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| Chris, Flikr Commons |
The LEAP process
was created in 1989 to create a special hiring pathway for persons with
disabilities to land a job with the state. A current version of the LEAP manual
is available
here. A collection of the ~80 laws
cited in the manual are available
here.
- For the most part, only lower paying jobs are included in the LEAP program.
- Most higher paying jobs are not eligible for LEAP.
In the 25
years of LEAP, 99 state organizations
have not used
LEAP a single time
The hall of
shame includes:
- Health and Human Services Agency
- Fair Employment & Housing Commission
- Little Hoover Commission
- State Public Defender
- Cal EPA
- Department of Business Oversight
- Agricultural Labor Relations Board
- Exposition & State Fair
- Lands Commission
A list of all
99 state organizations can be downloaded
here.
There are
actually four LEAP hiring processes described in the LEAP manual, not just the
one that is used
LEAP Hiring Method #1
This is the process
used by some organizations, and encouraged by CalHR's LEAP program office. Rather than using the civil service hiring
method, state organizations can select a LEAP candidate off of a LEAP list,
which certifies they meet the minimum qualifications for a particular job. The LEAP candidate is put into a paid
training and evaluation program performing the job while they are
evaluated. If successful, the LEAP
candidate is hired for the position in a regular civil service capacity. This process is described in Chapters two (2)
through five (5) of the LEAP manual.
LEAP Hiring Method #2
LEAP candidates can
contact heads of state organizations to directly solicit a job (LEAP §2.2, and §2.7).
LEAP candidates can send a resume, or a standard state job application
(STD678), or make phone calls or send emails to these Directors and Agency
Secretaries asking for a job.
A person with a
disability told me this is how he obtained his state job. Years ago he sent his resume to the director
of a state organization. He was offered
an unpaid internship, and after a few weeks of proving himself, he was offered
a job. He has now been employed by the
state for many years.
LEAP Hiring Method #3
"Departments
may use LEAP referral lists to fill vacancies" (LEAP §2.2).
This can be done with a person on a LEAP list is a good "job-person
match", conditional that they are sufficiently qualified (LEAP §2.2).
Taken at face value, this says state organizations may find persons with
disabilities on LEAP hiring lists, and if they are good match for an open job,
hire them.
Attorneys at state
organizations may dispute the apparent intention of this section, perhaps
arguing such an appointment violates the rules of civil service. However, that argument is seen as
unconvincing when one considers the fact that the entire LEAP process violates
the rules of civil service. This is
tacitly acknowledged in the opening sentence of the LEAP manual, where it says
"LEAP is an alternative section program for persons with
disabilities" (LEAP §1.1).
LEAP Hiring Method #4
Many jobs (called
"classifications" in state speak) are not available to LEAP
candidates. However, a state
organization may ask CalHR for permission to use a LEAP process to hire someone
into a non-LEAP position (LEAP Manual §1.5).
Please cite this
blog as: Nelson, Eric L. (2015). LEAP Hiring Processes. Trends in State Work, http://trendsinstatework.blogspot.com/2015/05/four-leap-hiring-processes.html
