Veteran Federal Hiring Authority Finder

One set of questions, every authority you can use — each answer carrying the statute it comes from.

Veterans’ hiring authorities are usually explained one at a time, which is why so many veterans use the weakest one available to them. Answer the questions below once and every authority is matched against the same facts. Each result carries its citation, what it does, and — the part almost nobody states — what it does not do.

Who is applying?

Did you serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces?

Answer for yourself, not for a relative.

Answer the questions above and every authority below updates. Nothing is submitted.

Answers stay in your browser. Nothing is submitted, stored, or tied to an account, and there is no sign-up.

This is an unofficial tool built from published DOL and OPM sources. It is not an eligibility determination. Only the hiring agency, OPM, or the VA can make one.

What the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act actually allows

Asked plainly, because it is asked plainly: VEOA lets an eligible veteran apply to a merit promotion announcement that the agency would otherwise have opened only to its own current employees. If selected, you get a career or career-conditional appointment. The statute is 5 U.S.C. § 3304(l) — note that this was subsection (f) until the 2024 amendments redesignated it, so older guidance citing § 3304(f) is pointing at a subsection that no longer carries this text.

What it does not do is settled in the statute itself:

“This subsection shall not be construed to confer an entitlement to veterans’ preference that is not otherwise required by law.”
5 U.S.C. § 3304(l)(3)

So VEOA is a door, not a head start. Once through it you are rated and ranked with everyone else in the pool.

Every authority, with its citation and its limits

Veterans’ preference (5-point or 10-point)

5 U.S.C. § 2108 (who qualifies); 5 U.S.C. § 3309 (the points)

Adds 5 or 10 points to a passing examination score, and under category rating places preference eligibles ahead of non-preference candidates within the same quality category.

What it does not do: It is not a quota and does not apply to every position. It does not apply where an agency uses Direct Hire Authority, and § 2108(2) requires separation under honorable conditions — which the VEVRAA definition in 38 U.S.C. § 4211(3) does not.

Proof required: DD-214 showing character of service; SF-15 plus supporting VA documentation for 10-point claims

The disabled-veteran definition here (§ 2108(2)) is a different test from the VEVRAA one. A veteran can be a VEVRAA protected veteran and not preference eligible, and vice versa.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

5 U.S.C. § 3304(l) — redesignated from § 3304(f) by the 2024 amendments

Lets you apply to merit promotion announcements that would otherwise be open only to current federal employees. If selected you receive a career or career-conditional appointment.

What it does not do: It gives you access to the competition, not an advantage inside it. You are rated and ranked against the other merit-promotion candidates with no preference points added. This is the single most misunderstood point about VEOA, and § 3304(l)(3) says so explicitly.

Separated under honorable conditions (honorable or general), AND
Either preference eligible under 5 U.S.C. § 2108(3), OR 3 or more years of continuous active service

Proof required: DD-214 (preferred); SF-15 if claiming preference eligibility as the qualifying prong

A competitive service appointing authority, usable only to fill permanent competitive service positions.

Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)

5 CFR part 307, § 307.103

A non-competitive appointment route: the agency can hire you without competition, and after 2 years of substantially continuous service the appointment must convert to career or career-conditional.

What it does not do: It does not reach above GS-11 or equivalent, and it does not waive the qualification standards for the position. You still have to be qualified.

A covered veteran (holding a campaign badge, expeditionary medal, or Armed Forces Service Medal, or a disabled veteran, or recently separated), AND
Separated under honorable conditions

Grade ceiling: GS-11 or equivalent

Proof required: DD-214; VA documentation where disability is the qualifying basis

Multiple VRA appointments are permitted so long as the person still qualifies as a covered veteran at the time of each appointment.

30 percent or more disabled veteran authority

5 U.S.C. § 3112; implemented at 5 CFR § 315.707 and listed for term appointments at 5 CFR § 316.302(b)(4)

Lets an agency appoint you without competition, at any grade for which you qualify, leading to conversion to career or career-conditional employment.

What it does not do: It carries no grade ceiling — unlike VRA — but it also does not oblige any agency to use it. It is an authority the agency may use, not an entitlement you can compel.

A compensable service-connected disability rated 30 percent or more

Proof required: VA rating letter dated 1991 or later, or a rating from a branch of the Armed Forces at any time; Military discharge notice showing the rating

This authority genuinely does use a percentage. That is why the 30-percent figure exists at all, and why it gets wrongly imported into the VEVRAA protected-veteran definition, which has no percentage.

Schedule A appointment (disability)

5 CFR § 213.3102(u)

A non-competitive excepted appointment for people with a qualifying disability, convertible to competitive service after 2 years of satisfactory service.

What it does not do: It is not a veterans' authority and it is not scored off a VA rating. It also does not require you to disclose your diagnosis — the letter need only establish a qualifying disability and your ability to perform the job.

An intellectual disability, a severe physical disability, or a psychiatric disability
Proof of disability from a qualifying source (see documentation)

Proof required: A Schedule A letter from a licensed medical professional; or a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or a federal, state or territorial agency that issues disability benefits

Schedule A positions are on the 5 CFR § 302.101(c) exclusion list, so the part 302 preference procedures do not attach to them. Do not flatten that when discussing preference and Schedule A on the same page.

Derived preference (spouse, widow or widower, or parent)

5 U.S.C. § 2108(3)(D)–(G); points at § 3309(1)

Lets a family member claim the veteran's 10-point preference in their own federal application, where the veteran cannot use it themselves.

What it does not do: It is not available simply because a relative served. Each category has a precise test — an unmarried widow or widower, a spouse of a service-connected disabled veteran who cannot qualify for any civil service appointment, or a parent in narrowly defined circumstances.

Unmarried widow or widower of a qualifying veteran, OR
Spouse of a service-connected disabled veteran who has been unable to qualify for any civil service appointment, OR
Parent of a service member who lost their life under honorable conditions, or of a permanently and totally service-connected disabled veteran, subject to the marital conditions in § 2108(3)(F)–(G)

Proof required: SF-15 with the supporting documentation that section requires

Derived preference carries 10 points because these categories sit in § 2108(3)(C)–(G).

Military spouse noncompetitive appointment

5 CFR § 315.612

Lets an agency appoint a qualifying military spouse non-competitively to a permanent competitive service position.

What it does not do: It is not veterans' preference and it confers no points. It is an authority the agency may choose to use.

Spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty, OR
Spouse of a service member who is 100 percent disabled from an injury incurred on active duty, OR
Un-remarried widow or widower of a service member killed while performing active duty

Proof required: Marriage certificate or other legal verification of marriage; Active duty orders, or VA rating documentation, or proof of death on active duty plus certification of unmarried status; PCS orders dated on or after 1 January 2029 for appointments made under the post-2028 rule

Verified cite only — the substantive page for this authority belongs to a sibling page on military spouse federal hiring.

Three citations in wide circulation are wrong

These were checked section by section against the statute and the regulations, and three of the citations you will see repeated across the web do not say what they are said to say:

10-point preference was cited to 5 U.S.C. 2108 alone. Section 2108 defines who is 'preference eligible' and contains NO percentages, no '10 point' language and no reference to the SF-15. The points themselves are in 5 U.S.C. 3309: 10 points for 2108(3)(C)-(G), 5 points for 2108(3)(A)-(B). Both cites are required.
The 30-percent authority was cited to 5 CFR 316.302. That section governs TERM appointments and merely lists the 30-percent basis at (b)(4). The statutory authority is 5 U.S.C. 3112; the permanent-conversion regulation is 5 CFR 315.707.
VEOA was cited to 5 U.S.C. 3304(f), which no longer exists as such — it is now 3304(l).

Sources

9 of 9 references are official U.S. government publications. Pay tables and hiring rules change — each link shows when we last verified it.

[1]5 U.S.C. § 2108 — Veterans’ preference definitions — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[2]5 U.S.C. § 3309 — Preference eligibles; examinations; additional points — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[3]5 U.S.C. § 3304 — Competitive service; examinations (VEOA at subsection (l)) — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[4]5 U.S.C. § 3112 — Appointment of disabled veterans rated 30 percent or more — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[5]5 CFR § 307.103 — Veterans Recruitment Appointment, grade levels and conversion — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[6]5 CFR § 213.3102(u) — Appointment of persons with disabilities (Schedule A) — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[7]5 CFR § 315.612 — Noncompetitive appointment of certain military spouses — eCFR / U.S. Code, National Archives and GPO. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[8]What are the criteria for VEOA eligibility? — Feds Hire Vets FAQ — U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Verified Sep 2, 2026.
[9]How to Obtain a Schedule A Letter — U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. Verified Sep 2, 2026.

Common questions

The Veterans Employment Opportunity Act allows which of the following?

It allows an eligible veteran to apply to merit promotion announcements that the agency would otherwise open only to its own current employees. That is all it does. 5 U.S.C. § 3304(l)(3) states expressly that the subsection “shall not be construed to confer an entitlement to veterans’ preference that is not otherwise required by law” — so VEOA buys access to the competition, not an advantage inside it.

Am I VEOA eligible?

Two prongs. You must have been separated under honorable conditions — honorable or general — and you must either be preference eligible under 5 U.S.C. § 2108(3) or have 3 or more years of continuous active service. OPM applies the second prong as “substantially completed” three years, which is why a separation shortly before the three-year mark can still qualify.

Does VEOA give me veterans’ preference in the competition?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding of the authority. Once you are in the applicant pool you are rated and ranked alongside the other merit-promotion candidates with no points added. If you are separately preference eligible, that preference comes from § 2108 and § 3309, not from VEOA.

What is the 30 percent or more disabled hiring authority?

5 U.S.C. § 3112 lets an agency appoint a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability rated 30 percent or more without competition, leading to conversion to career or career-conditional employment. Unlike VRA it carries no grade ceiling. It is an authority the agency may use, not an entitlement you can require it to use.

Is there a grade limit on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment?

Yes. 5 CFR § 307.103 limits VRA to positions “up to and including GS-11 or equivalent”. After two years of substantially continuous service the appointment must be converted to career or career-conditional.

What is derived preference?

It lets a spouse, unmarried widow or widower, or in narrow circumstances a parent claim a veteran’s 10-point preference in their own federal application, where the veteran cannot use it. The categories sit in 5 U.S.C. § 2108(3)(D)–(G) and each has a precise test — being related to someone who served is not by itself enough.

Do I need a Schedule A letter to state my diagnosis?

No. Schedule A under 5 CFR § 213.3102(u) turns on an intellectual, severe physical, or psychiatric disability, and the letter need only establish that a qualifying disability exists and that you can perform the job. It may be signed by a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or a federal or state agency that issues disability benefits. Most applicants over-disclose.