Agencies reported a lack of qualified staff able to process hiring actions under Schedule A and that leadership may not hold staff accountable for not using the hiring authority. Image: Studio.51/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffGreater use of excepted service “Schedule A” hiring authority could increase federal employment of persons with disabilities but agencies experience some “dissatisfaction and confusion” with using it, the EEOC has said.
A report noted that employment of persons with disabilities and persons with “targeted” disabilities—certain more severe conditions—has increased in recent years but remains below the goals of at least 12 and 2 percent, respectively, at 9.5 and 1 percent.
In trying to meet those goals, agencies often use special hiring authorities including Schedule A, which allows for non-competitive hiring with the opportunity to convert to a competitive service job, it said. In a survey to which 55 agencies responded, all but 18 expressed satisfaction with it, citing improved speed of hiring, the quality of candidates and ease of use. However, no agency had used Schedule A authority to hire even as many as 400 employees during 2022.
“Despite agencies’ overall satisfaction with Schedule A, agencies reported certain areas of dissatisfaction and difficulty,” it said. “For example, agencies stated that officials and applicants with disabilities may lack familiarity with Schedule A. Furthermore, agencies reported a lack of qualified staff able to process hiring actions under Schedule A and that leadership may not hold staff accountable for not using the hiring authority. Agencies also expressed difficulty in reviewing and determining the sufficiency of medical documentation to support applicant eligibility.”
Other issues included that the definition of disability under Schedule A is unclear, leaving agencies to make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis; that Schedule A is not applicable when a position is already in the excepted service; and that the two-year trial period prior to conversion to competitive status is less favorable than other hiring authorities, which are usually one year.
Further, they “reported confusion” on issues such as whether Schedule A applicants are required to compete for internal opportunities, whether candidates may be selected only in the context of a simultaneous competitive hiring process, and how Schedule A relates to veterans’ preference and the right to compete.
The report meanwhile found some “promising practices” involving external outreach and recruitment, repositories of Schedule A applicants, internal training and process improvements. “Other agencies could use these practices as part of a targeted strategy” to improve employment of persons with disabilities, it said.
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