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National Peace Corps Association > News > Advocacy > A Call to Strengthen Non-Competitive Eligibility
A Call to Strengthen Non-Competitive Eligibility
By Jonathan Pearson on Friday, April 13th, 2012
It’s one of the potential benefits of Peace Corps service. A benefit where there is momentum to bring about some further improvements.
In 1963, as the first groups of Peace Corps Volunteers were scheduled to return home, Executive Order 11103 was issued, allowing Volunteers and staff who successfully completed their service to be eligible for Noncompetitive Eligibility (NCE). Under this designation, appointment to certain federal positions (if job applicants were qualified) is granted to volunteers and staff without having to compete with the general public for those positions.
While many have benefited from this status over the years, some within the community believe improvements can be made. With this in mind, the National Peace Corps Association joined members of the Peace Corps Employees Union (AFSCME 3548) in issuing a joint letter to Director Aaron Williams calling for a further strengthening of NCE.
The letter praises the Director and the agency for “improvements in how NCE is encouraged among Federal Agencies through the Office of Returned Volunteer Services (RVS) and the Office of Human Resources Mangement (HRM).” But it also points to two areas of continued improvement:
- Additional staff resources dedicated to educating more Federal Agencies about NCE and further coordination and collaboration on outreach efforts. The letter notes that “Currently, many Federal agencies are either woefully ignorant of NCE or choose not to consider it in their hiring practices.”
- Extending the length of NCE for Volunteers to two years. Over the years, NPCA has heard from a number of returning volunteers that the one year window of eligibility is too short a period to be helpful.
Strengthening Noncompetitive Eligibility appears to have continued support from Peace Corps leadership. The topic was raised last month at a Peace Corps Town Hall meeting organized by the RPCVs of Washington DC. Director Williams responded positively to the question and expressed a willingness to explore further improvements.
This is so timely as my NCE benefit expires on 4/30/2012. The major problem is that the interview/hiring process for federal jobs, including Peace Corps, is so lethargic; months pass before you know your status. I am still waiting to hear about a position with GSA that I applied for in November, interviewed for at the end of March, and I still have not received a final determination.
I hope that any new NCE policy grandfathers at least two or three years.
I completely agree that the NCE should be extended to at least 2 years. Part of coming back is to figure out what path you want your career to take next and that can take a year. If you don’t extend NCE, then give the RPCV the opportunity to delay using it for a while once they return.
Hi – Has consideration been given to the time served requirement by PCVs prior to becoming eligible for NCE?? i believe it may be a minimum of one year of service. i was med sepped and endured an amputation at nine months of service. Not having this benefit while healing for many painful months seemed a bit less than appropriatly supportive
I like this. Good job and thanks for your work.
Two years is not enough even. A lot of Volunteers have tried to educated agencies of this avenue to no avail. I say that it should be lifetime eligibility, canceled loans, and other significant items (lifetime eligibility for Fellows is of no help). The goal is to gain experience for a job, not be in the considering pool for a fellowship. No guaranteed benefits really exist for PCVs, who risked their life every day for at least 27 months.
It’s a good start, for sure, but needs more.
Initially, one year seemed appropriate, for one who has never needed it or experienced the process. But, now with my deadline looming at the end of June, another year would be nice. My experience has been that the process is not very transparent and one never knows where you stand in the “line”. RPCV’s NCE is only one of several other groups, such as the returning vets, that are simultaneous competing for the same, few, open positions. Sometimes I feel that potential employers go to the NCE pool as a last resort, or when it seems to be a conscience issue.
I think that this is a huge step in a great direction in terms of supporting RPCVs who have to return to a less than desirable economic state or one that may have drastically changed while they were serving abroad. I’ve had experiences with the NCE in that certain agencies do not recognize it or they seem to think that the appropriate term for Peace Corps is 3 years and have their own rules for granting NCE status to an RPCV. Also, in the time that it would take us to gain additional career development courses or training for larger roles, some find that the NCE has expired.
In extending this opportunity (and educating agencies), Peace Corps is saying “neither you nor your service have been forgotten in the hustle of transition back to life stateside”.
Thanks
This is a great initiative and I commend those who have raised it. I would go for the gold and ask for 5 years…extended by periods in military service or enrolled in higher education. This benefit is well deserved and the two extensions would benefit the public and USG as well.
No time barrier should be extended to RPCV’s. If you have given your “all” , why should a time limit be arbitrarily set?
I haven’t heard a good reason why a year or even 10 years is somehow important?
I never benefited from the proposed NCE post-service while I tried extensively to take advantage of it. It’s marketed by PC recruiters as if it’s a sure-shot, however it is not a guaranteed benefit. While an applicant, I was under the impression that all I had to do was finish my two-years successfully and then I would be set, but I ran into so many difficulties getting my NCE recognized by the agencies I interviewed with, I eventually gave up on the process all together. I think quite honestly it is a total failure and I feel recruiters are not clear with PCVs on how NCE works, and not enough information is provided at COS to prepare RPCVs to utilize this benefit when it actually does work. Quite honestly NCE needs to be completely revamped and better efforts made to recruit RPVCs into federal level jobs directly possibly through a centralized process coordinated through the PC Headquarters.
Thank you all for sharing your experience about NCE and for having served in the Peace Corps. Having read all the comments so far, I now feel there is no guarantee an RPCV will benefit from NCE. It is a selling point to applicants, hinting that you may have a shot at a good government job when you complete service. How can gov’t agencies not know about NCE or opt to not look at NCE applicants? I guess gov’t agencies do not all have or follow the same federal hiring practices.
I am not a RPCV, but in 27 + 2 months I will be. Recently I was invited to serve and may leave for service in two months. My hope is that NCE becomes what it is meant to be, what it is promised to be. I would feel jipped if nothing has changed in 2+ years. May our government take measures to fulfill NCE in all agencies. This way, all who serve can rewarded with this benefit.
I say it should be eligible for life. Plus, in this job market, it takes a long time to find a position that fits you. And then you still go through a long application/interview process. Peace!
Making it lifelong would be a plus. Also, why not create a status or designation like that for military veterans’ preference , for hiring beyond just federal government.
My personal experience is dated, but instructional still. Back in the late ’70s post-PC and post-grad school,was that my supervisor at the VA Medical Center had never heard of NCE. By the time he got informed about what to do (towards helping me transfer to a permanent position)the NCE had expired.
Seems that ‘the point’ has been completely missed.
There should not be a time limit on eligibility for NCE; rather, every RPCV should be able to avail of NCE one time.
As for PCEs . . . Again, the point has been missed. Rather than offer three years of eligibility for NCE, put an end to the five-year limitation on PC careers or assignments. PCEs should be treated like other federal employeeds.