{"id":34291,"date":"2018-09-04T19:09:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T19:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/04\/this-change-could-make-it-easier-to-use-military-spouse-preference-to-apply-for-dod-civilian-jobs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:06:17","slug":"this-change-could-make-it-easier-to-use-military-spouse-preference-to-apply-for-dod-civilian-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2018\/09\/04\/this-change-could-make-it-easier-to-use-military-spouse-preference-to-apply-for-dod-civilian-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"This change could make it easier to use military spouse preference to apply for DoD civilian jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Military spouses <\/a>will find it easier to apply for Department of Defense civilian jobs using military spouse preference, under new procedures being finalized now, according to DoD officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under new procedures, spouses will no longer have to report to a DoD human resources office\/civilian personnel office within the commuting area of their sponsor\u2019s new duty station to register in the Priority Placement Program, in order to submit an application through USAJobs for a particular job, said DoD spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DoD is working to streamline the procedures \u201cto be more responsive to the needs of management and [priority placement] candidates,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military spouses face continual difficulties in maintaining a career <\/a>\u2014 whether in the private sector or public sector \u2014 because of frequent relocations<\/a> with their military member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DoD Military Spouse Preference program, mandated by law, was implemented nearly 30 years ago. It\u2019s one of the programs in the broader Priority Placement Program. Spouse preference can be used whenever competitive procedures are applied to the DoD civilian hiring process, and gives best qualified military spouses priority over other competitively referred candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t guarantee a military spouse will get the job, but allows certain employment preference for spouses of active duty service members. There have been a number of complaints over the years from military spouses who found inconsistencies in the way the program was implemented from one installation to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new procedures will be solely application based, and avoid the complications of overlapping processes, according to Maxwell. It will allow military spouses to apply for and indicate their eligibility for spouse preference for the positions they are most interested in, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the new procedures are in place, spouses will exercise their Military Spouse Preference by simply applying for positions, indicating their eligibility as a preference candidate and providing the required documents to support their eligibility for preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope this brings more clarity. I\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s been confusing,\u201d said Eryn Wagnon, associate director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m interested to see how DoD presents the guidance to military spouses,\u201d she said, and whether it will help more spouses secure the job they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\t