Q: What retirement plan is available for new employees?
A: New Federal employees are eligible for coverage under the Federal Employees Retirement System. This is a three-tiered retirement plan consisting of a basic benefit plan (a defined benefit plan), the Thrift Savings Plan (a defined contribution plan), and social security benefits.
Q: What is the Thrift Savings Plan?
A: This is a savings and tax deferred benefit plan similar to the 401(k) plans offered by some private corporations. Employees covered under the Federal Employee Retirement System may contribute up to 13 percent (tax deferred) of their salary, and may receive up to a 5 percent matching contribution by the Army.
Frequently Asked Questions on Application Procedures
Q: How do I find a job?
A: Searching for job opportunities on USAJOBS® is very easy. To search for jobs, select "Search Jobs" from the USAJOBS home page or go to http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov
At the job search page, you can: 1) Search Jobs by "Location", "Job Category", "Salary range", "Pay Grade", and/or 'Search Keyword'; or 2) Select a more refined search from the specialty search options at the top of the page including "Agency", "Series", "Senior Executive" or "Advanced".
Q: Why can't I find the specific announcement I am looking for?
A: If you cannot locate a job opportunity announcement (JOA), it may be closed, the job may not be opened yet or may not be posted onto the website. You may check with the specific agency you are interested in regarding a JOA.
You can search for a JOA by entering the announcement number or the control number in the "Keyword Search" field. Please keep in mind that you must enter the JOA number exactly including spaces, hyphens, and capitalization. If further assistance is needed, click Contact Us.
Q: Why are there so many open continuous job opportunity announcements?
A: Open continuous job opportunity announcements (JOAs) are legitimate vacancy announcements and are used by almost all agencies for several reasons such as a vacancy that will have several hiring dates throughout the opening period, or may require a large number of people to be hired in a short amount of time at the end of the open period. USAJOBS® is a Federal government website owned and managed by the Office of Personnel Management. Job Opportunity Announcements are checked to ensure that they comply with all Federal laws and regulations set forth regarding Federal vacancy announcements. If you have any questions regarding these laws and regulations, please feel free to email the USAJOBS® Program Management Office at usajobs@opm.gov for additional information. If you would like to make a complaint regarding open continuous job opportunity announcements, please contact the agency who posted it. The contact information for each JOA is listed at the bottom and to the right on the floating menu of the JOA.
Q: What is an open continuous announcement?
A: Open continuous job opportunity announcements are legitimate vacancy announcements. They are used for positions that are an integral part of the USACE's mission. These crucial positions require minimal turnover time so we need to have applicants already identified when an the position becomes open.
Q: How do I request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service?
