According to the final rule published in Federal Register, the Office of Personnel Management will get rid of a two-year limit for the spouses of disabled or deceased military personnel on a special hiring authority. This new regulation will lend inexhaustible eligibility for spouses who are unable to become the part of the workforce in that period for reasons such as childcare, disabled spouses or they are enrolled in school or training programs. 

The Integrated Process Team for Spouse Employment and Empowerment organized by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff found that spouses of disabled service members or of deceased were not making use of the hiring authority, while those affected by relocation had no issues with the two-year requirement. OPM says that “all other noncompetitive hiring authorities have a time limitation for appointment eligibility.” It further adds that “elimination of the two-year window for [permanent change of station] military spouses would create an inconsistency between this group and other individuals eligible for noncompetitive entry into federal service.” 

Do you agree with OPM’s new ruling? Why or why not?