Opinion ID: 792068
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: a preference eligible under section 2108(3)(A) of this title—5 points.

Text: 18 In addition, although on its face section 3309 appears to apply only to positions within the competitive service, Congress, through 5 U.S.C. § 3320, has extended veterans' preference rights to the excepted service as well: 19 The nominating or appointing authority shall select for appointment to each vacancy in the excepted service ... from the qualified applicants in the same manner and under the same conditions required for the competitive service by sections 3308-3318 of this title. This section does not apply to an appointment required by Congress to be confirmed by, or made with the advice and consent of, the Senate. 20 5 U.S.C. § 3320 (emphasis added). 21 Congress delegated the responsibility for implementing section 3320 to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). See 5 U.S.C. § 1302(c). Accordingly, OPM has issued regulations setting forth procedures for applying veterans' preference rights to the excepted service. See 5 C.F.R. pt. 302. OPM's regulations state that the general rating and ranking procedures of 5 U.S.C. § 3309 apply to nominations and appointments in the excepted service when an agency uses numerical scoring in evaluating applicants. 22 When numerical scores are used in the evaluation and referral, the agency shall grant 5 additional points to preference eligibles under section 2108(3)(A) and (B) of title 5 ... and 10 additional points to preference eligibles under section 2108(3)(C) through (G) of that title. 23 5 C.F.R. § 302.201(a) (2005). However, not all appointments within the excepted service are made using numerical rate and ranking procedures. For these positions, OPM's regulations provide for a more qualitative accounting of veterans' preference rights. See id. § 302.201(b) (When eligible candidates are referred without ranking, the agency shall note preference as `CP' for preference eligibles under 5 U.S.C. § 2108(3)(c), as `XP' for preference eligibles under 5 U.S.C. § 2108(3)(D) through (G), and as `TP' for all other preference eligibles under that title.). 24 In addition, OPM has wholly exempted some positions within the excepted service from the appointment procedures of 5 C.F.R. Part 302. See id. § 302.101(c). For these exempted positions, OPM simply directs agencies to follow the principle of veteran preference as far as administratively feasible. Id. As already seen, in this case the agency treated Mr. Patterson's status as a veteran as a positive factor. OPM views the positive factor test as consistent with the requirement of section 302.101(c) that, in hiring for certain positions in the excepted service, agencies follow the principle of veteran preference as far as administratively feasible. (Br. of Appellee at 27-28 & 28 n. 7.) OPM includes attorney positions within this exemption. Id. § 302.101(c)(9).