The State Civil Service Act prescribes a comprehensive civil service personnel system for the state and specifically provides certain preferences for veterans. The act grants to a person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty eligibility for civil service examinations for which they meet the minimum qualifications for the classification. The act requires that, in evaluating minimum qualifications, related military experience be considered state civil service experience in a comparable class, based on the duties and responsibilities assigned. The act also requires that request for and proof of eligibility for the veterans’ preference be submitted by the veteran to the Department of Human Resources or the designated appointing authority conducting the employment examination, subject to rules promulgated by the Department of Human Resources in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This bill would authorize the Department of Human Resources or the designated appointing authority, in order to facilitate a request for veterans’ preference from a currently serving active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, to use a signed document by the applicant’s commanding officer of the military to verify that applicant’s military service. The bill would require the department or designated authority, before the applicant enters state service with the benefit of veterans’ preference, to otherwise require the same proof of eligibility for veterans’ preference generally used.