Contra Costa County Merit System Veterans' Preference Credit

Contra Costa County's Personnel Management Regulations, adopted by the Board of Supervisors under Ordinance Code section 33-3.1305, set the preference. The Ordinance Code's own veterans' preference section was repealed in 1981. Who qualifies (regulation 403, amended 1995). A person who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard in time of war, in any expedition of the armed forces, or continuously on active duty for more than 180 days, and received an honorable discharge or certificate of honorable service; or a disabled veteran. Evidence of service must reach the Director of Human Resources by the closing date of the examination announcement. The credit (regulation 606). An examinee who qualifies and passes every part of an open examination gets five percent of the total credits earned added to the final score, so a score of 80 becomes 84. It is not a flat five points. It does not apply to promotional, reemployment or layoff lists, and the regulations give no larger credit for a disability. On band-scored examinations the credit counts before candidates are placed in bands A, B and C (regulation 605). Two cautions. The service route needs an honorable discharge, so a veteran with a general discharge under honorable conditions should ask whether the disabled-veteran route applies. The regulations do not define "disabled Veteran" or name a rating, so bring the VA letter.