Gadsden County Employment: Veterans Preference and Military Leave in the 2010 Personnel Rules

Florida's political subdivisions owe veterans' preference under chapter 295 and paid reserve training leave under section 115.07; see the Florida entries. Gadsden County's Board of County Commissioners applies them through its Personnel Rules, revised February 2, 2010 and still the version posted. Preference. The rules commit the county to "Giving preference in employment consideration to eligible veterans and spouses of veterans in accordance with Chapter 295, Florida Statutes", and every vacancy notice must say "Preference will be given to certain veterans and spouses of veterans as required by the Florida Statutes". Disabled veterans. "An honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more may be appointed to a position in accordance with Sections 295.08 and 295.085", for a one-year probation instead of the class's six months. The veteran brings a county application, the DD-214 or equivalent VA certification, VA or service certification of the 30% rating, proof of Florida residence and the position's minimum qualifications. Under section 295.08 a veteran rated 30% or more who passes an examination goes to the top of the list. Military leave. Reserve and Guard members get paid leave for ordered training "not [to] exceed seventeen (17) working days in any one annual period", and the first 30 calendar days of an active-duty call-up with pay. Section 115.07 now allows 240 working hours a year, so a reservist on a standard schedule is owed about thirty working days, not seventeen; cite the statute to Human Resources. Employees drafted or volunteering for active service keep a right to return within five years. Where the rules are behind the law. They do not mention the parts of section 295.07 that give current Reserve and Guard members a preference, let an employer waive a postsecondary requirement for them and for honorably discharged veterans, and require a written veterans' recruitment plan, and they cite the Department of Veterans' Affairs rule as both chapter 44A-7 and chapter 55A-7. The statute governs.