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Veterans and Military-Related Hiring

The Forest Service values the leadership and skills that members of the U.S. armed forces have to offer. We use a number of hiring programs to attract, transition, and support these candidates. If you are a veteran, member of the U.S. armed forces, or a military spouse, please review the resources below for how you can use your skills, experience, and eligibilities to transition into a public service career with the Forest Service.

The Umatilla Veterans crew makes a difference in accelerating restoration work in the Forest. Check out the video for how they share about the similarities of military duty and Forest Service work and culture, and the rewarding work they perform.

Career Fields

Current Openings

Use the USAJOBS dashboard to find all current Forest Service openings. You can filter by job title, hiring authority, and more.

Recruitment and Hiring Events

Find out about hiring events on the Recruitment and Hiring webpage.

Subscribe to Job Seeker Emails

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To receive information about upcoming hiring events and webinars, please subscribe to our Job Seeker Emails.

 

 

Ways That We Hire You

We advertise most positions on USAJOBS.gov. However, as a veteran or military-related candidate, you may have several options on how to apply for a Forest Service career. The way you apply can vary depending on your eligibility status for several hiring authorities.

DOD SkillBridge 

D O D SkillBridge Logo

The DOD SkillBridge program is an opportunity for Service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. We are then able to hire them for permanent or temporary positions non-competitively upon military discharge.

Discover how retired Army Major Gloria Cirulli, a former Inspector General found a new mission with the Forest Service through the DOD SkillBridge program.

How to Apply DOD SkillBridge Forest Service

  1. Visit the DOD SkillBridge Opportunities page. For a location, use Forest Service as a keyword.

Operation Warfighter 

This Department of Defense Federal Internship program is exclusively for  active duty recovering Service members. Operation Warfighter Regional Coordinators match a recovering Service member with the opportunity.  
Internships typically last a few months and average 15 to 20 hours per week. When matched with a recovering Service member, the Forest Service manager and intern will develop an Intern Development Plan to document the specific tasks and goals for the assignment. At the end of the internship, the Forest Service manager will provide a Record of Achievement for the wounded Service member. This document will serve as a record of their time and accomplishments and will be forwarded to their military unit for addition to their annual performance review.

How to Apply to Operation Warfighter

You must complete an Operation Warfighter Intern Request Form. You can obtain this form from the Armed Forces Education Center Transition Assistant Program that you attend. Visit the Warrior Care webpage for more information.

Veterans Preference

An employee in a workshop using a sander on a piece of tubing.
Equipment Specialist Manuel Perez in the shop at the National Technology and Development Program (NTDP), in San Dimas, California.

If you have Veterans’ Preference, you may receive preference over non-veteran applicants for announcements that are open to the public or in some cases open to other audiences. This applies to temporary and permanent positions. Visit the FedsHireVets website for help figuring out if this applies to you.

How to Apply Using Veterans' Preference

To apply using Veterans' Preference, be sure to follow the instructions in the USAJOBS announcement. Typically, you'll need the following:

For videos and other tips, visit the How to Apply webpage.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act

A supervisory firefighter in a hard hat uses a handheld radio while other employees stand by trucks.
Amy McClave supervises firefighters during the Taylor Creek Fire in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. (Forest Service photo by Cecilio Ricardo)

Allows eligible veterans to apply to announcements that would otherwise be open to "status" candidates, such as "current competitive service employees and certain prior employees who have earned competitive status.”  In general, you may qualify if you have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service or are a family member entitled to derived preference. VEOA eligible veterans may apply to any occupational series or grade level but must rate and rank among the best qualified for consideration. Visit the FedHireVets page on the VEOA for help figuring out if this Act applies to you.

How to Apply if VEOA Applies to You

If VEOA applies to you, be sure to follow the instructions in the USAJOBS announcement. Typically, you'll need the following:

For videos and other tips, visit the How to Apply webpage.

Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)

Law enforcement officer standing next to a truck with mountains in the background.
Law Enforcement Officer – Cibola National Forest, Victor Morales is seen in Cibola National Forest in Albuquerque, NM

This hiring authority allows for the appointment of eligible veterans without competition up to grade level GS-11 or equivalent. This is an excepted service appointment. You can find information about GS levels on the Competitive Pay webpage.

To qualify for VRA, you must meet one of the following requirements:

  • Disabled veteran.
  • Receipt of campaign badge for service during war or in a campaign or expedition.
  • Receipt of an Armed Forces Service Medal for participation in a military operation.
  • Recently separated veteran (within the last 3 years).

VRA for Temporary Positions

If you are employed in a temporary or term position under VRA, you will not be converted to the competitive service after 2 years.

VRA for Permanent Positions

After you satisfactorily complete 2 years of substantially continuous service, you can be converted to competitive service.

How to Apply Using VRA

If you meet the eligibility requirements of an open position, it's possible that we may be able to hire you even faster than the traditional hiring process. If you're eligible, the following resources may help you use VRA to join the Forest Service.

  • Regularly check our Outreach Database. This website shows upcoming opportunities and allows you to respond to the hiring official to share that you are interested in a position and that you qualify under VRA. Feel free to reach out to them to ask if they are considering filling the position more quickly by using a VRA candidate.
  • Reach out to your local Forest Service office to ask about any upcoming opportunities.
  • If a hiring official is interested in hiring you, be sure to have the following documentation ready:

Disabled Veterans (30 Percent or More)

Using this authority, we can appoint an eligible disabled veteran to any position for which they are qualified, without competition.

  • There is no grade level restriction.
  • To qualify, you must be retired from active military service, or have a rating from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs showing service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more. 

How to Apply under 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans Authority

If you meet the eligibility requirements of an open position, it's possible that we may be able to hire you even faster than the traditional hiring process. 

  • You can only use this hiring authority to apply for any job opportunity of 60 days or more.
  • Regularly check our Outreach Database. This website shows upcoming opportunities and allows you to respond to the hiring official to share that you are interested that you qualify under this authority. Feel free to reach out to them to ask if they are considering filling the position more quickly by using this authority.
  • Reach out to your local Forest Service office to ask about any upcoming opportunities.
  • If a hiring official is interested in hiring you, be sure to have the following documentation ready:
Permanent and Temporary Opportunities

It's best to speak to the hiring manager about the intent of the job opportunity. Some work is temporary, which likely means so is the job. For other work, there may be a need to have someone working permanently. This varies by location and position. Speak to the hiring manager for details.

  • If the need for the position is temporary, you will not be converted to a permanent position.
  • If the need for the position is permanent, your position still starts as a temporary time-limited position, but there is a possibility that we can convert you to a permanent position. This is a possibility not a guarantee. 

Schedule A Hiring Authority for People with Disabilities

If the 30 percent or more disabled veteran authority applies to you, you also likely qualify for the Schedule A hiring authority for disabled individuals. This is another avenue for employment with the Forest Service.

  • Veterans “30% or More Disabled” may obtain Schedule A Certification from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment program.
  • Any veteran with a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of “disability,” whether service-connected or not, may qualify.

Visit the Persons with Disabilities page for more information.

Certain Military Spouses

Two employees standing in the forest holding tools.
(L to R) Forester (Silviculture) Cree Taylor and Forestry Tech (Recreation) Carson Lyne work on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests Conasauga Ranger District. (USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)

Federal agencies can use the military spouse non-competitive hiring process to fill positions on either a temporary or permanent basis. You’re eligible if you are:

  • The spouse of an active-duty member of the armed forces.
  • A spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury.
  • A spouse of a service member killed while on active duty and you have not remarried.

How To Apply Under Certain Military Spouses Authority

 

If this authority applies to you, be sure to follow the instructions in the USAJOBS announcement. Typically, you'll need the following:

  • A USAJOBS profile. This allows you to apply.
  • A resume. You can build one on the site or upload one.
  • Documentation verifying your marriage.
  • A copy of your spouse's active military orders.
  • Depending on your circumstances, your spouse's DD-214 and/or DD 1300.
  • Any other documents that show you are qualified for the position such as transcripts, licenses, certifications, and others that the position requires. Check the details in the USAJOBS announcement for details.

For videos and other tips, visit the How to Apply webpage.

 

Military Duty While Employed with the Forest Service

Portrait of employee
Veteran wildland firefighter rappeler Bri Carollo

USERRA

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) minimizes the disadvantages to an individual that occur when they are absent from their civilian employment to serve in the uniformed services. It also provides employees with Department of Labor help in processing claims. Visit the Department of Labor website for details.

Military Leave

Military leave is paid leave available to Ready Reserve and Standby Reserve military members and National Guardsmen. To be eligible for military leave, you must:

  • Have an appointment or continuous series of appointments with the Forest Service lasting longer than one year; and
  • Be coded correctly as a military member in our payroll database.

Review the Benefits and Balance webpage for more information on the benefits we offer.

Benefits and Pay

Veteran Success Stories

 

Image of Forest Service employee and Army veteran, Louis Haynes.

Veteran Found "home" in Forest Service: After returning home as a disabled veteran from Operation Desert Storm, it was a challenge for Louis Haynes to find his professional footing in the civilian world. He found “home” in the USDA Forest Service.

Help is Available

  • Visit the How to Apply webpage for tips, tricks, webinars, and more.
  • For questions about career opportunities and applications call 1-877-372-7248 (select option 2 and follow prompts). We're open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time and closed on all Federal holidays.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/veterans-and-military