Sample letter from Deputy Heads to their employees

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The Veterans Hiring Act

The Veterans Hiring Act(VHA) amends the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) to facilitate the transition of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and veterans into federal public service positions for which they are qualified.

The following changes became effective on July 1, 2015, when the VHA came into force.

1. Priority entitlements
   CAF members who are medically released for service-related reasons have top statutory priority for appointment to any job for which they are qualified. Medically released CAF members whose medical release is not attributable to service continue to have a regulatory priority entitlement. Both the statutory and regulatory priority entitlements are for five years, or until the person is appointed.
   
2. Preference for appointment in advertised external processes
   Veterans who have at least three years of service and who have been honourably released have a preference for appointment to jobs open to the public. This means that, if there are no qualified persons with a priority entitlement, a qualified veteran must be appointed to a job that was advertised to the public before any other Canadian citizen. This applies for five years after a CAF member is honourably released, or until the veteran becomes an indeterminate employee in the public service.
   
3. Mobility to advertised internal appointment processes
   Serving CAF members and veterans can apply to internal jobs for up to five years after their release. Eligible CAF members and veterans must meet any Employment Equity criteria included in the “Who can apply” section, but are not required to be employed in the organization, location or classification noted in that section until the CAF member or veteran becomes an indeterminate employee in the public service.
   
   The Public Service Commission (PSC) has made changes to jobs.gc.ca to allow eligible CAF members and veterans to access and apply to job opportunities that are open to the federal public service.

You can learn more about the VHA by visiting the Veterans Affairs Canada Web site. You can also find information about the changes to staffing in the federal public service on GCPedia and on the PSC’s Web site.

If you have questions about the VHA and what it means for you, please speak to your manager or your human resources advisor.

Name and title of Deputy Head