August 8th Bid

[STIMULATOR]

Just got off of the phone with HR and I'm glad I called. They said that since I am not within 120 days I need to go into pool 2, even though I qualify as being a vet that holds aeronautical ratings. Time to go change my application.

 

[rdyotz]

Well, while I was typing this out, you got your answer. I'll leave this here for anyone else it may affect.

Your best bet is to call HR. Don't trust your future with someone from here or SM! Most people on SM are newbs that have no clue

Absolutely true - only take HR's word for it.

Good point. I'll have to do that soon. I'm overseas right now so it's tough to get to a commercial line and have the time align, but I will have to since this is my potential future.

If it comes close to the application dead line, I would switch to pool 2. I have heard that anyone that applies to pool 1, but is not qualified will be removed from the bid (I have not verified this with HR though). There are 3 ways to apply to pool 1:

POOL 1 - All U.S. Citizens who also meet the following Pool 1 eligibility criteria:

Applicants MUST meet one of the following criteria (1, 2, OR 3) listed below in order to be eligible for consideration in Pool 1.

1. A graduate from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program and who has received from the institution an appropriate recommendation.

2. A veteran eligible for a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) pursuant to section 4214 of Title 38 and can provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days from the announcement closing.

3. An eligible veteran maintaining aviation experience obtained in the course of your military experience and/or entitled to veterans' preference (must meet eligibility requirements in section 2108 of Title 5, Unites States Code).

Applicants eligible for Pool 1 will not take the Biographical Assessment (BA) unless they voluntarily elect to be considered in Pool 2.

You are probably not a CTI grad. You will not be able to provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge within 120 days of the announcement closing. So your only other option is option 3. Do you maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of your military experience(very broad statement here, so maybe you did fit in)? The other part of Option 3 is: Section 2108 of Title 5, which covers veterans preference. I'll cut and paste a few things from it (5 U.S. Code § 2108 - Veteran; disabled veteran; preference eligible) that might concern you:

(1)“veteran” means an individual who—
(D) served on active duty as defined by section 101(21) of title 38 at any time in the armed forces for a period of more than 180 consecutive days any part of which occurred during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on the date prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law as the last date of Operation Iraqi Freedom;
and, except as provided under section 2108a, who has been discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions; (***Note: it says has been discharged)

(2) “disabled veteran” means an individual who has served on active duty in the armed forces, (except as provided under section 2108a) has been separated therefrom under honorable conditions, and has established the present existence of a service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension because of a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department; (***Note: it says has been separated)

As for veterans preference (once again picking things that I believe could relate to you, you might have to follow the link above to check everything) You can also try this link: elaws - employment laws assistance for workers and small businesses which has a veterans preference questionnaire thing to see if you qualify.
(3) “preference eligible” means, except as provided in paragraph (4) of this section or section 2108a(c)—
(B) a veteran as defined by paragraph (1)(B), (C), or (D) of this section;
(C) a disabled veteran;
(D) the unmarried widow or widower of a veteran as defined by paragraph (1)(A) of this section;
(E) the wife or husband of a service-connected disabled veteran if the veteran has been unable to qualify for any appointment in the civil service or in the government of the District of Columbia;
(F) the parent of an individual who lost his or her life under honorable conditions while serving in the armed forces during a period named by paragraph (1)(A) of this section, if—
(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently disabled; or
(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her spouse;
(G) the parent of a service-connected permanently and totally disabled veteran, if—
(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently disabled; or
(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her spouse; and
(H) a veteran who was discharged or released from a period of active duty by reason of a sole survivorship discharge (as that term is defined in section 1174(i) of title 10);
but does not include applicants for, or members of, the Senior Executive Service, the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, the Senior Cryptologic Executive Service, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration Senior Executive Service;
(4) except for the purposes of chapters 43 and 75 of this title, “preference eligible” does not include a retired member of the armed forces unless—
(A) the individual is a disabled veteran; or
(B) the individual retired below the rank of major or its equivalent; and
(5) “retired member of the armed forces” means a member or former member of the armed forces who is entitled, under statute, to retired, retirement, or retainer pay on account of service as a member.

 

[STIMULATOR]

If it comes close to the application dead line, I would switch to pool 2. I have heard that anyone that applies to pool 1, but is not qualified will be removed from the bid (I have not verified this with HR though). There are 3 ways to apply to pool 1:

POOL 1 - All U.S. Citizens who also meet the following Pool 1 eligibility criteria:

Applicants MUST meet one of the following criteria (1, 2, OR 3) listed below in order to be eligible for consideration in Pool 1.

1. A graduate from an institution participating in the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program and who has received from the institution an appropriate recommendation.

2. A veteran eligible for a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) pursuant to section 4214 of Title 38 and can provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days from the announcement closing.

3. An eligible veteran maintaining aviation experience obtained in the course of your military experience and/or entitled to veterans' preference (must meet eligibility requirements in section 2108 of Title 5, Unites States Code).

Applicants eligible for Pool 1 will not take the Biographical Assessment (BA) unless they voluntarily elect to be considered in Pool 2.

You are probably not a CTI grad. You will not be able to provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge within 120 days of the announcement closing. So your only other option is option 3. Do you maintain aviation experience obtained in the course of your military experience(very broad statement here, so maybe you did fit in)? The other part of Option 3 is: Section 2108 of Title 5, which covers veterans preference. I'll cut and paste a few things from it

When I called HR I made reference to number 3, since I am currently serving as an ATC in the USAF. Despite potentially qualifying under that provision, and not selecting VRA in the application, she said that I still need to be within 120 days of discharge. I found it odd, but as you said, I would prefer not to be removed from this bid if I choose pool 1. I changed my application to pool 2 and completed the BA before re-submitting. The BA is a pain in the ass, but did not seem nearly as bad as the one from 2014 (based on what I've read).

 

[MJ]

I've been busy reading over on Stuckmic

Boooooo

Your best bet is to call HR. Don't trust your future with someone from here or SM! Most people on SM are newbs that have no clue

For sure do this. As far as I know, this is the first bid they've put this stipulation in, so no one can give accurate advice. I'd say take it at face value, but I don't feel like that would be good advice either. Let us know what they say; a couple people have asked me about this already as well. Then tell the laggards at SM to come here

 

[STIMULATOR]

Boooooo


For sure do this. As far as I know, this is the first bid they've put this stipulation in, so no one can give accurate advice. I'd say take it at face value, but I don't feel like that would be good advice either. Let us know what they say; a couple people have asked me about this already as well. Then tell the laggards at SM to come here

I only go on SM for the drama and the fact they're more active over there right now. I did end up calling HR, see a couple of posts up for Dorris' (?) response over at HR.

 

[MJ]

I only go on SM for the drama and the fact they're more active over there right now. I did end up calling HR, see a couple of posts up for Dorris' (?) response over at HR.

Yeah I know, working on changing that, but it's established and this site is still brand new.

So they said you must be separated within 120 days of the bid closing, and if not then the application is disregarded? (For pool 1) But it's different for pool 2?

 

[STIMULATOR]

Yeah I know, working on changing that, but it's established and this site is still brand new.

So they said you must be separated within 120 days of the bid closing, and if not then the application is disregarded? (For pool 1) But it's different for pool 2?

I prefer this site over SM, the quality and breadth of information is great. Also, you provide information for free which is great.

Yes, they said that I must be within 120 days of the bid closing for pool 1 even if I'm not trying to qualify under VRA. I even brought up the fact that the job posting states that you must be able to start 15 months from the bid closing. She asked if I currently work as an ATC, and I told here that I did and am currently active duty with 11 months until my projected terminal leave starts. I was hoping to qualify under provision 3 under pool 1. It was an odd conversation and she had to put me on hold to consult with someone else. So in short, I applied under pool 2 despite holding a current CTO and took the BA. The BA was 100+ questions of obscurity, but seemed more tailored to the job than the 2014 BQ.