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The Optional Program for Hiring Applicants with Disabilities

House Bill 1340 Program

10.11.07: Public Service Announcement by the OK Department of Rehabilitation Services, OK Office of Disability Concerns and OK Office of Personnel Management To open the video in Windows Media Player, click here.



“Optional Hiring Program”  video transcript:

Hiring the right people is the most important decision a manager can make. The most desirable employees make a manager’s job easier because they’re eager and qualified to do the job. Sometimes, however, these employees are difficult to find. But now, there’s a fast, easy way to recruit qualified applicants for state government jobs.

It’s an employment program named “The Optional Program for Hiring Applicants with Disabilities.”  It’s sometimes called the “House Bill 1340 Program” after the state legislation that created it in 1987.  Recently, three state agencies, the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Disability Concerns and the Department of Rehabilitation Services joined forces to improve the program and make it easier for agencies and applicants to use.

As the name implies, this is a voluntary program that hiring managers may choose to fill staff vacancies.

1st Woman Speaker: "There's great benefits for the individual and for the program manager and it's a whole lot easier to use."

1st Man Speaker: "It's an excellent tool that provides a manager with additional applicants to fill positions that are sometimes difficult to fill."

In fact, a person with a disability can apply for state jobs through the traditional Merit System hiring process and the Optional Hiring Program at the same time.

Hiring qualified people with disabilities makes sense. Turnover rates for workers with disabilities are five to six times lower than others – which saves you time and effort while cutting your agency’s hiring and training costs.

2nd Woman Speaker: "And they're very reliable. They have very good work ethics. I can depend on them to make sure the job is done."

3rd Woman Speaker: "People with disabilities will make the best employees, they are loyal, hardworking, we have incentive drive, we can get the job done."

When an “Optional Hiring Program” applicant applies for a posted vacancy, you have the authority to hire that person without using a register.

Applicants are also exempt from written tests given by the Office of Personnel Management. You can hire the person similar to the way you fill an unclassified job. And the process ensures that applicants meet minimum education and experience qualifications for the job classes and levels.

Here are the steps an “Optional Hiring Program” applicant must follow:

First, they must get a letter certifying that they have a disability from a vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Department of Rehabilitation Services.  An applicant can call 1-800-487-4042 to find their nearest DRS office.

The DRS counselor usually speeds up the process by emailing the certification letter to OPM directly at Rebecca.coyote@opm.ok.gov. Otherwise, applicants should submit their DRS certification letter to the Office of Personnel Management’s Applicant Services Division at 2101 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Room B-22, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73105 .

Next an applicant should complete an Oklahoma State Employment Application for each job family they wish to apply for. Descriptions of job families and applications are available on the Office of Personnel Management’s website at www.opm.ok.gov.  They will then receive letters from OPM certifying which positions they are qualified for.

Finally, applicants should contact the Human Resources departments at each agency where they want to apply to find out how each agency handles the “Optional Hiring Program” process.  Applicants will need copies of their letters from the Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Office of Personnel Management.

2nd Man Speaker: "Takes a little effort to get everything through, stay on top of it, you push people. You do the things you need to do to get what you want, which is a good paying job."

For a hiring manager the Optional Hiring Program process is simple. Ask your agency Human Resources Department to provide a list of “Optional Hiring Program Applicants.” Your HR Department can call the Office of Personnel Management at 405-521-2171 for more information.

Next, schedule an interview with the applicant. If you feel that the “Optional Hiring Program” applicant is the best person for your job, he or she may be hired without worrying about rank order.

1st Woman Speaker: "It makes my job easier because I can hire someone that's on that log and offer them a job that day."

2nd Woman Speaker: "It is a very good program from my experience and I have very dependable employees that I have enjoyed working with."

1st Man Speaker: "I have hired several individuals off the list, with disabilities, and the success has been great."

2nd Man Speaker: "We have the qualifications, the same as anyone else off the street. Only we don't always get the chance to utilize those qualifications."

3rd Woman Speaker: "Even if I walk in on a cane that doesn't mean that I can't make a copy or that I can't pick up a telephone and be the best employee you've ever had."

Finding the right person for your job can be simple, flexible and fast. When you hire through the Optional Program for Hiring Applicants with Disabilities, you get someone who believes a job is an opportunity – not just a paycheck.