[Social-sciences-list] Schedule A hiring Authority

[Vincent Martin]

Peter,
The Schedule A hiring authority is a very unique and tricky entity to use,
but can be the most powerful one for getting a person with a disability
hired.  Other than Veteran's preference and political appointments, the
hiring authority is extremely powerful.  What is the most powerful portion
of it is that it can be used to hire a person with a disability without
competitive consideration.  That means that if a job is not advertised
through the normal means, a hiring manager can hire a person with a
disability and not have to even interview anyone else!  During the normal
hiring process, if you let a hiring manager know that you are Schedule A
eligible, that puts you in another category.  It is then up to you to
impress the hiring authorities.  I was just at the US Census Bureau last
week making a presentation and had a long conversation with the Diversity
and Inclusion employee that is responsible for recruiting veterans and
people under the Schedule A hiring authority.  I had a very good personal
friend get recruited away from her job at the VA to go to work there and she
was hired using the Schedule A hiring authority.  They flew her up to D.C.
to interview and we don't think they even interviewed another person!  

When I was working for the VA as a research scientist, my supervisor used it
to hire several severely visually impaired and totally blind employees.  He
even used it to hire a Bio-medical engineer that had ADHD as well.  He was
so sick and tired of the hiring process and how long it took to get a person
hired that he thought it was more efficient to hire competent people with
disabilities and get the projects done.  The center is the center for
excellence for Visual and Neurological Rehabilitation now.  I will probably
go back to the facility when I finish my Ph.D. to continue the research that
he started about twenty years ago.  The primary focus is on wayfinding for
blinded veterans and that is extremely complex.  He, and the center head and
medical directors know that having competent researchers that also have the
disability can lead to an insight that they cannot get from focus groups or
by reading journal articles.  They are very discriminating in who they even
remotely recruit to work there and they rarely ever post a job.  Although I
am not officially on staff anymore (I got kicked out and pointed to graduate
school, (lol), a part of my duties is to still scour the country for bright
and intriguing students that they think will fit into the research goal for
the future.  The US Veterans are aging at a phenomenal rate and blindness is
one of the afflictions that affect many of them.  With the use of body armor
and better helmets, a huge number of Veterans have returned from Iraq and
Afghanistan with vision problems related to brain trauma and direct trauma
to the eyes.  Having competent researchers who are passionate about working
with this population and who realize that so many things are necessary to
make their lives comfortable is what the mission of the research facility
is.  Over the past few years, they have extended inquiries to three people
and two have been members of this list.  So far, only one has come in to
tour the place and is seriously considering making it a career choice, but
the Schedule A hiring authority is there to be used when it is needed.  In
the area of rehabilitation research for the VA, there is also a Disability
research award available.  It can be used to pay the employee's salary for
the first three years as they transition into their research role and start
to write their own grants for their own projects.  

In conclusion, I would advise you and anyone else that is considering
Federal employment to "get" to know as many hiring managers as possible.  Be
willing to look at every Federal agency and see who is the hiring manager
for the Agency or for the particular facility or building you are
considering working for.  If you get hired this way, you can have up to two
years of probationary period, instead of the normal six month period though.
You can also still become eligible to move to another job or agency after
one year of work.  You could start as an employee in the Forestry department
and get into the agency you actually want to work for in a year.  





>Does anyone know how the opm operates in the special hiring authority with
section a in the U.s? I'm thorughly confused by the complex machinery of the
process cause of the application side of it.
For example, applying for a job but this Hr specialist in San Fran said that
"in addition" phrase that I could apply for certain job hiring authority for
persons with disabilities via a certain url page that he gave me. Not even
my VR coun selor nor any blind people till this date can fully understand
this process, so any insight would be great of you to share with me.


Thanks,
Peter