OPM Extends Military Spouse Hiring Program
Military spouses often struggle to maintain jobs, especially as their spouse moves around while serving in the military. In May, the unemployment rate for military spouses was more than 21 percent, at a time when the national unemployment rate was just 3.7 percent. Given high inflation, military families must increasingly rely on two incomes to make ends meet.
Now, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is extending a program that makes it easier for military spouses to work in the federal government.
OPM published an interim final rule in the Federal Register extending the Military Spouse Non-Competitive Appointment Authority until December 31, 2028.
The program was due to sunset in August 2023. However, a provision in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and OPM’s interim rule will keep the program running for at least another five years.
The program allows agencies to skip traditional hiring procedures and hire military spouses to certain positions by noncompetitive appointment.
The program can be used for permanent, temporary or term appointments and is meant to help military spouses obtain and keep employment, even if their spouse must relocate around the globe frequently for military duty.
Spouses of disabled service members, as well as unmarried widows and widowers of members of the military who died while on active duty, are also eligible.
“Expanding access to federal jobs for military spouses allows spouses to grow and succeed in their own careers while also supporting their partners in uniform,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “This policy will assure the federal government’s access to a diverse and talented group of applicants across the globe, and we are honored to benefit from their expertise.”
Helping military spouses gain and keep employment is an area of bipartisan agreement in Washington. In 2018, President Trump signed an executive order to expand job opportunities for military spouses.
In 2021, OPM issued regulations to make the process even easier, by removing restrictions such as relocation requirements, geographic restrictions, and arbitrary quotas.
In June of 2023, President Biden signed an executive order that directed the government as a whole to develop a strategic plan on the issue and also allowed telework for certain domestic agencies, even when an employee is overseas.
While the OPM interim rule has already gone into effect, the public may still submit comments until November 27.