LEAP Certification and Exam Process

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LEAP Line 916-558-5423
workforce.development@dor.ca.gov

How DOR Can Be of Service to Your Business:

Building a more diverse workforce should be a keystone element of any state department of California. With a vision of encompassing a California for all, DOR has new opportunities for departments looking to incorporate a more inclusive work place by extending equal employment opportunities to the many well qualified, applicants with disabilities.

The Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) is designed to help persons with disabilities get jobs in the California state civil service. State Departments can utilize LEAP when filling vacant positions, and are encouraged to be familiar with the process of obtaining LEAP certification and eligibility.

To be certified under LEAP, each applicant is required to present documentation of disability as well as a photo ID, at a Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) office. Certification for this program is conducted solely by DOR.

Before they visit, applicants are advised to create a CalCareers account . CalCareers is the online job search platform administered by California Human Resources Department (CalHR) where LEAP participants will conduct their job search once certified.

A DOR counselor reviews applicant’s documentation and certifies by adding a LEAP record in the applicant’s name into CalHR’s ECOS database. At this point the counselor (electronically) links applicant’s record with applicant’s CalCareers account. It is this electronic link that greenlights participant into the LEAP exams on CalCareers.

LEAP participants use the same sequence of steps that people using the regular hiring process take, namely:

• Take self-evaluations (also known as exams) for classifications for which they qualify
• Target specific vacancies
• Apply for vacancies on CalCareers per the directions in the individual job posting

However, the exams that LEAP candidates take score applicants differently than the same exam on the regular hiring system. On the LEAP side, those who achieve a passing grade of 70% will place in the top three ranks and are therefore reachable by hiring managers.

Hiring managers who receive applications from LEAP candidates will be unaware of disability status until the individual is hired. Once hired they serve a job evaluation period (JEP) during which they are evaluated by means of on-the-job performance If performance standards are met, they attain civil service status. (The appointment could be permanent or limited term as specified in the job bulletin for the particular position)

NOTE: LEAP candidates hired on or after July 1, 2016 do not serve a probation period.

Currently, DOR has 437 Qualified Rehabilitation Professionals that provide LEAP certification in the ECOS system and average 300 LEAP Certifications monthly since the project inception in April of 2016.

DOR encourages all State Departments to utilize tools such as LEAP to encompass our statewide goal of inclusion, opportunity, and a California for all.