Thank you for your service! You served your country in the uniformed service, now you can continue to serve your country as a civilian at DFAS, the agency who provides the finance and accounting support to our military. The skills and experience you gained in the military - technical skills, teamwork, leadership, mission focus—are key attributes we consider essential to our agency. As a leader in the employment of military veterans, we recognize the value of military service and the future potential of our veterans.
There are several different hiring authorities for military veterans. Veterans' preference eligibility is based on dates of active duty service, receipt of a campaign badge, Purple Heart, or a service-connected disability. Not all active duty service may qualify for veterans' preference. Only veterans discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions are eligible for veterans' preference.
Please note: If you are a "retired member of the armed forces" you are not included in the definition of preference eligible unless you are a disabled veteran OR you retired below the rank of major or its equivalent.
Below are the three appointing authorities specifically for military veterans.
Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA)
VRA is a special hiring authority to appoint eligible veterans without competition to positions at any grade level up through GS-11. Veterans are then converted to career or career-conditional appointment after two years of successful service. You must meet the basic qualifications for the position.
Veterans’ Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA)
The Veterans’ Employment Opportunity Act of 1998 allows qualified veterans to apply under merit promotion procedures when the agency is recruiting from outside the Department of Defense. You must be among the best qualified candidates to be referred for the position.
30% of more Disabled Veterans Appointment (DAV)
A veteran with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent of more (by way of notice from the Veterans Administration) may be non-competitively appointed. Eligible disabled veterans can receive a noncompetitive, temporary appointment of more than 60 days or a term appointment. Then they may be converted to a career or career-conditional appointment at any time during the temporary or term appointment based on successful performance. You may also be eligible to apply to our Hire a Hero positions. This is an additional hiring authority that DFAS uses to recruit military veterans. Check out the Hire a Hero Program page for more information on how to apply through this program.
For more information on Veterans' Preference and to determine which authorities you qualify for consult The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) VetGuide.
Page updated June 17, 2016.