443 Noncompetitive Hiring Process

You must take the following steps when hiring, using the noncompetitive authority:

• The Postal Service manager requests the state DVR or VA to certify three names for consideration and one additional name for each additional vacancy. This certification must be consistent with the process outlined by the state DVR or VA in its certification package, and include completed PS Form 2591, Application for Employment, and PS Form 3666, Certification for Postal Service Employment of Individuals with Severe Disabilities.
• Then, you give certified applicants a tour of the Postal Service facility during a prehire orientation. The visit should provide sufficient information to assist the applicants in making an informed decision about whether they are interested in Postal Service employment.
• Interviewers then engage in an interactive process to identify the essential functions of the job and the abilities and limitations of the applicant. Otherwise, the interview process for an individual with a disability is essentially the same as an interview conducted with an applicant who does not have a disability.
• The selecting official considers the referred applicants and makes a tentative selection in accordance with the eligibility and suitability guidelines outlined in Handbook EL-312, Employment and Placement. The selecting official then returns a list of those applicants not selected for the job to the state DVR or VA, as appropriate.
• After making a conditional job offer, the selecting official (or designee) schedules the selected applicant for a medical assessment and gives Occupational Health Services a copy of PS Form 3666 and any other documentation concerning the applicant’s disability and the job offered (see 45).
• When the applicant completes the medical assessment and the medical professional determines the applicant is medically suitable, the selection official (or designee) schedules a meeting with the applicant, rehabilitation counselor, disability coordinator (if any), and immediate supervisor or designated operations manager to discuss requirements. Some examples of possible requirements include:
• Agreed-upon accommodations for training and job performance.
• Confidentiality issues.
• How best to integrate the new employee into the unit.
• How the immediate supervisor or designated operations manager will communicate expectations to the applicant.
• Continuous assessment during the probation period.
• Documentation requirements.

Attach notes from this meeting to the Reasonable Accommodation Decision Guide (see Exhibit 213(b)) and forward to the office responsible for the retention of the official Employee Medical Folder (EMF).