OPM finalizes rules on hiring mentally disabled

Final regulations issued last week by the Office of Personnel Management will ease the way for those with psychiatric disabilities to climb the federal employment ladder.

Based on recommendations first put forth by the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, the new rules, issued Friday, allow an agency to convert an employee with a psychiatric disability from noncompetitive to competitive status after two years of satisfactory service.

The change conforms to exceptions already in place for individuals with mental retardation or severe physical impairments. The decision on whether to convert a given employee will remain at the discretion of the agency involved.

"People with disabilities can do the job as well as anyone else," said OPM Director Janice R. Lachance at an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in Madison, Wis. "I am proud of this new regulation and the opportunity it gives people with psychiatric disabilities to make a real contribution to our nation's continued economic growth."

Lachance also announced the creation of a full service Web site for the disabled that will allow applicants to access federal job listings and view provisions applicable to their potential employment. It can be found at www.opm.gov/disability.

According to an OPM guide on employing people with disabilities, "psychiatric disabilities are diverse and include anxiety disorders, depression, mania, schizophrenia and other conditions."

The new policy, which will take effect on August 7, is part of an overall focus by the Clinton administration on destigmatizing mental illness. Vice President Al Gore's wife, Tipper, who last spring announced publicly that she sought treatment for clinical depression in the 1980s, has been the most visible champion of the issue.