Schedule A is a specialized hiring authority that allows federal hiring officials to noncompetitively appoint people with disabilities. These candidates must be qualified as meeting all of the job requirements. Prior to appointment, the candidate must furnish a Schedule A certification letter. The letter must state the individual has a disability and is eligible for hiring under this authority. Candidates may obtain such letters from their local vocational rehabilitation agency or licensed practitioner. Links to The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Self-Identification of Disability form and sample Schedule A letter are provided below.

In order to be considered for non-competitive positions:

• Submit an updated resume with cover letter stating the job series you wish to be considered.
• Provide a copy of your Schedule A letter signed by a vocational rehabilitation counselor or licensed practitioner.
• Attach a copy of your transcripts, if applicable.
• E-mail all documents to census.schedule.a.hiring@census.gov.

Once your information is entered into our database, you will receive an e-mail notification. Resumes will be accessible to all Census Bureau hiring managers that wish to fill their vacancies noncompetitively.

As a person with a disability/s, you are eligible to apply for internal Merit Promotion (MP) announcements. In addition to your resume, you will need to submit your Schedule A letter.

When applying, ensure that you respond to the eligibility question correctly. For example, "Are you eligible for a noncompetitive appointment under a Special Appointing Authority?" Answer: "Persons with Disabilities, Schedule A."

The Reasonable Accommodation Program is committed to facilitating  reasonable accommodations for individuals with permanent or temporary disabilities. Programs we manage include:

• Reasonable Accommodations
• Sign Language Interpreting and Captioning Service
• Scooter Loaner Program
• Accessible (A) Reserved Parking

An applicant or someone acting on their behalf (family member, health professional, or other representative) may submit a request for reasonable accommodations when coming to the Census Bureau for an interview. This request must be submitted to the Reasonable Accommodations Program.

The request for reasonable accommodations must contain:

• Applicant’s name.
• Applicant’s phone number.
• Department/interviewer’s contact information at the Census Bureau.
• Initial date of request (if different from date info submitted in writing [include explanation]).
• Description of accommodation(s) requested by applicant.

For your convenience, you may complete the attached version of the CD 575. The information may be sent via e-mail to the Reasonable Accommodations Program at hrd.accommodations@census.gov.

U.S. Census Bureau Personal Assistance Services

Purpose of Personal Assistant Services

Personal Assistance Services (PAS) are provided to individuals who need them because of certain Targeted Disabilities^[1] [See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(5)]. 

On January 3, 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) amended the regulations implementing Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the law that prohibits the federal government from discriminating in employment on the basis of disability and requires it to engage in affirmative action for people with disabilities.

PAS may include:

• Eating/drinking
• Dressing
• Toileting
• Dressing
• Bathing
• Grooming
• Meal preparation
• Transfers
• Transportation     

Requesting Procedures

• The Reasonable Accommodation Branch (RAB) as the point of contact (POC) for PAS services: 301-763-4060 or HRD.accommodations@census.gov
• RAB collects all necessary information from the requester, including:
  • Identify needs of employee making a request for PAS.
    • Core needs for PAS.
    • When will PAS be required (hours/days/location).
    • Duties of employee.
    • If work involves Title 26/13.²
    • Are they required to travel.
    • Schedule of employee.
    • Identify if the employee teleworks and if so, do they need PAS while teleworking.
• The RAB POC sets an appoint time and sends a “meeting request” to the requestor to confirm the PAS provider.
• The requester will accept the meeting invite and the RAB POC will save the acceptance email response as a confirmation of PAS.
• The RAB POC, PAS provider and requestor are copied on all correspondence relating to PAS schedule for the requestor.

PAS during Work-related Travel

• The Census Bureau is only required to provide PAS when the employee is working unless he or she is on work-related travel. When an assignment of work-related travel results in an employee's inability to rely on his or her usual source of PAS during both work and off-work hours, the Census Bureau is required to provide PAS at all times during that work-related travel, independent of the new regulations, as a reasonable accommodation (absent undue hardship). Additionally, even if an employee's usual PAS provider is available during work-related travel, the Census Bureau is required to pay any additional costs related to providing PAS while on travel, such as transportation costs for the PAS provider, as a reasonable accommodation.

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/about/censuscareers/disabilities/dao-215-10.pdf

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¹  Developmental Disability, for example, autism spectrum disorder; Traumatic Brain Injury; Deaf or serious difficulty hearing; Blind or serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses; Missing extremities; Significant mobility impairment; Partial or complete paralysis; Epilepsy or other seizure disorders; Intellectual disability; Significant Psychiatric Disorder, for example, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, or major depression; Dwarfism; Significant disfigurement, for example, disfigurements caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders.

² The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 and Title 26 of the United States Code. These laws not only provide authority for the work we do and in partnership with the IRS, but also provide strong protection for the information we collect from individuals and businesses.  Private information is never published. Personal information cannot be used against respondents by any government agency or court.  Census Bureau employees are sworn to uphold Title 13/26 and are legally required to maintain the confidentiality of your data and understand that the penalties for violating this law are applicable for a lifetime.