EPA Job Vacancy Announcements: Policies and Procedures
- E-Verify
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
- Education - Accredited Colleges and Universities
- Special Appointing Authority Documentation
- Part-Time Work Experience
E-Verify: Instant Verification of Work Authorization
NOTICE: Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.
EPA will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.
IMPORTANT: If we cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, we are required to provide you written instructions and an opportunity to contact SSA and/or DHS before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment.
Employers may not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants or to re-verify current employees and may not limit or influence the choice of documents presented for use on the Form I-9.
In order to determine whether Form I-9 documentation is valid, EPA uses E-Verify’s photo screening tool to match the photograph appearing on some permanent resident and employment authorization cards with the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) photograph.
If you believe that EPA has violated its responsibilities under this program or has discriminated against you during the verification process based upon your national origin or citizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at 1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515)
For additional information, go to E-Verify.
Career Transition Assistant Plan (CTAP)
CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced federal competitive service employees within EPA with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If EPA has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority on a vacancy announcement that is in your local commuting area. To express your interest for a particular position, you should apply following the instructions outlined in the vacancy announcement. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility along with the other documentation indicated in the vacancy announcement. If you are found eligible and well-qualified* for this vacancy, you will be referred to the selecting official.
For additional information, go to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Career Transition Guide.
*For merit promotion announcements, well-qualified is a score of 87 or higher; for delegated examining announcements, you must fall into the Well Qualified category or higher.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
ICTAP provides eligible displaced federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority on a vacancy announcement that is in the local commuting area of the duty station from which you were displaced. To express your interest for a particular position, you should apply following the instructions outlined in the vacancy announcement. To receive selection priority, you must provide proof of eligibility along with the other documentation indicated in the vacancy announcement. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. If you are found eligible and well-qualified* for this vacancy, you will be referred to the selecting official.
For additional information, go to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Career Transition Guide.
*For merit promotion announcements, well-qualified is a score of 87 or higher; for delegated examining announcements, you must fall into the Well Qualified category or higher.
Education - Accredited Colleges and Universities
Only education completed in a U.S. college, university, or other educational institution that has been accredited or pre-accredited (at the time the education was obtained) by one of the accrediting agencies or associations recognized by the Department of Education (DOE) is acceptable to meet degree/educational requirements. Your claim of college-level education will be checked against DOE’s Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs.
If you earned your degree in a foreign country, you must provide a U.S. equivalency evaluation of your education by a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials (credential evaluation service). To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:
- The type of education you received;
- The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Evaluation Standards Council;
- The content of your educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained;
- The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; and
- Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of the evaluator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery.
For additional information, go to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Policies and DOE Accreditation.
Special Appointing Authority Documentation
If you are eligible to be hired under a special appointing authority, you must submit relevant supporting documentation. Below are some of the common special appointing authorities and the documentation that should typically be submitted:
| Special Appointing Authority | Description |
|---|---|
Schedule A |
Documentation from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. Documentation must be on letterhead, include a signature, and state you are eligible for employment under the Schedule A hiring authority, 5 CFR 213.3102(u). |
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer |
Description of Service signed by the Country Director. |
AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer |
Verification of Service letter. |
30 Percent or More Disabled Veteran |
DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service), VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage), and SF-15, if applicable (see page 2 of the SF-15 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter). |
Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) |
|
Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) |
|
Military Spouse |
If you are the spouse of a member of the armed forces serving on active duty:
If you are the spouse of a 100 percent disabled service member injured while on active duty:
If you are the un-remarried widow or widower of a service member who was killed while performing active duty:
|
Public Health Service |
PHS orders or PHS Form 1867 “Statement of Service - Verification of Status of Commissioned Officers of the U.S. Public Health Service”. |
Part-Time Work Experience
Only experience described in the qualifications section of the vacancy announcement is credited toward meeting the requirements for the position. We will prorate your part-time work that meets the qualification requirements as stated in the announcement for this position. For example, if you work 20 hours per week for a 12-month period, you would receive credit for six months of experience. Your total experience would need to add up to at least one year of full-time experience when qualifying based on your work. We highly recommend that your part-time work be clearly listed on your resume with the actual weekly hours worked, and include begin and end dates of employment, so that we may fully credit all of the experience that we can for you!