The District of Columbia government appreciates and recognizes the sacrifices made by our service members and their families. Despite this sacrifice, many veterans struggle to find civilian employment. Veterans offer invaluable skills to the workplace, but often face unique challenges when it comes to hiring and employment. The Call for Hire: D.C. Government Veterans Hiring Program is a special employment program that helps eligible and qualified resident District veterans and their spouses find employment within the District government. This issuance outlines the Call for Hire Program’s eligibility requirements, steps for registration, and the hiring process.  

Veterans in the District of Columbia are struggling to find employment. Recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the District has one of the highest state unemployment rates for veterans in the nation. The District’s veteran unemployment rate in 2018 was 6.5%, compared to a national average of 3.5%. The Call for Hire Program assists District resident veterans and their spouses seeking employment with the District government by providing District agencies direct access to a qualified talent pool made up of only veterans and their spouses. The Call for Hire Program will further assist veterans and their spouses seeking employment by providing District agencies with the ability to directly hire eligible and qualified District resident veterans and their spouses.

Positions will be available for Program participants in a range of fields across the District government. These positions are time-limited Career Service appointments at grades 12 and below. After the completion of the time-limited appointment, the participant may be eligible to compete for a permanent Career Service position at the agency and the agency may limit the area of consideration to participants in the Call for Hire Program. 

Veterans and veterans’ spouses are eligible to participate in the Call for Hire Program if they meet the criteria outlined below.

Veterans

Veterans are eligible to participate in the Call for Hire Program if they:

1. Served in the armed forces of the United States as a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard Service;
2. Served for more than 180 consecutive days, inclusive of contingency operations as defined under 10 U.S.C. § 101 (a)(13);
3. Separated from the armed forces through an honorable or general discharge.[1] and
4. Reside in the District of Columbia.

Veterans’ Spouses

Veterans’ spouses, which include registered domestic partners as defined by D.C. Official Code § 32-701(3), are eligible to participate in this program if they are a resident of the District of Columbia and are: 

• The spouse of a disabled veteran who is classified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as suffering a medical impairment of 30% or more; or
• A spouse of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty who has not remarried or has not entered into a new domestic partnership following the death of the service member. The former service member’s death must have occurred under circumstances that would not have been cause for separation with other than an honorable or general discharge.

Registering for the Call for Hire Program is a quick process that allows your hiring information to be accessible to numerous agencies across the District. The following section outlines the steps for registering for the Program. 

Step 1: Visit the D.C. Department of Human Resources’ (DCHR) veterans-specific website, www.veteranscareers.dc.gov.

Step 2: Choose a hiring group that fits your career interests from the list. Veterans may apply to be in multiple groups. Some examples may include: information technology, administrative, etc.  

Step 3: Complete the accompanying questionnaire.

Step 4: Attach necessary documentation. This can be done before or after registration to the Program. To attach required documentation, go to the Veterans Career Page, select “My Job Applications”, click “Add Attachment.” Under the “My Cover Letter and Attachment” heading select “Military” as the attachment type.

Step 5: Veterans will receive a notification when they submit their registration for the Program.

Step 6: Agencies will work with DCHR to connect eligible and qualified members to the hiring categories to fill time-limited Career Service positions at grades 12 and below. Participants may be asked to perform additional rounds of assessments, which may include an interview.

An application will remain in the Call for Hire Program’s applicant pool for a maximum of one year from the date of its submission. However, participants may resubmit their application at any time or register to be part of an additional hiring category. 

Please note that registration into the Call for Hire Program DOES NOT guarantee you will receive a job.

At the time of registration, veterans and veterans’ spouses will be asked to provide documentation to verify their eligibility. Agencies will verify the required documentation before hiring a candidate. Participants who do not have proper documentation or who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be eligible for the Program. 

Documentation Required for Veterans

For veterans, documentation shall include one or more of the following:

• A copy of the Department of Defense Form 214 (DD 214), Report of Release or Discharge;
• Certificates indicating Honorable Discharge or General Discharge under honorable conditions;
• Certificate of transfer to Fleet Naval or Marine Corps Reserve;
• Certificate of transfer to Enlisted Reserve Corps;
• Report of separation from Service Department, provided honorable separation is shown;
• Certificate of Satisfactory Service of release from active duty;
• Official statement from Service Department that honorable separation was effectuated;
• Certification from the Veterans Administration indicating that the veteran has a service-connected disability;
• Military Identification Card; or
• Other acceptable forms of documentation, as deemed appropriate by DCHR.

Documentation Required for Veterans’ Spouses

Veterans’ spouses or domestic partners, as defined by D.C. Official Code § 32-703(3), may apply to the Call for Hire Program if they are: (1) the spouse of a qualified disabled veteran; (2) an un-remarried widow or widower of a member of the armed forces killed on active duty; or (3) a former domestic partner of a member of the armed forces killed on active duty, who has not registered another domestic partnership. 

Spouses and domestic partners shall submit the following documentation at the time of registration:

• If the applicant is a spouse or domestic partner of a disabled veteran, they must provide all of the following documents:
  1. Documentation showing the member of the armed forces has a service-connected disability and is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension because of a public law administered by the Veterans Administration; or classification from the Veterans Administration as being 30 percent or more disabled, provided such veteran is disqualified, by reason of his or her service-connected disability, for appointment to a District government position along the general lines of their usual occupation.
  2. Legal documentation verifying marriage or domestic partnership to the member of the armed forces (e.g., a marriage license, court certification or other legal document verifying marriage or domestic partnership).
• If the applicant is the widow or widower (or domestic partner) of a member of the armed forces who died while on active duty, they shall provide all of the following documentation:
  1. Documentation showing the individual was released or discharged from active duty due to his or her death while on active duty;
  2. Documentation verifying the member of the armed forces was killed while serving on active duty;
  3. Documentation verifying marriage or domestic partnership to the member of the armed forces (e.g., a marriage license, court certification or other legal document verifying marriage or domestic partnership); and   
  4. A statement certifying that the applicant is the un-remarried widow or widower of the service member and/or has not re-entered into another marriage or domestic partnership.  

The Call for Hire Program allows agencies the ability to non-competitively hire veterans from specialized applicant pools to time-limited Career Service positions at grades 12 and below. 

To hire from this applicant pool, agencies should work with DCHR to find potential candidates before posting a position on eRecruit (www.careers.dc.gov). If an agency finds a candidate that meets the qualification and education requirements for the position, they are encouraged to conduct additional assessments, such as interviews, before making a final selection.

After the completion of their initial appointment, an agency may extend an offer to a participant for an appointment to a permanent Career Services position, subject to any applicable probationary period. The candidate pool for the position may be limited to individuals who have participated in the Call for Hire Program.

DCHR will work to support the agencies with their hiring process, which includes maintaining the applicant pool, recruiting veterans into the program, conducting trainings, and providing ongoing assistance to agencies.

The Call for Hire: D.C. Government Veterans Hiring Program is designed to allow additional opportunities for eligible and qualified veterans and their spouses to seek employment with the District government. Therefore, the Program does not alter veterans’ preference in the competitive hiring process as established in Title 6-B, Chapter 7 of the DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR). Veterans who apply to positions in open competition may still elect veterans’ preferences, as applicable. Applying to the Call for Hire Program does not exclude participants from applying to other D.C. government positions and electing a veterans’ preference. 

1. Statutory Authority: D.C. Official Code § 1–608.01(a)(6) and (a)(11), Creation of Career Service.
2. Related Regulatory Authority:
   1. 6-B DCMR § 703, Veterans’ Preference.
   2. 6-B DCMR § 821, Special Employment Programs.