Glossary

Competitive Service

Competitive Service is a term used to describe Federal employees covered by the Civil Service Act.
 

Displaced/Surplus Employees

Displaced Employees

Displaced employees are current or former career or career conditional competitive service employees at the grade level GS-15 or below, and facing reduction in force separation or involuntary separation for declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside the commuting area.

 

Surplus Employees

Surplus employees are current career or career conditional competitive employees at the grade level GS-15 or below in a position or occupation identified by the employing agency as "surplus" and therefore face future potential reduction in force separation.

For OCC employees- Current career or career conditional excepted service employees in a position or occupation identified by the employing agency as "surplus" and therefore face future potential reduction in force separation.
 

Excepted Service

Excepted Service is a term used to refer to positions in the civil service that are specifically excluded from the requirements of the Civil Service Act. Usually identified as "Schedule A", "Schedule B", "Schedule C", or Schedule D" appointments.
 

Federal Employment for Persons with Disabilities

The Federal Government's Selective Placement programs include a special hiring authority for hiring people with disabilities. Interested applicants should visit the OPM website for Federal Employment of People with Disabilities for information about eligibility and certification requirements. View information on Selective Placement program coordinators, including Treasury bureau contacts.
 

Reinstatement Eligibility

A term used by hiring offices to refer to former Federal employees who are interested in reentering the Federal competitive service workforce without competing with the public in a civil service examination or public job announcement. To be "reinstatement eligible," former employees must have held a career or career-conditional appointment previously. Persons who are reinstatement eligible can apply for Federal jobs open only to status candidates.
 

Special Appointing Authorities

Numerous special appointment authorities are available. Check out our bureaus’ web sites, read the vacancy announcement, or View more information.
 

Status Candidates

A term used by hiring offices to refer to candidates already employed by the Federal government in a competitive service position.
 

Type of Appointment

30% or More Disabled Veteran

An authority that enables a hiring manager to appoint an eligible candidate to any position for which he or she is qualified, without competition. Initial appointments are time-limited, but must last more than 60 days; however, you can be noncompetitively converted to a permanent status at any time during the time-limited appointment.

Career Appointment, Competitive Service

A term used to describe an employee's status within the Federal government. It includes all employees in the competitive service who have completed 3 years of substantially continuous Federal service.

 

Career Appointment, Excepted Service

A term used to describe an employee of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's status. It includes all OCC employees in the excepted service who have completed 1 year of substantially continuous Federal service.

 

Career Conditional Appointment, Competitive Service

A term used to describe an employee's status within the Federal government. It includes permanent employees in the competitive service who have not completed three years of substantially continuous service to become a full career employee.
 

Career-Conditional Appointment, Excepted service

A term used to describe an employee of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's status within the Federal government. It includes permanent employees in the excepted service who have not completed their first year of employment.

 

Excepted Service Appointment

A term used to refer to positions in the civil service that are specifically excluded from the requirements of the Civil Service Act. Usually identified as "Schedule A", "Schedule B", "Schedule C", or Schedule D" appointments. 
 

Military Spouse Appointing Authority

This authority enables a hiring manager to non-competitively appoint a military spouse who meets certain criteria to any position in the competitive service for which he or she is qualified.

Pathways

Short for the Pathways Program - A term used to refer to a series of programs developed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to reform the student hiring programs across the government. The Pathways Programs contains two main hiring options: Internship Program, Recent Graduate Program.

 

Temporary Appointment

An appointment lasting one year or less with a specific expiration date.

 

Term Appointment

An appointment that refers to when an employing agency hires an employee to work on a project of a non-permanent nature for a limited period of time. Normally, the appointment period is for more than one year but no more than four years.

 

Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA)

A special authority by which agencies may appoint an eligible veteran without competition. The candidate must meet the basic qualification requirements for the position and can be referred directly to a hiring manager for consideration. The use of the authority is entirely discretionary and no one is entitled to a VRA appointment. VRA appointees initially are hired for a 2-year period. Successful completion of the 2-year VRA appointment leads to a career appointment.

 

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) 

This authority permits preference eligibles and certain eligible Veterans' the ability to compete for jobs that otherwise only would have been available to status employees. In VEOA appointments, preference eligibles and Veterans are not accorded preference as a factor, but they are allowed to compete for job opportunities that are not offered to other external candidates. A VEOA eligible who is selected will be given a career or career-conditional appointment.