Is MilSpouse Government Hiring Preference Coming Soon?

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White House officials said today they will soon announce a plan to give military spouses an easier shot at government jobs.

Navy Capt. Brad Cooper, director of the White House’s Joining Forces program, told us that they are working closely with agencies, particularly the DoD, to make it easier for spouses to get government jobs and that we can expect an announcement in the next few weeks.

The current government policy regarding military spouse hiring is more than a little confusing. I touched base with the good people of the National Military Family Association in an attempt to figure out it.

They said right now there are two hiring initiatives within the federal government.

The first is DoD specific. It gives military spouses who recently completed a PCS preference when applying for a DoD job at their new base.  That means they may be given head-of-line consideration for certain positions.

The second rule lets agencies hire recently PCSed spouses, military widows and spouses of 100 percent disabled vets for noncompetitive appointment. This does not mean they have perfence for those jobs – it simply means they have a foot in the job door under some circumstances.

In short: hiring preference for all military spouses within the federal government does not exist.

One of the great things about this blog is that it gives you the chance for your voice to be heard by the White House and the people who plan these programs. I tell you about initiatives they are planning, you leave a comment telling me what you think and I pass it right back to them. We found out about this upcoming announcement, for example, specifically because a reader commented here that easier access to government services jobs would be helpful, and I brought the subject to Cooper. Pretty neat, huh?

But here’s something even cooler: he had read that post and seen the comments himself even before I asked the question. People who matter are reading your comments!

Now, then, is your chance to talk about what you are looking for in a change to spouse employment with the government. What is your ideal spouse hiring policy? Leave your thoughts below and make sure the White House hears your voice.

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