STATUS CANDIDATES AND OTHER ELIGIBLES DEFINITIONS –

PERMANENT/TERM/TEMPORARY

Please be sure to read the “Who May Apply” section of the vacancy announcement.

Current

Permanent

Federal

Civilian

Employee

You may be eligible as a current permanent federal civilian employee if you

are:

• A current permanent competitive service civilian employee of any Federal

agency.

If you are currently serving on a career-conditional appointment, you are eligible to 

apply if you have served at least 90 days on your current appointment.

Reinstatement

Eligible

You may be eligible as a reinstatement eligible if you are:

• A former federal employee in the competitive service who previously attained

career status (identified as Tenure 1 in block 24 of your last SF-50, Notification

of Personnel Action), or

• A former federal employee with veterans’ preference who previously attained

career- conditional status (identified as Tenure 2 in block 24 of your last SF50, Notification of Personnel Action), or

• A former career-conditional federal employee in the competitive service

(identified as Tenure 2 in block 24 of your last SF-50, Notification of Personnel

Action) without veterans’ preference who separated from Government service

within the past three years.

Veterans’ 

Employment

Opportunity

Act Eligible

(VEOA)

You may be eligible as a VEOA eligible if you are:

• A preference eligible or

• A veteran who separated from the armed forces after 3 or more years of

continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.

Additional information on the VEOA may found here. 
Veterans

Recruitment

Appointment

(VRA)

You may be eligible for a VRA appointment if you are:

• A disabled veteran; or

• A veteran who served on active duty in the Armed forces during a war or in a

campaign or expedition for which you received an authorized campaign or

expedition badge or medal; or

• A veteran who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated

in a United States military operation for which you were awarded an Armed

Forces Service Medal (AFSM); or

• A veteran who has been separated from active service within the last three

years.

NOTE: The highest grade level you may be appointed under this authority is GS-11

or equivalent.

Additional information on the VRA may be found here.

30% or More

Disabled

Veteran

You may be eligible as a 30% or more disabled veteran if you are:

• Retired from active military service with a disability rating of 30% or more; or

• Rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since 1991 or later to 

include disability determinations from a branch of the Armed Forces at any 

time, as having a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.

Additional information may be found here.

Persons with

Disability

You may be eligible as a Person with Disability if you are an individual with:

• Mental retardation,

• A severe physical disability, or

• A psychiatric impairment that has been certified by a licensed medical

professional, vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any other federal, state or

District of Columbia agency that issues or provides disability benefits.

Additional information may be found here.

Executive

Order 12721

Eligible

You may be eligible under Executive Order 12721 if you:

• Have completed 52 weeks of service in an appropriated fund position under 

an overseas local hire appointment; and

• The work was performed while accompanying a sponsor officially assigned to 

an overseas area; and

• Have received a fully successful or better (or equivalent) performance rating.

This appointment eligibility is effective for a period of three years following the date of

return from overseas to the United States to reassume residence.

Additional information on Executive Order 12721 may be found here.
Military

Spouse under

Executive

Order 13473

You may be eligible under Executive Order 13473 if you are:

• A spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty who has

orders specifying a permanent change of station (not for training), or

• A spouse of a 100 percent disabled service member injured while on active

duty; or

• An un-remarried widow or widower of a service member who was killed while

performing active duty.

Eligibility for this noncompetitive appointment is limited to a maximum of 2 years from

the date of the applicable documentation for the permanent change of station, 100

percent disability, or death.

Spouses eligible based on a permanent change of duty station are limited to the

geographic area as specified in the permanent change of station orders. This

includes the surrounding area which people reasonably can be expected to travel

daily to and from work.

Additional information on Executive Order 13473 may be located here.

Interchange

Agreement

You may be eligible under an Interchange Agreement if you are:

• An employee covered by an interchange agreement.
Postal

Service/Peace

Corps and

other Unique

Authorities

You may be eligible based on service in one of the categories listed below:

• Postal Career Service/Postal Rate Commission – Eligible when serving

under an appointment without time limitation, successfully completed a

probationary period and has no break in service. Authority: 39 U.S.C. § 

1006/3604(e))

• VISTA/ACTION Volunteer – Eligible within 1 year of having completed 12

months of community volunteer service under the Peace Corps Act or as a

VISTA volunteer under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 or the Domestic

Volunteer Service Act of 1973. Authority: 5 CFR § 315.605.

• Peace Corps – Eligible within 3 years after serving at not less than 36 months

without a break in service of 3 days or more of continuous service under the

Peace Corps. Authority: 5 CFR § 315.607

• Foreign Service Officer and Employee – Present or former career officer

or employee of the Foreign Service appointed under authority of the 

Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended. Authority: 5 CFR § 315.606

• Panama Canal Commission – Eligible after at least 1 year of

continuous employment under non-temporary appointment in the

Panama Canal Commission located in the United States. Authority: 5 

CFR § 315.609

• General Accounting Office – Eligible upon completion of 1 year of

continuous service on a non-temporary appointment that began on or after 1

Oct. 1980. Authority: 31 U.S.C. 732(g))

• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts – Current/former employees are

eligible with completion of at least 1 year of continuous service under nontemporary appointment. Employees appointed to high level positions under 28

U.S.C. § 603 or to a position of a confidential or policy-making nature are not

eligible under this authority.