The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals With Disabilities Colorado Division of Vocational...
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The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals With Disabilities Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
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The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals With Disabilities
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
www.dvrcolorado.com
What is Colorado DVR?
• A Colorado State Agency • Assist individuals with disabilities to:
– Prepare for employment– Obtain employment– Perform job tasks– Maintain employment
www.dvrcolorado.com
What is Our Process?
• Individuals must apply for services and meet eligibility criteria in order to receive support
• A Rehabilitation Counselor works with each individual to determine suitable employment goals and necessary services
www.dvrcolorado.com
Why Hire People With Disabilities?
• Qualified candidates
• Reliability
• Loyalty
• Creativity
www.dvrcolorado.com
What Can DVR do for Federal Employers?
• Partner with you to– Recruit qualified candidates – Facilitate accommodations for success– Promote a positive and barrier-free workplace– Support your current employees who may
have disabilities
www.dvrcolorado.com
How Can DVR Help With Recruitment?
• Provide access to qualified individuals– Prescreened applicants– Knowledge of applicant skills/abilities– Knowledge of employer needs
www.dvrcolorado.com
How Can DVR Help with Reasonable Accommodations?
• Provide information & guidance• Evaluate work environment• Suggest modifications• Training on use of accommodations
www.dvrcolorado.com
How Can DVR Promote a Positive and Barrier-Free
Workplace?• Create awareness • Offer customized trainings & workshops
– Environmental, programmatic & attitudinal barriers
– Specific disabilities & disability etiquette– Reasonable Accommodations– Schedule A Training for federal staff
www.dvrcolorado.com
How Can DVR Support Your Current Employees?
• Retention Services
– Job Assessments
– Disability Resources
www.dvrcolorado.com
Executive Order:Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities
White House Press ReleaseJuly 26, 2010
www.dvrcolorado.com
Executive Order & Schedule A
“In implementing their plans, agencies, to the extent permitted by law, shall increase utilization of the Federal Government's Schedule A excepted service hiring authority for persons with disabilities …”
www.dvrcolorado.com
More on the Executive Order1. OPM has developed model strategies for recruiting and
hiring people with disabilities (PWD)
2. Individual agencies developed recruitment and hiring plans for PWD – submitted to OPM by April 11, 2011
3. OPM must report agencies’ progress in hiring PWD to the President and the public
4. Agencies must implement strategies for retention of current federal employees with disabilities and those injured on the job (i.e. – reasonable accommodations and return-to-work planning)
www.dvrcolorado.com
The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals With Disabilities
www.dvrcolorado.com
What is Schedule A?• Appointing Authority is 5 CFR 213.3102(u)
• An excepted service hiring authority which may be used to hire individuals with disabilities
• Non-competitive appointment to Temporary, Time-limited or Permanent positions
• No vacancy announcement required
• Traditional hiring procedures can be by-passed
• Employee may be converted to competitive serviceafter 2-years of satisfactory performance
www.dvrcolorado.comwww.dvrcolorado.com
Benefits to Federal Managers
• Save time and resources– Use a simplified hiring process
• No public posting is required• Fill vacancies efficiently with qualified candidates
• Increase workforce diversity
• Meet three Executive Orders with one hire– Increase hiring of people with disabilities (PWD)
– Increase hiring of veterans with disabilities
– Shorten hiring timelines
www.dvrcolorado.com
Eligibility & Documentation for Schedule A
www.dvrcolorado.com
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must have:
1. An intellectual disability, or
2. A severe physical disability, or
3. A psychiatric disability
www.dvrcolorado.com
Required Documentation(usually included in one letter)
1. Proof of Disability
2. Certification of Job Readiness
(Candidates must meet minimum qualifications)
www.dvrcolorado.comwww.dvrcolorado.com
1. Proof of Disability• The rules do not specifically exclude any
type of disability
• Documentation need only certify that the applicant has a disability which is long-term and/or permanent in nature
• Individuals with targeted and reportable disabilities are eligible
www.dvrcolorado.com
Who May Provide Proof of Disability?
1. A licensed medical professional (i.e. physician or other medical professional duly certified by a state, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory to practice medicine)
2. Licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist(federal, state or private)
3. Any federal agency, state agency, or agency of District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits
www.dvrcolorado.com
2. Certification of Job Readiness
• A determination that an applicant is likely to succeed in the performance of the job he/she has applied for
• If unable to obtain, then the agency can appoint the individual to a temporary assignment in lieu of this certification
www.dvrcolorado.com
Who May Provide Certification of Job
Readiness?• The same entities as Proof of Disability
www.dvrcolorado.com
What Does Job Readiness Mean?
(From EEOC’s ABC’s of Schedule A)• There are many interpretations, both by federal
agencies & VR professionals• Resume and reference reviews should be
thorough to accurately assess job readiness
“Ultimately, there are not hard & fast rules when it comes to job readiness … Hiring
agencies are free to decide for themselves who is a good fit for their open positions.”
www.dvrcolorado.com
SAMPLE SCHEDULE A LETTER
DATE: April 19, 2023
FROM: John Elway, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
TO: USDA Forest Service
This letter serves as certification that Josh McDaniels is an individual with a severe physical, intellectual, or psychological disability that qualifies him for consideration under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u), Schedule A hiring authority, appointment for Persons with Disabilities. Josh McDaniels is also job ready and is likely to succeed in performing the duties of the Quarterbacks Coach position.
I may be contacted at:
John Elway John Elway(Counselor’s Name) (Counselor’s Signature)
303.866.2217 [email protected](Phone Number) (Email Address)
www.dvrcolorado.com
The Schedule A Process
www.dvrcolorado.com
Step 1: Hiring Manager Meets with HR
• Hiring Manager asks HR Specialist to help fill a position noncompetitively using Schedule A
– Consult agency’s Selective Placement Coordinator (SPC) or Disability Program Manager (DPM) for assistance, if necessary
(Note: SPC’s or DPM’s may be housed in HR, EEO or OCR)
www.dvrcolorado.com
Step 2: HR Specialist Develops Simple Vacancy Announcement
Announcement should include:– Job information (work schedule, pay, location, etc.)– Essential job functions– Basic qualifications– How to apply– HR Specialist’s contact information– Reasonable accommodation statement with
agency’s point of contact for accommodations
www.dvrcolorado.com
Step 3: Recruitment• HR Specialist forwards announcement to agency’s SPC
or DPM and asks them to help market the opportunity
• HR Specialist forwards announcement to their local contacts to find qualified candidates
– Colorado DVR ([email protected])
– CSAVR National Employment Team (The NET)
– VA’s Voc Rehab & Employment (VR&E)
– American Indian Rehabilitation (AIR)
– Wounded Warriors Program
– Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)
www.dvrcolorado.com
Step 4: Review & Selection
• HR Specialist receives and reviews applications for basic qualifications
• HR Specialist issues list of qualified candidates to hiring manager for consideration
• Hiring Manager reviews resumes & references
• Interviews may be conducted
• Selection is made and HR extends offer on behalf of the agency
www.dvrcolorado.com
Step 5: Offer, Acceptance & Post-Hire
• HR Specialist and SPC/DPM help to coordinate:– Start date: may be based on timeline in which the needed
reasonable accommodations are in place– Accommodations needed for on-boarding and orientation
• Post-Hire– Standard Form (SF) 256: Self Identification of Disability
• Confidential, but mandatory for Schedule A hires• NOT issued prior to hire• Typically completed by employee during on-boarding
www.dvrcolorado.comwww.dvrcolorado.com
Online Resources• OPM - Online Schedule A training:
https://hrmadesimple.golearnportal.org/
• OPM - Individuals with Disabilities:http://www.usajobs.gov/individualswithdisabilities.asp
• ABC’s of Schedule A: http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/initiatives/lead/abcs_of_schedule_a.cfm
• Executive Order 13548: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities
• Reasonable Accommodations:DVR: http://www.dvrcolorado.com
CAP: http://cap.tricare.mil/
JAN: http://askjan.org/index.html
For More Information or Additional Training
Contact Nate Slattengren Federal Business Outreach Specialist
303.866.2217 or
www.dvrcolorado.com
