Frequently Asked Questions Employment

  An agency is not required to make an accommodation if it can demonstrate that providing the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on its everyday operations. An undue hardship is an action that requires "significant difficulty or expense" in relation to:  

• overall size of the agency's program with respect to the number of employees, number and type of facilities and size of budget;
• type of operation, including the composition and structure of the agency's workforce; and
• nature and cost of the accommodation.

Determining financial need and the definition of financial need is left up to each agency's discretion. Factors to consider might be the size of the family, local cost of living indicators, household income, medical expenses, educational expenses, etc. Agencies might also wish to consider other types of financial aid that the family is already receiving as indicators of financial need (e.g., food stamps, public assistance, subsidized housing, student financial aid). If the student is attending a post secondary school, information available from the financial aid office might also be considered.

A major life activity is a function that the average person in the general population can perform with little or no difficulty. Major life activities include activities such as caring for oneself, seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, speaking, learning, sitting, standing, lifting, reaching, and working.

USAJOBS is the official job site of the United States Federal Government. This Website, www.usajobs.gov, is the centralized site for most Federal agencies to post vacancy announcements. At any given time, there are approximately 20,000 positions posted on the site. Additionally, many agencies also advertise in newspapers of general circulation, participate in job fairs, and recruit on school campuses.

No, in a case of a 5 CFR 213.3102(u) appointee transferring from one agency to another, time previously spent under a Schedule A appointment counts toward the completion of the 2 year period if the person is reappointed without a break in service.

You should discuss this matter with your supervisor and attempt to resolve the situation (including any misunderstanding) informally. In addition, be ready, willing, and able to volunteer for assignments as opportunities arise. By taking the initiative to volunteer, you speak volumes about your attitude and approach to the work in the office.

OPM encourages agencies to establish performance plans and conduct performance evaluations for student employees to: (1) document what the student is expected to do, and (2) advise the student on how well he/she is performing. Student Temporary Employment participants, who are on appointments not-to-exceed (NTE) one year, could be excluded by their employing agency from the requirements for performance appraisal if certain requirements are met and the student agrees to not having his/her performance appraised. (See 5 CFR § 430.202.) Participants in the Student Career Experience Program, who are eligible for noncompetitive conversion to career conditional status, do not fall under any of the exclusions specified in the OPM regulations and, therefore, are required to have written performance plans and be appraised on their performance as specified in the agency's performance appraisal system. Performance appraisals can be used as documentation to support both positive and negative consequences of the student's performance. Further documentation for the Student Career Experience Program students may be included in the written agreement signed by all parties (student/school official/agency) prior to the initial appointment.

If you are required to travel as an essential function of your job, you are entitled to reasonable accommodation to travel if you need such accommodation. You should start by discussing your need for reasonable accommodations frankly with your supervisor. Accommodations may be made in a wide variety of ways. If you are unable to travel standard coach because of space requirements or mobility limitations, General Services Administration travel regulations provide authority to allow airline travel by first-class. For an employee who uses the services of an interpreter, reader or personal assistant, it may be a matter of ensuring that the personal assistant, reader or interpreter will accompany the individual on a trip or be available once the individual reaches the destination. If travel is not an essential function of the job but only an occasional requirement, you might ask your supervisor if some of the work in your office might be redistributed, allowing you to take on other assignments rather than travel. If you need additional information on how you might be accommodated during travel, you might want to talk to your human resources specialist. For more helpful information for travelers with disabilities, see the Disability.gov website.