You applied for a VA job on USAJobs six weeks ago. Your status still says "Received." You have no idea if someone read your resume or if it fell into a black hole. Sound about right?

The VA is the second largest federal agency. They hire thousands of people every year. But their hiring process is slow. Painfully slow. And if you have never been through it, every week of silence feels like a rejection.

I have been through this. After I separated as a Navy Diver, I spent 18 months applying for federal jobs with zero callbacks. When I finally cracked the system and got hired, I went on to work across six different federal career fields. I know exactly how long each stage takes because I lived it from both sides of the desk.

This article breaks down the VA hiring process step by step. Real timelines. Real wait times. And what you can actually do at each stage to stop guessing and start preparing.

How Is the VA Hiring Process Different from Other Federal Agencies?

Every federal agency uses USAJobs. Every agency follows OPM rules. But the VA has its own quirks that change how long things take.

The VA uses USA Staffing as its applicant tracking system. That part is the same as most agencies. But the VA also has special hiring authorities for veterans that other agencies do not always use.

Title 38 positions cover doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers. These roles have a separate hiring path with different rules. Title 5 positions cover admin, IT, logistics, and other support roles. These follow the standard federal hiring process.

Why does this matter? Title 38 roles can move faster because the VA has more flexibility to hire healthcare workers. Title 5 roles follow the same slow process as any other agency.

The VA also has a dedicated Veterans Preference Office. They take veterans preference seriously. If you are a disabled veteran, your application gets extra weight in the ranking process. But that still does not speed things up much.

If you already understand the general federal hiring timeline, the VA version follows the same basic steps. The difference is what happens between those steps.

What Does the Full VA Hiring Timeline Look Like?

From the day you click "Submit" to the day you get a tentative offer, here is what to expect. These are real averages based on what I have seen across thousands of applications through BMR.

That is the realistic timeline. Three to six months from submit to start. Some people get lucky and it takes eight weeks. Others wait seven months or longer. The VA is not fast, but it is predictable once you know the stages.

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Why Does the VA Take So Long to Hire?

Every veteran who has applied for a VA job asks this. The short answer is bureaucracy. The longer answer has four specific parts.

HR staffing shortages: The VA has more open positions than most agencies. Their HR teams are stretched thin. One HR specialist might be processing hundreds of applications for dozens of announcements at the same time. Your application sits in a queue.

Veterans preference adjudication: The VA takes veterans preference seriously. Every application from a veteran needs to be verified. That means checking DD-214s, disability ratings, and preference categories. This adds time to every single hiring action.

Panel interview coordination: VA interviews involve multiple people. Scheduling a panel of two to four people across different shifts and locations takes time. Healthcare facilities run 24/7. Finding a slot where everyone is available can add weeks.

Background check backlogs: After the tentative offer, you wait for your background check. If you need a security clearance, add more time. Standard background checks for VA positions take 4-8 weeks. Clearance investigations can take months.

What Do VA Application Statuses Actually Mean?

USAJobs shows you a status for every application. But the labels are vague and most people read them wrong. Here is what each one really means for VA positions.

Received: Your application landed in the system. Nobody has looked at it yet. This can stay for weeks. Do not panic. It does not mean anything is wrong.

Reviewed: An HR specialist opened your application and checked it against the job requirements. They looked at your resume, your questionnaire answers, and your supporting documents. This is where they decide if you meet minimum qualifications.

Referred: You made the cut. Your name is on the list that goes to the hiring manager. This is good news. But getting referred does not guarantee an interview. The hiring manager may have 10-20 names on that list. They choose who to call.

Selected: You got the job. A tentative offer is coming. You are not done yet. Background checks and paperwork still have to clear.

Not Selected: Someone else got picked. It does not mean you were unqualified. It means someone else scored higher or had a stronger interview.

Not Referred: You did not meet the qualifications for the referral list. This usually means your resume did not show enough specialized experience or your questionnaire answers did not match your resume.

For a deeper breakdown of every status, check the full USAJobs application status guide.

How Can Veterans Speed Up Their VA Application?

You cannot make HR work faster. But you can remove the reasons they would slow down or skip your application. Here are the things that actually make a difference.

Write a Federal Resume That Matches the Announcement

The number one reason applications stall at "Reviewed" is the resume does not match. VA HR specialists compare your resume to the job announcement line by line. If they cannot find the specialized experience in your resume, you are out.

Federal resumes are different from civilian resumes. They need hours per week, supervisor contact info, and detailed duty descriptions. But they should still be 2 pages max. The old 16-page format is dead. OPM changed the rules in November 2025.

Pull the exact keywords from the job announcement and put them in your resume. If the announcement says "program management," your resume should say "program management." Not "project oversight." Not "mission coordination." The exact words.

Get Your Documents Right the First Time

Missing documents are the easiest way to get disqualified. The VA requires specific supporting documents depending on your situation.

• DD-214 (Member 4 copy): Required for veterans preference verification
• SF-15: Required if claiming 10-point veterans preference
• VA disability letter: Required for Schedule A or 30% disabled preference
• Transcripts: Required if the job has an education requirement
• SF-50: Required if you are a current or former federal employee

Upload everything when you apply. Do not wait for HR to ask. If they have to request documents from you, your application goes to the bottom of the pile while they move on to complete packages.

Apply to Multiple Announcements

The VA posts the same job title at different locations, different grade levels, and under different hiring authorities. Do not apply to one and wait. Apply to every announcement where you qualify.

Some announcements are open to the public. Others are merit promotion only. Some are open only through veterans hiring authorities like VRA or VEOA. Each one is a separate hiring action with its own timeline. Cast a wide net.

What Happens After a VA Interview?

You did the panel interview. It went well. Now you wait again. Here is what is happening on the other side.

The interview panel scores every candidate. They use a structured rating sheet. Each panelist scores independently. Then they meet and compare notes. If they all agree on a top pick, it moves fast. If they disagree, it takes longer.

After the panel agrees, the hiring manager sends their selection to HR. HR verifies that the pick is eligible. They check veterans preference, ensure no hiring violations, and prepare the tentative offer letter.

This process takes 2-6 weeks after your interview. Two weeks is fast. Six weeks is common. If you have not heard anything after four weeks, it is fair to follow up.

How do you follow up? Call the HR contact listed on the job announcement. Not email. Call. Ask for a status update on the hiring action. Be polite. Be brief. HR specialists handle hundreds of cases. They will appreciate a quick, direct question over a long email.

For more on what VA panels actually ask, read the federal job interview questions guide.

VA Hiring Timeline: Title 38 vs. Title 5 Positions

This is where the VA gets different from every other agency. The VA hires under two separate title authorities. The timeline is not the same for both.

If you are a healthcare professional, Title 38 hiring can be significantly faster. The VA has direct hire authority for many medical positions. That means they can skip parts of the competitive process and make offers quicker.

For Title 5 positions, the timeline matches what you see at most federal agencies. Expect the full 3-6 month window. There are no shortcuts on the Title 5 side.

Hybrid Title 38 positions exist too. These are healthcare-adjacent roles like social workers, psychologists, and dietitians. They fall somewhere in between on the timeline.

How to Track Your VA Application Without Going Crazy

The worst part of the VA hiring process is the silence. You apply, you wait, and USAJobs gives you almost nothing to work with. Here is how to stay on top of it.

Check USAJobs weekly, not daily. Statuses update slowly. Checking every day just builds anxiety. Set a day each week to log in and check. If something changed, you will see it.

Keep a spreadsheet. Track every application with the announcement number, date applied, grade level, location, and current status. When you have 15-20 applications out, you will forget the details. Write them down.

Set calendar reminders. Four weeks after you apply, set a reminder to check the status. If it still says "Received" after six weeks, call the HR contact listed on the announcement. Eight weeks with no change is a sign the position may have been cancelled or frozen.

Do not stop applying. This is the biggest mistake I see. Someone gets referred to one VA position and stops applying to everything else. Keep going. The referral might not turn into an interview. The interview might not turn into an offer. Keep your pipeline full until you have a final offer letter in your hand.

Common VA Hiring Mistakes That Add Months to the Process

Some delays are out of your control. But some are completely self-inflicted. Here are the mistakes that cost veterans the most time.

Using a civilian resume format. Federal resumes need specific details that civilian resumes do not have. Hours per week, supervisor name and phone number, exact dates (month and year), and detailed duty descriptions. If your resume looks like a private sector resume, HR cannot properly evaluate you. They will mark you "not qualified" even if you have the experience.

Answering the questionnaire too conservatively. The self-assessment questionnaire ranks you against other applicants. If the question asks if you have "expert" experience in something you have done for five years, say yes. Do not mark "proficient" out of modesty. Your resume has to back it up. But if the experience is there, claim it.

Missing the closing date. VA announcements close on a specific date. Some close in five days. Others stay open for two weeks. A few are open continuously. If you miss the window, your application will not be considered. Period. Set an alert when you find a job you want.

Applying to the wrong grade level. Each GS grade requires a specific amount of specialized experience. If you apply for a GS-12 but only qualify for a GS-11, you are wasting time. Read the qualifications section carefully. Apply to the grade you actually qualify for.

Not using veterans hiring authorities. The VA accepts applications through VRA (Veterans Recruitment Appointment), VEOA (Veterans Employment Opportunities Act), and 30% disabled veteran authority. These are separate pathways with their own applicant pools. If you are eligible, use them. You compete against fewer people.

What to Do Next

The VA hiring process is slow. That is not going to change. What you can control is the quality of your application and how many you send out.

Start with your resume. A federal resume built for VA positions needs to match the announcement word for word. It needs the right format. It needs the right details. And it needs to be 2 pages max.

BMR's Federal Resume Builder handles the formatting and keyword matching for you. Paste the job announcement in. Get a resume tailored to that specific VA position. It is built by veterans who know how federal hiring actually works.

Then apply to every VA announcement where you qualify. Track your applications. Follow up after four weeks. And keep applying until you have an offer in hand.

The timeline is long. But the job on the other end is worth the wait.