TOPICS
TOPICS
Hiring authority for military spouses begins to take shape
The Office of Personnel Management on Friday issued draft rules that would provide agencies with special hiring authorities for spouses of military service members.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register, would implement an executive order issued by President Bush in September to allow agencies to noncompetitively appoint military spouses to positions in the competitive civil service.
"These regulations facilitate the entry of military spouses into the federal civil service as part of an effort to recruit and retain skilled and experienced members of the armed forces and to recognize and honor the service of members injured, disabled or killed in connection with their service," OPM stated.
The rules would apply to spouses of soldiers who are disabled or killed as a result of active-duty service, as well as spouses of active-duty service members who receive permanent change of station orders, according to the notice.
Spouses would be eligible for a noncompetitive appointment to the civil service for a maximum of two years from the date the service member was ordered to change stations, or two years from the date the service member was declared disabled or killed.
Spouses would be restricted to one noncompetitive appointment to a permanent job for each set of orders authorizing the service member's change of station. OPM did not propose a limit on the number of temporary or term appointments a spouse could have per relocation.
To qualify, applicants must have been married to the armed forces member on or before the date of the relocation order, the rules stated, and they must accompany the service member to the new duty station.
The draft rules also would require agencies to appoint spouses to positions within the geographic area of the service member's permanent duty station. The proposal made an exception for spouses of service members who are disabled or killed as a result of active-duty service.
Written comments on the proposal are due by Jan. 5, 2009, and can be e-mailed to employ@opm.gov.
COMMENTS
- I am absolutely disgusted by some of the comments on this page. I am an active duty spouse (8 years) and we are two years from the end of our commitment. I worked very hard to prepare for my career and had multiple highly desirable job offers in hand when I chose to marry my husband just after he commissioned. I have a BS in Chemical Engineering and a MS in Engineering Management. I knew I was making a huge sacrifice but I was willing to do so for him and my belief and support of military service. So, for those of you who say I “have done nothing” for our country, I shake my head at your lack of appreciation for the value of family to military members. I run the household and act as a single parent while my husband is deployed or TDY for 200+ days a year. Carrying that burden with no family nearby is extremely draining and challenging. I am extremely qualified, talented and proactive but have struggled to find fulfilling and meaningful employment. My career field is region specific and what employers I do find are turned off to investing in a short term employee. I have resorted to hiding our military connection, providing unrelated reasons for my multiple jobs and even leaving off my wedding ring to avoid questions about my family. I support my husband’s career but he also supports mine. So, in two years we will most likely get out of the military so I can pursue my career. If an initiative such as this passes, then the government could continue to benefit from both of our services until our retirement. Many of our military friends are in similar situations. Times are changing. Women are now an integral part of today’s workforce and are becoming a significant portion of the professional population. In addition, families often rely on two incomes to make ends meet. If the military doesn’t make changes to accommodate for these changing times then the active duty forces are definitely going to suffer. Michelle - Engineer Posted March 23, 2009 12:33 PM
- Sorry, I am waiting to see how this all plays out. As I read the initial proposal, the spouse would have to know the hiring authority and get that person to agree to hire the spouse without putting the job out for a competitive bid. If that reading is correct, it begs the question: what spouse is going to know an employer and have that connection? We move so frequently, the odds of getting a job during a 2-3 year duty assignment seem pretty slim. I am waiting for the final draft of this, but don't expect it to change anything. MT Posted January 9, 2009 3:37 PM
- Amen Dee!! I am an army spouse with a law degree, and since getting married several years ago, my career has taken a major new direction. Now, I admittedly knew that I was rolling the dice somewhat, because I understood that marrying a military officer would require my career to take an unconventional turn. However, I never dreamed it would be next to impossible to get even low-level federal GS positions. It has been a BITTER pill to swallow as I've watched several civilian attorney jobs with the JAG offices on post go to local attorneys who are equally as qualified as me, but who were preselected in a process that is supposedly "competitive." My faith in the federal selection systems on military bases dropped even further when I saw the same thing happening at even the lower GS levels. Given the numerous deployments and multiple PCS moves we military wives endure in support of our husbands and this country, this Executive Order is just one of many things that the federal government needs to do to enhance quality of life for military spouses. Tina Posted January 5, 2009 9:49 PM
