Military spouses working for the federal government provide more than just an often-untapped skill set for their agency or department – their careers make it more likely for a servicemember to remain in uniform, despite frequent moves and other potential professional derailments.

For this reason, MOAA welcomes recent guidance from the VA and other federal agencies designed to exempt military spouses on PCS orders from recent Office of Personal Management (OPM) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives regarding a federal hiring freeze, a return to in-person work for federal employees, and changes to probationary periods and administrative leave policies.

But not all agencies are making such exemptions part of their policies. And while some lawmakers are weighing in with letters to OPM and OMB urging consideration of exemptions for military spouses, they need to hear from you about how important this issue is to the financial wellbeing of military families, and to the health of the all-volunteer force.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmaker to Support Military Spouses in the Federal Government]

Without this protection, the new guidance could negatively impact military spouses who have been offered federal positions, are in a probationary hiring status, or are currently working for the federal government.

Recognizing the Need

Three executive orders (EOs) in the past 17 years recognized and addressed persistent un- and underemployment challenges military spouses face:

• EO 13473, To Authorize Certain Noncompetitive Appointments in the Civil Service for Spouses of Certain Members of the Armed Forces (President George W. Bush)
• EO 13832, Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service Appointments of Military Spouses (President Donald Trump)
• EO 14100, Advancing Economic Security for Military and Veteran Spouses, Military Caregivers, and Survivors (President Joe Biden)

These orders established and enhanced the federal noncompetitive hiring authority to support military spouse employment. Provisions in the last five National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) extended the hiring authority in recognition of the continued high unemployment rate – 21%, according to the most recent DoD data – and also expanded it to include DoD civilian spouses, State Department spouses, and intelligence community spouses.

The FY 2024 NDAA further clarified the importance of expanding remote and telework options for federally employed military spouses.

A VA memo issued Jan. 24 notes that the new federal policy “allows for exceptions for military spouses with permanent change of station orders. Current arrangements to include Domestic Employee Teleworking Overseas (DETO) arrangements will not be modified unless there is a basis for revisiting or revising the arrangement.” This memo should be a model for other agencies moving forward.

[RELATED: How MOAA’s Work to Boost Spouse Employment Will Take Shape in the 119th Congress]

The same day, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an agency exemption to military spouses with permanent changes of station, noting, “Current Workplace Flexibility Agreements will not be modified unless there is a basis for revisiting or revising the arrangements.”

However, other department-wide guidance such as that issued by DoD and the Labor Department lacked similar provisions. 

Additional OPM and OMB guidance on return-to-office plans issued Jan. 27 included language in a footnote exempting military spouses working remotely under language in the FY 2024 NDAA. However, without more specific direction from OPM and OMB, there are significant concerns military spouses on the move could face additional difficulties keeping, or securing, federal positions despite their qualifications.

Visit MOAA’s Legislative Action Center and ask your lawmakers to urge OPM and OMB to establish exemptions for military spouses to ensure they can continue to make their valuable contributions to our federal workforce while helping support their families.