Have you been confused by job posts that say they are “open to Schedule A applicants” or give specific details related to Schedule A?
A brief intro from the guide The ABCs of Schedule A Hiring for Applicants with Disabilities is below.
There are many advantages to working for the federal government. Federal employees serve in a wide variety of exciting jobs, earn good wages, receive medical benefits, and make a difference through public service! The federal government hires people in many different fields, from accounting to public affairs, health care to law enforcement, and everything in between.
For so many, however, the steps to getting a federal job seem numerous and difficult. This does not have to be the case. There are many different paths to federal employment, and for individuals with disabilities, one of those paths is the Schedule A hiring authority.
So what is Schedule A? Schedule A is an excepted service hiring authority available to federal agencies to hire and/or to promote individuals with disabilities without competing the job. Utilizing the Schedule A hiring authority to fill a vacancy allows federal agencies to avoid using the traditional, and sometimes lengthy, competitive hiring process. You are eligible for a Schedule A appointment if you are a person with a severe physical or mental disability, and meet the qualifications of the job in question. There are no specific definitions as to what qualifies as a “severe mental or physical disability” under Schedule A, so federal agencies are free to interpret the requirements broadly.
Want more information? Read on! This guide provides answers to most of your questions about using Schedule A to get through the federal hiring process.
July 24, 2011
I was determined SSD in 2010; I was layed off from a county position in 8/2009 due to those disabilities. I have diligently been looking for almost any kind or type of employment since. I heard about Schedule A positions thru the SSA Ticket to Work program.
Please help me find employment; there is nothing with my mind; I have use of all my limbs; I’m not blind, but I do have muscular and skelatal problems, so it makes it difficult to work a 40-hr work week.
I don’t want to loose my house and I have been without health insurance since June 2009. Having only a clinic where I can get my medications.
Someone please talk to me and help me.
Sincerely,
Jacki O’Brien
LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired focuses its services for Northern Californians who are experiencing sight loss.
However, we sympathize with your situation. Going through extended periods of unemployment is a discouraging and frustrating experience. Perhaps you and other readers will find the following remarks helpful.
First of all, we hope you are getting all the benefits and services to which you are eligible to keep you going during your job search. Make an appointment with a benefits counselor at an independent living center in your area to discuss your situation and to identify benefits that you may not have accessed. We suggest that you visit http://www.db101.org. This is a web site that explains the various disability benefits programs and helps consumers understand and use them to their best advantage, especially for those consumers who plan to return to work. Several of these programs have work incentive provisions built into them, so you can make the pay from even a part time job go a long way. However, these provisions tend to be rather complicated, so getting sound advice is a good idea.
Second, if you have been turned down for benefits, be sure to appeal the negative decision, and pursue the appeal as far as you can. Never take no as the final answer. If you get stuck in the appeals process, get help from the nearest district office of your state and federal legislators. Often, a letter from the office of a sympathetic state legislator or member of congress can be just the thing that will cut through the bureaucratic red tape that is keeping you from getting what you deserve.
Third, be sure to sign up as a client of your state’s department of vocational rehabilitation, the agency that is responsible for helping people with disabilities prepare for and obtain employment. The Department probably won’t go out and find you a job, but they can pay for the services, equipment and training you might need to prepare for a return to the workforce and to assist you with the tasks of your job search.
Fourth, it’s likely there is an organized group of people in your area who share your disability. Getting involved with such a group will allow you to draw on the wisdom and experiences of others who have overcome the same challenges that you are currently facing, and it may also help you grow your professional network. Also, your involvement with the group may afford you the opportunity to develop marketable skills through volunteer service for the group.
Fifth, get involved in volunteer service with other groups in your local community. Whether you volunteer with a service club, a church group, a local non-profit agency or with some other organization, your volunteer service will make you more desirable as an employee, and your involvement in the community will make it more likely that you’ll hear about job opportunities, many of which are never advertised. People are more likely to give you job leads if you do something to help them first. Besides, getting out and volunteering will do wonders for your emotional health.
Best wishes on your job search.
Hello my name Ernest Patterson, I was in an car accident which resulted in amputation of 3 fingers of left hand. I have since gone DVR for an ticket too work. I now have that. All I need now is a job.please if you can help me this.Sincerly yours Ernest Patterson