of the EEO office). The 

manager should alert the SPC/DPM of the job 

opening. The manager should also explain 

what competencies the ideal candidate should 

possess, thinking critically about the essential 

functions of the position.

A skilled SPC/DPM, after consulting his/her 

resources (which should include, but not be 

limited to, all local colleges and universities, 

local Vocational Rehabilitation service providers, 

the Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network 

(EARN), the Department of Labor’s Workforce 

Recruitment Program (WRP), the Department 

of Defense’s Wounded Warriors program, 

counterparts at other agencies, etc.), will be 

able to come back to the manager with potential 

Schedule A applicants who have already been 

determined to meet the qualifications for the 

position. The number of candidates the manager 

is presented with will vary greatly, depending on 

the level of specialty required by the job.

You, as the hiring official, can now review the 

resumes and references of the applicants, 

conduct interviews, etc., and then make a 

selection. Resume and reference reviews should 

be thorough to accurately assess job readiness. 

If you are not satisfied with any of the Schedule A 

applicants presented to you, you retain the option 

of using the traditional competitive process to 

fill the vacancy. 

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EASY HOW TO STEPS

The selection decision, once made, should be 

relayed to the appropriate persons within HR who 

extend offers of employment on behalf of the 

agency. For some agencies, this might be handled 

through the SPC/DPM.

Once the offer has been accepted, a start date may 

be established to bring the candidate on board. 

This requires coordination with the SPC/DPM and/

or your servicing HR Specialist to ensure that any 

accommodation needed is in place on your new 

employee’s first day.

That’s it!

Seem easy? It is! Moreover, a skilled SPC/DPM will keep 

a cadre of Schedule A eligible candidates on stand-by 

(this can take the form of a “resume bank” or “Schedule 

A Registry,” and should include people with the necessary 

knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in the 

major occupations of the agency), so that they can assist 

busy hiring managers to very quickly fill job openings. No 

more three, six, or nine month waits!!

The Federal Government – Opportunities for All!

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is Schedule A?

A. Schedule A is an appointing authority, or hiring 

authority. It is an Excepted Service appointment 

for persons with disabilities. The regulations 

guiding the Excepted Service -- Appointment of 

Persons with Disabilities and Career and CareerConditional Appointment are found in the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR). The citation is 5 CFR 

§ 213.3102(u).

Q. Why should agencies consider using this hiring 

authority?

A. Agencies should use this hiring authority for a number 

of good reasons:

• Individuals with disabilities are an untapped 

source of excellent applicants; 

• No public notice is required. In fact, many of the 

usual HR-related stumbling blocks are avoided, 

which could result in significantly reducing the 

time necessary to hire a well-qualified candidate;

• Doing so can support an agency’s Career Patterns 

initiative. Technological advances and growing 

emphasis on tele-work may dovetail with the 

needs of many applicants with disabilities; and

• Agencies don’t have to clear ‘surplus employee’ 

lists prior to using Schedule A.

Q. What about accommodations? Aren’t they expensive 

and a hassle?

A. No! More often than not, providing accommodations 

is simple and usually free! Moreover, you are not 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

alone in trying to work through accommodation 

requests. Your agency’s SPC/DPM can help you. Your 

agency may also have a person who serves as the 

Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator (RAC), to help 

with accommodation needs. There are also several 

resources outside of your agency which can help, some 

of which are listed herein – just check our Resources 

page!

And remember, just as we all need assistance at some 

point in the work place, accommodations may be 

needed by an individual with a disability. You want 

all of your employees to be at their best at work, and 

accommodations play a role in reaching that goal. 

Providing accommodations, however, does not have to 

be a difficult, expensive or time consuming process. 

Q. Is this appointment to a permanent position?

A. It can be. Agencies may self-determine what type of 

placement to make, based on the needs of the position, 

as well as the qualification level of the candidate. A 

hiring agency may make a temporary appointment, 

a time-limited appointment when the duties of the 

position do not require it to be filled on a permanent 

basis, or a permanent appointment. Permanent 

appointments are strongly encouraged, unless there is 

a compelling reason to do otherwise.

Q. What about a probationary period?

A. Depending on the type of appointment, probationary 

periods typically last up to two years. Schedule A 

candidates should be held to the same performance 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

standards as all other employees. Once the employee’s 

accommodation needs, if any, have been met, then you 

should expect no more or less from a Schedule A employee 

than you would from any other employee. Once the 

probationary period has been successfully completed, 

employees should be converted to permanent competitive 

status.
RESOURCES

RESOURCES

RECRUITMENT / HIRING

EARN – The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) is a 

free service that connects employers looking for quality employees 

with skilled job candidates. EARN provides recruiting services, as 

well as employer success stories and information on the business 

case for hiring people with disabilities. Further information can be 

found at http://earnworks.com/. 

WRP – The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment 

and referral program that connects federal sector employers 

nationwide with highly motivated post-secondary students and 

recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their 

abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs. 

Students represent all majors, and range from college freshmen 

to graduate students and law students. A searchable database is 

available through the WRP website. WRP is ready to help you fill 

your summer or permanent hiring needs! Further information can 

be found at http://wrp.gov. 

For Veterans with Disabilities – There are numerous organizations 

and agencies that exist to assist veterans with disabilities find and 

maintain employment. The following is a sample of useful resources 

to keep handy: 

v The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans Employment & 

Training Service http://www.dol.gov/vets/welcome.html

v Hire Heroes http://www.hireheroesusa.org/

v Wounded Warriors Project 

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Advocacy Groups – There are several different advocacy groups that 

also serve as excellent resources for recruiting and hiring individuals 

with disabilities. The following is a sampling of those resources:

v American Association of People with Disabilities 

http://www.aapd-dc.org/
RESOURCES

v Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation 

http://www.rehabnetwork.org/

v Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government http://dhhig.org/

v American Council of the Blind http://www.acb.org/

Federal Resources – There are numerous federal programs designed to 

meet the needs of people with disabilities in finding employment. The 

following is a non-exhaustive list of programs/resources:

v The Office of Personnel Management’s “Disability Site” 

http://www.opm.gov/disability/

v DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/

v Also check out the federal government’s one-stop web site for 

people with disabilities, their families, employers, veterans and 

service members, workforce professionals and many others. 

www.DisabilityInfo.gov

ACCOMMODATIONS

CAP – Within the federal government there is a wonderful program 

housed within the Department of Defense. The Computer/Electronic 

Accommodations Program (CAP) provides assistive technology and 

services to people with disabilities throughout the federal government 

FREE OF CHARGE! That means, you, as a hiring manager, can tap 

this resource for help in accommodating an employee with a disability. 

CAP will do the needs assessment, buy the needed technology, train the 

employee on how to use it, and follow up with updates. All you have to 

do is ask! (Note: Before contacting CAP directly yourself, check with 

the SPC/DPM or HR, as they may already have a relationship with CAP.) 

Further information can be found at http://www.tricare.mil/cap/. 
RESOURCES

JAN – The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) represents the most 

comprehensive resource for job accommodations available, and is 

a terrific and easy-to-use resource. This free consulting service 

includes providing individualized worksite accommodation 

solutions, as well as general information on job accommodations 

and related subjects for employers and people with disabilities. 

Additional information can be found at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

1-800-669-4000 / TTY 1-800-669-6820

www.eeoc.gov

Rev. 2/08