Will Stennett PRA Board Treasurer Prepares PA State Govt. Schedule A Policy Points to Increase PWD Hires in State Civil and Non-Civil Service Careers

 

“Schedule A” – Fast Track Hiring Authority for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Pennsylvania

  • The “Schedule A” program, also known as the “fast track” hiring process for PWD, has been successfully employed by the Federal Civil Service system for 40 years.
  • “Schedule A” refers to a special hiring authority that gives Federal agencies an optional, and potentially quicker, way to hire individuals with disabilities. Applying under “Schedule A” offers an exception to the traditional competitive hiring process. An applicant with a disability can apply for jobs using “Schedule A”, if they are a person with an intellectual disability, a severe physical disability, or a psychiatric disability
  • Applying under “Schedule A” does not guarantee the applicant will get a job, but it is an alternative pathway to reduce barriers for people with disabilities to get access to public sector jobs. Barriers are often experienced in how people with disabilities are made aware of government job opportunities, how tests are administered, interviews conducted, and candidates selected.
  • While government hiring agencies may achieve technical compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it comes to the process they use to recruit, hire, and retain qualified applicants, the standard processes and procedures are fraught with practical, everyday accessibility challenges, not to mention inherent biases the human beings involved in the decision-making process possess (consciously or otherwise), that would significantly disadvantage and likely discourage applicants with disabilities who want to work for government.
  • Initiating a “Schedule A” type program meets Goal # 2 of the Governor’s Executive Order 2016-003 as well as several of his recommendations in the Executive Order (in particular Recommendation #49, which states in part “OA should explore…developing a hiring process that explicitly targets individuals with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities…”
  • The State Civil Service Commission is now officially in support of a “Schedule A” type program (letters to OA Sec. Minnick).
  • There’s no cost to doing this – “Schedule A” does not create more jobs to be filled; rather, it gives PWD a chance to break through the usual rigidly bureaucratic barriers/process to demonstrate their skills, competencies and abilities to do jobs already approved, funded, and posted.
  • OVR, the state lead disability employment policy agency, has been advocating for a “Schedule A” model in state government since 2006. In ’06, OVR conducted a comprehensive review to promote action by the PA State Civil Service Commission to adopt a “Schedule A” program modeled after the Federal Government.
  • The Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council, a Governor-appointed advisory committee to OVR, required under the federal Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA) that reauthorized the Rehab Act, is fully behind this idea and has advocated for this since 2013.
  • The establishment and implementation of Schedule-A would further assist the Governor’s EFEO in the hiring, promoting, tracking and monitoring the success of implementation of this order.
  • A “Schedule A” type plan is supported by:
    • Pennsylvania Association of People Supporting Employment (APSE)
    • Rehabilitation and Community Provider’s Association (RCPA)
    • Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Association (PRA)
    • Provider Alliance (TPA)
    • The Arc of Pennsylvania
    • Pennsylvania State Rehabilitation Council (PaRC)
    • PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR)
    • PA State Civil Service Commission (SCSC)
    • Governor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, and
    • Executive Order 2016-003