Social Security Administration Launches Agency-Wide Initiative to Recruit and Hire People with Disabilities
Social Security Administration Launches Agency-Wide Initiative to Recruit and Hire People with Disabilities
DATE: June 25, 2009
TO: Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects
FROM: Acting Associate Commissioner for Employment Support Programs
RE: Social Security Administration Hiring Initiative and Schedule A Authority
Commissioner Michael Astrue is committed to maintaining workforce diversity at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, toward this end, has launched an agency-wide initiative to recruit and hire people with disabilities, with an emphasis on people with severe disabilities. SSA has been identified as an employer of choice for people with disabilities, and over the years has experienced success in recruiting and hiring from this population.
SSA's current national initiative is focused on recruiting and hiring people with disabilities as part of our overall fiscal year 2009 hiring surge and beyond. Our slogan for this initiative is "AccessAbility: Recruiting Individuals with Disabilities." The scope of this initiative is a broad recruitment and hiring strategy for all people with disabilities with a special emphasis on those with targeted or severe disabilities, including beneficiaries who are eligible to participate in the Ticket to Work program, veterans, and students with disabilities.
As a Federal agency, SSA is able to use Schedule A authority to hire people with disabilities. This is considered a "non-competitive" hiring process and allows SSA to fill open positions with a Schedule A-qualified candidate without first announcing the job vacancy or compiling a list of candidates under the regular civil service rules. This is a much faster hiring process for which most Ticket Holders will be qualified. The candidate needs to be well-qualified for the position and able to perform the required job duties.
As a direct link to Ticket Holders, Employment Networks and State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance projects are a perfect avenue for conveying information about the hiring initiative and Schedule A authority----and assisting beneficiaries to connect to SSA jobs where appropriate. I encourage you to communicate this message at your WISE events. For your use in this activity, attached are some prepared slides that can be added to your regular PowerPoint presentation for these events. Please contact your project officer in the Office of Employment Support Programs if you have any questions. You may also find more information at www.cessi.net/ttw/SSAHires/index.html. We look forward to working with you to continue SSA's commitment to hire people with disabilities.
Dan O'Brien