OPM Revises Application for 10-Point Veterans’ Preference

OPM announces plans to make veterans’ preference available to more veterans

Office of Personnel Management Acting Director Dan G. Blair recently announced efforts the agency is taking to make veterans’ preference available to more of America’s veterans. OPM is revising the Standard Form 15 (SF 15), Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and locating it on the agency’s website for immediate use in accepting Department of Veterans Affairs letters of disability.

The online application is used by agencies, OPM examining offices, and agency appointing officials to adjudicate individuals’ claims for veterans’ preference in accordance with the Veterans’ Preference Act of 1944.

“We must ensure those who are eligible for veterans’ preference receive the benefits to which they are entitled,” said Blair. “OPM places a strong emphasis on the rights of veterans, including employment opportunities, and this latest version of the SF 15 strengthens that commitment for supporting our veterans in seeking federal employment opportunities.”

The SF-15 has been revised to be consistent with the policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs which considers letters issued in 1991 or later as proof of a permanent disability, unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, OPM eliminated outdated references from the application form.

To further show commitment to veterans, OPM currently is in the second stage of its Veterans’ Invitational Program (VIP). VIP II includes seminars conducted by OPM recruiters and hiring specialists at military bases and medical centers, explains veterans’ preference and appointing authorities, workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills, and hands-on guidance with OPM’s USAJOBS website — the primary source for finding federal jobs.

Further VIP II visits are scheduled for the following cities: Cherry Point, NC; Camp Lejeune, NC; Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.; Fort Sam Houston and Fort Bliss, TX; and Fort Lee, VA.

About the Author

Ralph Smith has several decades of experience working with federal human resources issues. He has written extensively on a full range of human resources topics in books and newsletters and is a co-founder of two companies and several newsletters on federal human resources. Follow Ralph on Twitter: @RalphSmith47