How to Get a Schedule A Letter From Your Doctor

To get a Schedule A letter from your doctor, book a single appointment, bring OPM’s sample letter language with you, and ask your doctor to certify on signed professional letterhead that you have an intellectual, severe physical, or psychiatric disability qualifying you for non-competitive federal hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u).¹ The letter is short. Your doctor does not need to include your diagnosis, symptoms, or medical history.²

Bring the Sample Language to Your Appointment

Most doctors have never heard of Schedule A hiring. Walking in and asking for a “Schedule A letter” without context usually produces either confusion or an overlong clinical write-up. The fix is simple: print OPM’s sample Schedule A letter and hand it to your doctor at the start of the visit.¹ The sample gives them the exact phrasing federal agencies expect, so there is nothing to guess at.

Say plainly that the letter is for a federal employment program, not an insurance claim, benefits application, or legal matter. Doctors who hear “disability letter” often default to writing detailed medical documentation. Making the purpose clear keeps the letter focused on what hiring agencies actually need and saves back-and-forth later.

Ask about cost when you schedule. Some medical offices charge an administrative fee for preparing letters. If the letter is not finished during the visit, follow up with the office a few days later. Requests routed through administrative staff can stall without a polite check-in.

What the Letter Has to Say

The core certification is one or two sentences. Based on OPM’s sample, the letter should state that you are an individual with an intellectual disability, a severe physical disability, or a psychiatric disability, and that you can be considered for employment under Schedule A hiring authority 5 CFR 213.3102(u).¹ Those are the three disability categories recognized under the regulation.³

The letter does not need to name your specific condition, describe symptoms, or explain any workplace accommodations you might need.² Its only job is to establish your eligibility for Schedule A consideration.

Two phrases people often assume are required aren’t: the letter does not have to say your disability is “permanent or long-term” or that it “substantially limits a major life activity.” Those come from broader disability law, not from OPM’s Schedule A documentation rules. Including them causes no harm; leaving them out causes no problem.

Letterhead and Signature

Two formatting details make or break the document. It must be printed on the medical professional’s official letterhead, and it must carry their signature. A letter missing either one is considered invalid.¹ If your doctor’s office prepares letters electronically, confirm they will use the official letterhead template and apply a proper signature rather than send back an unsigned printout.

Who Else Can Write the Letter

Your personal doctor is the most common source, but the regulation authorizes others, and one of them may be faster if they already have your disability status on file.⁴ The accepted sources are:³

A licensed medical professional, such as a physician or psychiatrist certified by your state to practice medicine.
A licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, either at a state agency or in private practice.
A federal, state, or District of Columbia agency that issues disability benefits, such as the Social Security Administration or a state vocational rehabilitation office.

If you already receive disability benefits or work with a vocational rehabilitation counselor, requesting the letter through that channel can be quicker than scheduling a doctor’s visit. Whichever source you use, the same letterhead and signature rules apply: the document should come on official stationery with an authorized signature.¹

Each hiring agency ultimately decides what documentation it will accept, so a clean letter from a clearly qualified source reduces the chance of pushback.⁴

Keep the Letter Short

Ask your doctor to stick closely to the sample language. Extra medical detail doesn’t strengthen the letter, and it can create privacy concerns once the document circulates through an agency’s hiring office. A letter that confirms your disability category and references Schedule A authority is doing everything it needs to do.

If a draft comes back with paragraphs of clinical narrative, it’s reasonable to ask for a revised version closer to the sample. Doctors are usually willing to trim once they understand the letter is meant to certify eligibility, not to document a case.

How Long the Letter Stays Good

OPM does not set an expiration date for Schedule A documentation, and there is no limit on how many times you can submit the same letter with different job applications.² As long as the information remains accurate, it stays valid under OPM policy.

Individual agencies sometimes set their own standards. Some ask for documentation dated within the past year; others accept older letters without question. If a job announcement or agency HR office specifies a timeframe, follow it. Asking your doctor to describe the disability as ongoing or lifelong, where accurate, helps the letter hold up regardless of when it was written.

Using the Letter on USAJOBS

Once you have the letter, upload it as an attachment when you apply for federal positions. USAJOBS lets you save documents to your account, so you only need to upload it once and can reuse it across applications. To find eligible positions, use the “Individuals with disabilities” filter under Hiring Path when you search, and select the same hiring path in your account settings so agencies searching for Schedule A candidates can find your resume directly.⁵

Having the letter opens the Schedule A pathway. It does not guarantee a job: you still need to meet the qualifications for the position, and the agency still decides whether you’re the right fit.²

1
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Sample Schedule A Letters
2
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The ABCs of Schedule A
3
eCFR. 5 CFR 213.3102
4
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. What Is Proof of Disability Documentation?
5
USAJOBS. Individuals With Disabilities