Careers for Heroes Act

To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the hiring of veterans by the Federal Government. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Careers for Heroes Act 2. Employment of veterans with the Federal Government (a) In general Section 4214 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: (4) (A) The requirement under this paragraph is in addition to the appointment of qualified covered veterans under the authority under paragraph (1) by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. (B) The head of each agency (excluding the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense), in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall develop and implement a plan for exercising the authority specified in subparagraph (C) during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this paragraph. (C) The authority specified in this subparagraph is the authority as follows: (i) The authority under paragraph (1). (ii) The authority available to the agency concerned under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 ( Public Law 105–339 (D) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall ensure that under the plans developed under subparagraph (B), agencies shall appoint to existing vacancies not fewer than 15,000 qualified covered veterans during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this paragraph. For purposes of complying with this subparagraph, an appointment pursuant to the authority referred to in subparagraph (C)(ii) shall not count toward the number required by this subparagraph unless the appointment is to a vacancy in a full-time, permanent position. ; (2) in subsection (d), in the third sentence, by inserting (including, during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of paragraph (4) of subsection (b), the development and implementation by each agency of the plan required under such paragraph, which shall include information regarding the grade or pay level of appointments by the agency under the plan and whether the appointments are, or are converted to, career or career-conditional appointments) subsection (b) of this section (3) in subsection (e)— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in the matter before subparagraph (A), by striking to the Congress to the appropriate committees of Congress (ii) in subparagraph (A), by inserting (including, during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of paragraph (4) of subsection (b), the development and implementation by the agency of the plan required under such paragraph, which shall include information regarding the grade or pay level of appointments by the agency under the plan and whether the appointments are, or are converted to, permanent appointments) (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3) In this subsection, the term appropriate committees of Congress (A) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives. . (b) Report Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress (as defined under section 4214(e)(3)

Summary: Careers for Heroes Act - Directs the head of each federal agency other than the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan for exercising, during the five-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act, authority to make veterans recruitment appointments and authority under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to ensure that, under such plans, agencies shall appoint no less than 15,000 qualified covered veterans during such period. (Covered veterans include those who: (1) are disabled or recently separated; (2) served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; or (3) while serving on active duty, participated in a military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded.)