• Permanent Full Time Employees
• Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees
• What is a Reservist?
• Regional Contacts

Permanent Full Time Employees

Permanent Full Time (PFT) positions are permanent and follow all Title 5 CFR provisions. PFT positions are “Competitive Service” appointments. Competitive civil service jobs are filled according to a merit system where the best qualified candidates are chosen based on an application and interview process. Through fair and open competition, managers may hire a previous or current Federal employee or choose to hire someone from outside the Federal government.

Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees

Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employee (CORE) employees are hired under the authority and provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Act. CORE positions are temporary, excepted service appointments with specific “Not to Exceed” dates. The appointments are two and four-year terms and are typically renewed if there is ongoing disaster work and funding is available. Excepted service is a special authority used by the Federal government which allows agencies to use a streamlined hiring process rather than hiring through the traditional competitive process. This authority allows agencies to help meet an unusual or special hiring need. CORE positions are excluded from Title 5 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) provisions covering Government Organizations and Employees.

What is a Reservist?

A Reservist is a Federal employee who works on an on-call, intermittent basis forming the major workforce for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in times of emergency or disaster. Reservists play significant roles in helping FEMA accomplish critical goals and objectives. Reservists help complete FEMA’s mission by staffing Joint Field Offices (JFOs) and Disaster Recovery Center (DRCs), interviewing disaster victims, conducting and verifying damage assessments, providing administrative, financial and logistical support and performing a wide variety of other tasks as identified by staffing needs and operational requirements.

Reservists are highly motivated individuals who are capable of producing quality work with minimal supervision in a pressure-filled environment. The life of a Reservists can be exhausting, frustrating, challenging and rewarding. The hours can be long and the conditions are sometimes difficult, but the payoff is the satisfaction of knowing you have brought aid, relief and comfort to those individuals affected by a disaster or an emergency.

For more information, click one of the following links:

• Employee Qualities
• Compensation
• Travel Reimbursement
• Unemployment Compensation
• Workers' Compensation
• Types of Jobs

Reservist Qualities

• United States citizen or national
• Highly motivated
• A self-starter who can work with minimal supervision
• Able to pick up and leave home with sometimes a 24-48 hour notice
• Able to be away from home for 30 days or more
• Able to travel to any state or territory at a moment’s notice.
• Computer literate / ability to prioritizing tasks / customer service oriented
• Financially able to work only part of the year and have an unpredictable level of income
• Able to work long hours - seven days a week in some circumstances
• Able to effectively perform work under physical and mental stress
• Able to pass a background investigation

Compensation

A Reservist is a nonpermanent, excepted service employee appointed under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended. Reservist pay is governed by a schedule separate and apart from regular compensation limits for permanent full-time staff. Pay levels relate to experience, skill set and job classification ranging from $11.29 to $42.03 per hour.

An appointment as a FEMA Reservist does not carry a guarantee of employment or of a renewal of employment. Opportunities for work are limited because of the sporadic nature of disasters. Hence, Reservists must consider the Reservist Program as an intermittent source of income.

Reservists are paid only for hours actually worked on a ‘when-actually-employed’ basis. Overtime compensation is in accordance with FEMA Instructions 3200.1 for any hours worked over 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week. In addition, overtime pay rates are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), with positions designated as exempt or non-exempt in accordance with FLSA provisions.

When deployed, Reservists may have the opportunity to earn holiday pay, administrative leave, and accrue sick leave based on policies and procedures consistent with FEMA’s competitive service employees on a regularly scheduled tour of duty.

Reservists are appointed for a two-year period, receive no health or retirement benefits, earn no annual leave, and receive compensation only when deployed. Reservists are paid by direct deposit, required by Federal regulation, to a bank account of their choosing every two weeks.

If you are a retired federal civil servant, your pay from FEMA may be subject to an offset. A copy of your annuity statement must be submitted to Personnel yearly to be eligible for an annuity waiver during the first 120 days from the date of a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The annuity waiver does not apply when deployed to conduct Preliminary Damage Assessments or for an Emergency Presidential Declaration.

Offsets may or may not apply to career military retirees, depending on the policy of each military branch/each individual. It is suggested that an annuity waiver form be completed when deployed to a JFO (Joint Field Office).

Travel Reimbursement

Reservists receive the total number of hours traveling to a disaster site, including overtime during preliminary damage assessment (PDA) phase of the disaster event, an Emergency Declaration or a Presidential Disaster Declaration. A Reservist will receive actual travel time when traveling home using the most advantageous transportation method to the government. Pay status commences at the time of departure from and return to their residence.

A Reservist is entitled to reimbursement of travel costs and per diem (lodging, meals, and incidentals) when on approved duty away from their residence.

Travel and lodging costs are charged through use of a Government charge card issued to all Reservists when hired. In order to be employed as a Reservist, you must be approved for a Travel Card.

Unemployment Compensation

Upon release from a deployed assignment, Reservists may be eligible for unemployment compensation. Unemployment claims are subject to state law. Each Reservist should seek specific guidance from his/her state unemployment office regarding eligibility criteria.

Workers' Compensation

Reservists are covered by federal workers’ compensation laws regarding job-related accidents that occur while employed by the federal government.

Types of Jobs

Currently, FEMA's disaster workforce uses the cadre structure to identify employees who perform a specific operational program or function in support of agency-wide disaster operations.

Cadres focus on the following functionality: