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Military personnel who have served in the post-Sept. 11 period now qualify for preference in hiring for federal jobs, agencies were informed recently.

The Office of Personnel Management issued a regulation June 9 giving hiring preference to anyone who served on active duty for at least 180 days, any part of which was between Sept. 11 and whenever Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, either by presidential proclomation or law. Military personnel need not have spent time in Iraq or Afghanistan to qualify.

The last period designated for veterans' preference was the Gulf War -- specifically for military members who served between Aug. 2, 1990, and Jan. 2, 1992. Without this designation, the rules are much stricter for military members to benefit from veterans' preference, and can require 24 months in service, permanent positions and a campaign badge.

OPM has not completed any formal studies on the number of job applicants that the new rule, which implements part of the fiscal 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, may bring. Mark Doboga, the agency's deputy associate director for talent and capacity policy, said he believes it will have a substantial impact, depending on agency hiring budgets and other external factors.

The broadened rules qualify members of the National Guard and Reserves for veterans' preference, though none of the 180 days can be spent in training.

"The main point that we would like to make is that OPM is committed to ensuring veterans are treated properly," Doboga said.

In an uncommon move, the rules announced by OPM in the Federal Register last week went into immediate effect. Usually agencies publish draft rules and give stakeholders a few months to comment before finalizing them.

"We wanted to get a regulation on the books as quickly as possible to make sure there wasn't any confusion," Doboga said.

Agencies, individuals and outside groups still can submit comments until Aug. 8, and OPM can change the rules after that point.

"In light of the sacrifices being made by individuals who do not serve full time in the armed forces, but who have been called to active duty for significant periods of service, the public interest lies with immediate publication," OPM Director Linda Springer said in an addendum to the regulation.

Members of the Guard or Reserves who are already federal employees cannot use veterans' preference for in-house promotions, although it would give them leg up during agency reductions in force.

COMMENTS

• I have been a federal firefighter for the Navy for 15 years. I’m also retired from the Army National Guard. I served my country 22 years as an Army paratrooper and retired. Since I have worked as a federal firefighter I have been harassed, given a bad evaluation, discriminated against and have not been promoted because of managers who have never served their country. It is still being done today just for personal reasons. I have done everything I know. I have gone over and beyond. I am DoD-certified I have even taken classes on my own with my own money. I am a disabled veteran of 30 percent because of injuries that occurred on active duty. I have always worked hard whereever I've had a job, but I have never worked anywhere or for anyone who has treated me and others with so much disrespect and discrimination as I have working for Navy DoD. The way it works is that our management has the choice to have veterans’ preference or not. On promotions they never choose to use veterans’ preference because then I would get promoted. Talk about not being fair. Let’s not stand by without a fight you fellow vets. Let’s do something about it, no one else will. Thanks. Godbless, CLG Clinton Groves Posted July 3, 2006 6:17 PM
• I support our veterans and I have nothing against the principle of giving them hiring preference. What really irritates me is the way OPM misapplies it. It does not mean that veterans should be given jobs that they are unqualified to do. Skilled jobs require training and experience that veterans don't necessarily have. A lot of resentment has been generated against veterans’ preference over the years because the skilled workers often have to take up the slack of unskilled veterans. Just because a veteran swapped out cards in a flight computer doesn't make them a technician and being a captain or a major doesn't mean they know how to manage an office. Where I worked, the government would have been better off to pay some of them to stay home. Veterans should not be given preference just to meet a quota. There have been too many riders already. That's part of why our government is in such a mess. Robert M. Posted June 22, 2006 7:23 PM
• Army Vet, Never be discouraged. For every whiner like Taxpayer, there are thousands who know and appreciate our military forces and what they have done and will continue to do to preserve our ideals. I only pray that our leadership "gets it" and continues to fund the military adequately so that we have the strongest, best equipped in the world. What do you think makes us the strongest nation in the world. In large part, it's our troops. If others don't think we are capable of defending ourselves, then what's to hold them at bay? Take a look around, travel to a few other countries, see if you don't think it's worth every penny, benefit, and praise we could send their way. GovExec.com reader Posted June 22, 2006 12:23 PM