Federal Hiring Toolkit for Veterans

This toolkit was built by Em, a retired U.S. Navy Commander (Medical Service Corps, 20+ years). Page 214 is free, privacy-first, and entirely client-side. Authority for the federal-hiring rules covered here: 5 U.S.C. § 2108 (definition of veteran and disabled-veteran preference); 5 U.S.C. § 3309 (preference points awarded in competitive examinations); 5 U.S.C. § 3326 (180-day cooling-off rule for retired military officers seeking DoD positions and the waiver process); the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) at 5 C.F.R. Part 307; the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) at 5 U.S.C. § 3304(f); the 30% or More Disabled Veteran hiring authority at 5 C.F.R. § 316.302(b)(4); Military Spouse Preference under 10 U.S.C. § 1784 and 5 C.F.R. Part 315; the 2025 Merit Hiring Plan issued by OPM (May 29, 2025) implementing Executive Order 14170; Executive Order 14356 (Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring, October 2025); and the Schedule Policy/Career final rule issued February 2026. The four mandatory essays, the Rule of Many numerical scoring, the four-to-one hiring ratio, and the two-page resume limit are governed by OPM’s 2025–2026 Merit Hiring Plan and supplemental guidance through Feb 23, 2026; USAJOBS implements the page-limit and document-upload requirements. The DoD SkillBridge program operates under 10 U.S.C. § 1143; Schedule A for individuals with disabilities is at 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u). Federal hiring policy is changing rapidly — verify rules at OPM.gov, USAJOBS, and the hiring agency’s own page before applying. The 180-day rule has nuanced waiver criteria; consult JAG legal assistance (free) before assuming a waiver will be granted.