A new hiring authority became effective in September 2009 that gave agencies the option of hiring qualified military spouses without going through the competitive process. However, according to a recent Federal Times article, the federal government has been slow to adopt this new accelerated hiring authority targeted to military spouses. Additionally, we continue to hear that hiring managers as well as spouses are unaware of this authority.  

According to statistics released by the Office of Personnel Management, federal agencies hired 61 military spouses in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 – 58 of those were hired by the Defense Department. The positions included clerks, human resources, accounting, program management and medical support.

This authority was mandated by the President to increase employment opportunities for spouses of service members of the armed forces while avoiding or reducing career interruptions due to the service member’s change in duty station. To qualify for the program, spouses of active duty members must meet certain conditions:

• The spouse must be rated among the best qualified applicants for the position.

• The spouse must be located in the same geographical area as the active duty member’s permanent duty station.

• Relocation of duty station must be based on a regular Permanent Change of Station (PCS) and not for separation or retirement.

• The marriage between the spouse and the military active duty sponsor must have taken place before the reporting date to the new duty station.

• Military spouses must provide a copy of the PCS orders during the application process.

• Individuals claiming preference must be spouses of active duty military members of the U.S. Armed forces, including the U.S. Coast Guard.

Spouses can find out about federal job opportunities at www.usajobs.gov, or they may also check the websites of specific agencies in which they may wish to work for position vacancies. This hiring authority is not limited to specific positions or grade levels but spouses would have to meet the same requirements as other applicants, (to include qualification requirements).  It is the responsibility of the spouse to request consideration for employment under this authority. The use of this hiring authority will be discretionary with managers; it does not mean spouses will get a hiring preference, nor does it create an entitlement to federal jobs over other qualified applicants. 

For additional information, see the below links:

http://www.health.mil/About_MHS/Organizations/MHS_Offices_and_Programs/People/Home.aspx

http://www.cpms.osd.mil/milspouse/milspouse_index.aspx