Military Spouse Appointing Authority

The Military Spouse Appointing Authority is a new hiring authority that provides an additional hiring flexibility for managers to consider as part of their recruitment efforts and provides a mechanism to assist certain military spouses in order to minimize disruptions in military families due to permanent change of station (PCS) relocations, disability and deaths resulting from active duty service. To achieve this, these provisions authorize the non-competitive appointment of certain military spouses to positions in the competitive service. This authority is a non-competitive hiring mechanism, it does not establish or constitute a hiring preference for eligible spouses, nor does it create an entitlement to federal jobs for eligible spouses.

• There are three eligibility categories.
  • Relocation with the service member spouse as a result of permanent change of station (PCS) orders. A spouse of a military member must be authorized to relocate on the PCS orders, and actually relocate to the new duty station. The military spouse can only be appointed within the reasonable daily commuting distance of the new duty station. The military spouse who is PCSing with a military member that is retiring or separating is not eligible under this authority unless he/she meets criteria outlined below. To confirm eligibility, the United States Coast Guard must verify the military spouse has a valid marriage certificate or other documentation verifying marriage (such as any official documentation verifying a recognized common law marriage). In addition, the military member’s spouse must be authorized on the military orders which assign the military member to a certain post. This noncompetitive appointment authority is normally limited to the geographic area (as stated on the PCS orders), or the surrounding commuting area.
  • Spouse of service member who incurred a 100 percent disability during the service member’s active duty service. A military spouse is eligible to be considered under this authority if the military member was retired under chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code with a 100 percent disability rating from the military, or was released from active duty and has a disability rating of 100 percent from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the military. There is no geographic limitation under this category. The military spouse must submit a copy of the military member’s Department of Defense (DD) form 214 and a copy of documentation from either the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense indicating the military member has a disability rating of 100 percent due to a service connected disability. The military spouse must also submit documentation verifying marriage to the military member.
  • Spouse of service member killed while on active duty. If the military member was killed while on active duty and the military spouse is not remarried, the military spouse is eligible. There is no geographic limitation in this category. The military spouse will be required to provide documentation of the death and marital status at the time of death.
• The Coast Guard uses this authority when filling competitive service positions on a temporary (not to exceed 1 year), term (more than 1 year but not more than 4 years), or permanent basis. A military spouse must apply to the merit promotion vacancy announcement to be considered under the military spouse appointing authority. If a military spouse applies under a delegated examining unit (DEU) vacancy announcement he/she will not be referred for consideration under the military spouse authority, but will be referred in accordance with applicable laws and regulations associated with delegated examining.