The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals With Disabilities

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The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals
With Disabilities

• Colorado Division of
• Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

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What is Colorado DVR?

• A Colorado State Agency
• Assist individuals with disabilities to
• Prepare for employment
• Obtain employment
• Perform job tasks
• Maintain employment

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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

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Why Hire People With Disabilities?

• Qualified candidates
• Reliability
• Loyalty
• Creativity

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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

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How Can DVR Help With Recruitment?

• Provide access to qualified individuals
• Prescreened applicants
• Knowledge of applicant skills/abilities
• Knowledge of employer needs

A diverse workforce is a strong workforce!
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How Can DVR Help with Reasonable Accommodations?

• Provide information guidance
• Evaluate work environment
• Suggest modifications
• Training on use of accommodations

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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

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How Can DVR Support Your Current Employees?

• Retention Services
• Job Assessments
• Disability Resources

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Executive OrderIncreasing Federal Employment of
Individuals with Disabilities
White House Press Release July 26, 2010
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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

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More on the Executive Order

1. 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)

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The Schedule A Hiring Authority for Individuals
With Disabilities
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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 service
• after 2-years of satisfactory performance

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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
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Eligibility Documentation for Schedule A
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Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must have
• 1. An intellectual disability, or
• 2. A severe physical disability, or
• 3. A psychiatric disability

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Required Documentation(usually included in one
letter)

• 1. Proof of Disability
• 2. Certification of Job Readiness
• (Candidates must meet minimum qualifications)

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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
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Who May Provide Proof of Disability?

• 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

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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

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Who May Provide Certification of Job Readiness?

• The same entities as Proof of Disability

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What Does Job Readiness Mean? (From EEOCs ABCs
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.

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SAMPLE SCHEDULE A LETTER DATE December 10,
2020 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 (Counselors Name) (Counselors
Signature) 303.866.2217
John.Elway_at_state.co.us (Phone Number)
(Email Address)
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The Schedule A Process
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Step 1 Hiring Manager Meets with HR

• Hiring Manager asks HR Specialist to help fill a
  position noncompetitively using Schedule A
• Consult agencys Selective Placement Coordinator
  (SPC) or Disability Program Manager (DPM) for
  assistance, if necessary

(Note SPCs or DPMs may be housed in HR, EEO or
OCR)
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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 Specialists contact information
• Reasonable accommodation statement with agencys
  point of contact for accommodations

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Step 3 Recruitment

• HR Specialist forwards announcement to agencys
  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 (Nate.Slattengren_at_state.co.us)
• CSAVR National Employment Team (The NET)
• VAs Voc Rehab Employment (VRE)
• American Indian Rehabilitation (AIR)
• Wounded Warriors Program
• Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)

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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

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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

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Online Resources

• OPM - Online Schedule A training
• https//hrmadesimple.golearnportal.org/
• OPM - Individuals with Disabilities
• http//www.usajobs.gov/individualswithdisabilitie
  s.asp
• ABCs of Schedule A
• http//www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/initiatives/lead/abcs_o
  f_schedule_a.cfm
• Executive Order 13548
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/execut
  ive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individual
  s-with-disabilities
• Reasonable Accommodations
• DVR http//www.dvrcolorado.com
• CAP http//cap.tricare.mil/
• JAN http//askjan.org/index.html

www.dvrcolorado.com
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For More Information or Additional Training
Contact Nate Slattengren Federal Business
Outreach Specialist 303.866.2217 or
Nate.Slattengren_at_state.co.us www.dvrcolorado.c
om