Federal Employment Benefits
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​Being a Veteran can get you a leg up and extra benefits with the federal government.
Federal Employment Benefits
Being a Veteran can get you a leg up and extra benefits with the federal government.
Veterans Preference in Hiring
Getting ahead of those dirty civilians
Your service and your disability rating will determine how many points of preference you are given when applying for Federal jobs.
NOTE:
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Certain federal positions do NOT have to provide Veterans preference. An example would if the job is being offered under Direct Hire authority.
0-Points (SSP)
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Veterans released or discharged from a period of active duty from the armed forces, after August 29, 2008, by reason of a “sole survivorship discharge.”
While 0-points will not get you too far ahead it does entitle you to be listed ahead of non-preference eligible candidates with the same score on an examination, OR listed ahead of non-preference eligible candidates in the same quality category when agencies are using category rating.
5-Points (TP)
Veteran served:
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During a war; or
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At least one day between April 28, 1952 to July 1, 1955; or
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For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; or
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At least one day between August 2, 1990, through January 2, 1992; or
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For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning September 11, 2001, and ending on August 31, 2010; or
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In a campaign or expedition for which a campaign medal has been authorized (Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or campaign badge, including El Salvador, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Southwest Asia, Somalia, and Haiti).
10-Point Disability Preference (XP)
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Has a combined disability rating of at least 0%; or
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Received a Purple Heart.
10-Point Compensable Disability Preference (CP)
Has a combined disability rating of 10 or 20%.
10-Point 30% Compensable Disability Preference (CPS)
Have a combined disability rating of at least 30%.
Military Service Deposit (Buying Back Time/Retirement)
Veterans who served under Title 10 AND received an honorable discharge can 'buy-back' their active duty time. In effect, having that time counted toward their federal retirement.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
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Veteran retirees CANNOT buy-back their time - UNLESS, they were Medically retired.
Buying Back
The math behind how much your buy back will cost is based upon 3 factors:
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If you paid into CSRS or FERS;
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The amount of basic pay earned over your length of service; and
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Length of time since military service ended.
In short, the goal is to act as if you had been employed as a civilian by the federal government and had been making regular contributions to your federal retirement plan. But don't worry, DFAS will do the math for you.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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Once your employment starts with the federal government interest payments on the buy-back stops. HOWEVER, this pause only lasts 2 years. As such, it is generally recommended to try and complete the buy back within 2 years.
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While you do NOT have to start the buy back program when you start your employment with the federal government. You MUST complete your buy back 6 months BEFORE you do retire.
Determining How Much to Pay
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Complete a RI 20-97.
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Send the completed RI 20-97 form AND your DD-214 to your branch of service at the address or fax number listed on the form.
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Once the snail mail has provided you with a response from your branch you can then complete a SF 3108. Complete your portion and give your HR the form so they can finish their parts.
Payments
You can elect to make a single lump payment for the full amount OR you can elect to make installments out of every paycheck.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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If you elect to pay it off all at once then you should automatically receive a Paid-In-Full Letter.
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If you elect installments then you will need to request the Paid-In-Full Letter via remedy.
Once you have the letter KEEP A COPY SOMEWHERE SAFE! and give your HR a copy!
Service Credit Toward Leave Rate Accrual
Unlike the military, how much leave federal civilian employees earn may vary based upon years of service.
Leave Earned a Pay Period Years of Service
4 hours Less than 3 years
6 hours 3 years to 15 years
8 hours Over 15 years
Veterans who did NOT retiree can have their Active Duty/Title 10 time counted toward their civilian federal service to get more leave!
Important the agency must determine that the skills and experience the employee possesses are
(1) Essential to the new position and were acquired through performance in a non-Federal or active duty uniformed service position having duties which directly relate to the duties of the position to which he or she is being appointed; and
(2) Necessary to achieve an important agency mission or performance goal.
The head of an agency, or his or her designee, must make the determination to approve an employee's qualifying prior work experience before the employee enters on duty - the determination cannot be made retroactively.
Please note: How you word your resume to frame your military experience relative the assigned duties in the federal job you are applying for makes a big difference in which leave accrual category you are placed upon hiring!
SPECIAL NOTES:
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If the Veteran was Medically Retired then their AD time WILL count.
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Retirees who have served in a war, campaign or, expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; can have that period of time credited toward their civilian federal service to get more leave!
Getting Credited
Provide a copy of your DD-214 to your HR.
Disabled Veteran Leave (DVL)
The federal government recognizes that newly hired Veterans with service-connected disabilities have not been able to accrue enough paid sick leave to seek treatment for their service connected disabilities.
As such, DVL can provide the Veteran with up to 104 hours of paid sick leave.
Eligibility
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Have a combined disability rating of at least 30%; and
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Are within a year of INITIAL federal civilian employment.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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Any unused leave at the end of the first year of employment will be LOST.
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If you obtain a combined rating of at least 30% during this first year, you will NOT be given additional time to use this leave.
Obtaining Disabled Veteran Leave
To get DVL credited to your leave balance you must submit documentation to your HR that shows you have a combined rating of at least 30%.
Use va.gov's Letter Generator to download your Veterans Benefit Letter. Ensure that your letter does have the field selected that displays your combined rating.
Using Disabled Veteran Leave
Follow your agency's policies for requesting sick leave.
Your agency MAY require that you provide proof that you are using this leave for a service-connected condition. This may take the form of requiring a doctor's note that includes:
(1) A statement by the health care provider that the medical treatment is for one or more service-connected disabilities of the employee that resulted in 30 percent or more disability rating;
(2) The date or dates of treatment or, if the treatment extends over several days, the beginning and ending dates of the treatment;
(3) If the leave was not requested in advance, a statement that the treatment required was of an urgent nature or there were other circumstances that made advanced scheduling not possible; and
(4) Any additional information that is essential to verify the employee's eligibility.