Question about 10 Point Preference for Veterans

M

Mike1983

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
Registered Member
Hi,

I know that you have to provide the VA letter in order to qualify for the 10 point preference, but I am curious about what is in the letter. Does it go into detail on your disabilities or just say that you have X%? I don't want to start a new career by submitting a list of crap that's wrong with me...

Thanks,
Mike
 
It reads like this:

Dear Mr. XXXXXXX:
This letter is furnished to establish your Veteran's preference for civil service employment.
What Our Records Show

The Department of Veterans Affairs records certify that you separated under honorable conditions from active duty military service and that you are entitled to compensation for service-connected disability(ies) which are least 30 percent or more disabling. Your payment is made in accordance with public laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
How You Can Contact Us

The letter will be available in the "VA Letters" section of your Ebenefits account once your proposed ratings are final. As you can see, it's very general and doesn't share your details. You will submit this with SF 15 to the agency you apply to. They will adjudicate it.
 
Mike1983 said:
Hi,

I know that you have to provide the VA letter in order to qualify for the 10 point preference, but I am curious about what is in the letter. Does it go into detail on your disabilities or just say that you have X%? I don't want to start a new career by submitting a list of crap that's wrong with me...

Thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...

I agree with everything that Ranger stated above (with a clearification). "Final" ratings are not given until you are off orders and have become a Veteran. I've been unsuccessfully applying for a couple federal jobs, but can't get the CPX letter (10 pt+) letter from the VA until I am finally out. I was able to get a "Schedule A" appointment letter from the Veteran's Rehab Advisor, but that doesn't come with the 10-point Veteran's Pref.
 
You can also fill out the SF15...
 
grizz13 said:
You can also fill out the SF15...
Click to expand...

Grizz,
I filled out the SF15 and submitted it with all of my federal applications, but talking to the Department of Labor, they have explained that the hiring departments DO NOT have to give a SM any preference points. They only give Veterans the preference. This was also confirmed by the VA service rep. at my transitions classes last month.
 
eagleone said:
Grizz,
I filled out the SF15 and submitted it with all of my federal applications, but talking to the Department of Labor, they have explained that the hiring departments DO NOT have to give a SM any preference points. They only give Veterans the preference. This was also confirmed by the VA service rep. at my transitions classes last month.
Click to expand...

When you submit your SF 15 it has to have your veterans preference letter as an attachment. You don't get the veterans preference letter until you have final ratings. So if you are sending it in without the letter, you will get 5 points, not 10. They need the letter for 10. It's how they adjudicate the SF 15. If you go to the link listed below, I wrote a whole guide on the federal hiring process.

http://www.pebforum.com/site/threads/disabled-veteran-jobs.17451/#post-76819
 
ranger2992 said:
When you submit your SF 15 it has to have your veterans preference letter as an attachment. You don't get the veterans preference letter until you have final ratings. So if you are sending it in without the letter, you will get 5 points, not 10. They need the letter for 10. It's how they adjudicate the SF 15. If you go to the link listed below, I wrote a whole guide on the federal hiring process.

http://www.pebforum.com/site/threads/disabled-veteran-jobs.17451/#post-76819
Click to expand...

Yeap, thanks. I even attempted to put my IDES "VA proposed ratings" and no-joy. Life continues... and I should be a Vet within the next three months.
 
If you fill out the SF15 correctly, you should only need to provide documentation A and C (listed on the back). "A" proves you served honorably, and "C" is to prove you have a compensable service-connected disability. Example number 3 says:


I applied for a job with only an SF15 and my military retirement orders as documentation and was given a 10 point preference before the VA had even completed my claim.
 
joshgo said:
If you fill out the SF15 correctly, you should only need to provide documentation A and C (listed on the back). "A" proves you served honorably, and "C" is to prove you have a compensable service-connected disability. Example number 3 says:


I applied for a job with only an SF15 and my military retirement orders as documentation and was given a 10 point preference before the VA had even completed my claim.
Click to expand...

It's up to the agency as to whether they will do it without the letter from the VA. I applied for a lot of GS jobs before I got the one I have and none of them gave the 10 point preference without the letter. I provided copies of retirement orders, DD 214, a letter from my state stating disability and my 199. Zero of the HR departments gave me 10 points. In every case I got the 5 point preference for being a veteran.

I am not saying it can't be done, but most agencies have internal guidelines as to what they will take as far as proof it is a service connected disability. Any HR person I have talked to has always stated they needed the VA letter.
 
USA jobs is getting bad about accepting your resume without all the documentation. I'm still active duty but have applied for several jobs since I thought "was told" I would be out by now. 99% of the jobs I applied for were rejected because, "did not provide required documents" I got ahold of an actual person and he explained to me, that regardless of your points, if you dont have all the paper work, you get deleted.
 
Fiasco007 said:
USA jobs is getting bad about accepting your resume without all the documentation. I'm still active duty but have applied for several jobs since I thought "was told" I would be out by now. 99% of the jobs I applied for were rejected because, "did not provide required documents" I got ahold of an actual person and he explained to me, that regardless of your points, if you dont have all the paper work, you get deleted.
Click to expand...

Very true. Even if they do accept your application without the VA letter, you get the 5 points as a veteran. Only getting 5 points makes getting even a job interview very difficult. Your application will get into the qualified stack, but does not automatically go to the best qualified stack like 10 point preference. There are so many people applying for these jobs that if you don't make it to the best qualified stack, you are going to get the dreaded email saying you were not forwarded to the hiring manager.
 
ranger2992 said:
Very true. Even if they do accept your application without the VA letter, you get the 5 points as a veteran. Only getting 5 points makes getting even a job interview very difficult. Your application will get into the qualified stack, but does not automatically go to the best qualified stack like 10 point preference. There are so many people applying for these jobs that if you don't make it to the best qualified stack, you are going to get the dreaded email saying you were not forwarded to the hiring manager.
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You know, for a ranger, you are pretty smart. :p

Thanks for the info. An army SF bubba, trying to get a job on an USAF log. base, needs all the help he can get. :confused:
 
eagleone said:
You know, for a ranger, you are pretty smart. :p

Thanks for the info. An army SF bubba, trying to get a job on an USAF log. base, needs all the help he can get. :confused:
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Ah but what you don't know is I was not an Army Ranger, but a park ranger long ago. The screen name stuck and I have been using on most of my accounts for 15 years. I was an Aviation guy. We are a different breed altogether. It must be all the JP8 we sniffed over the years.
 
ranger2992 said:
Ah but what you don't know is I was not an Army Ranger, but a park ranger long ago. The screen name stuck and I have been using on most of my accounts for 15 years. I was an Aviation guy. We are a different breed altogether. It must be all the JP8 we sniffed over the years.
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LOL. You weren't sounding like an army ranger. They can't speak or write outside of a 5-paragragh OPORD/FRAGO. :rolleyes:
 
I flew many a Ranger in my days as a blackhawk crew chief. The first question they always asked was "why do I have to wear my seatbelt?"
 
ranger2992 said:
I flew many a Ranger in my days as a blackhawk crew chief. The first question they always asked was "why do I have to wear my seatbelt?"
Click to expand...

The door "seat belt" was worthless.

The blackhawk was a fun aircraft to jump from. Other than a Thai-Balloon jump, it was the only aircraft, I could hear most of the retention bands snapping. With balloons, I could hear all of them releasing. Silly us, jumping from an aircraft that can land in a smaller LZ than the jumpers DZ (still fun).

Always better to be away from the aircraft when it lands. 99.9% of people that die in an aircraft, do so when the aircraft comes in contact with the ground. Therefore...
 
Though the 10 points may help am I starting to think it may hinder your application. Though the hiring agency is suppose look at a Vet first mainly. I was just thinking they may think your to broke to execute what is needed to be done. I may be wrong.
 
COLTONMD said:
Though the 10 points may help am I starting to think it may hinder your application. Though the hiring agency is suppose look at a Vet first mainly. I was just thinking they may think your to broke to execute what is needed to be done. I may be wrong.
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Actually, that is backwards. Per federal law, they are required to hire the brokest (most broke?), before anyone else. A Vet. with a >30% disabiltiy (CPX, +10 pts) gets priority, 10% Vets (10 pts), and then 5pt Vets; lastly the general public. An additional benifit of a "Schedule A" letter is that the department can create a position to train the individual, and put him/her to work (internships...)

A department that breaks the above law will get slapped by their personnel department, and be forced to hire one of the above, if the applicant appeals not being hired.
 
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