Guam Government Veterans Preference

Five points for a veteran and ten for a veteran disabled in service, added to a passing competitive examination score on initial employment, with a statutory tiebreaker that gives the first offer to the preference holder.

Also called: veterans preference, civil service, hiring preference, 4 GCA 4104, Guam Police Combat Patrol, 180 days, first offer, Civil Service Commission.

For: Veteran or service member, spouse, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

GuamTerritory

4 GCA § 4104 opens by saying no preference shall be given in the government service, and then lists the exceptions. Guam residents who are physically or mentally impaired but able to perform the job safely and efficiently as certified by the Director of Public Health and Social Services; Guam residents who are veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States; former members of the Guam Police Combat Patrol as certified by the Chief of Police; and graduates of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission Academy, for the positions that chapter identifies, each receive a preferential credit of five points added to their competitive examination score. Veterans or former Combat Patrol members who are disabled as a result of their service receive ten points added to their passing score. Then the provision that does the most work and that no summary carries. Under § 4104(a)(3), if two applicants for government service are equally qualified for the position to be filled and one is a beneficiary of a preference while the other is not, "the former shall be given the first offer of position." That is a hard rule, not a suggestion, and it operates after the points have already been counted. Three limits. The points are added only on initial employment, and only where the applicant receives a minimum passing score or higher. Subsection (b) says so in terms. This is a hiring preference, not a promotion preference. Subsection (c)(2), added by Public Law 32-187 in 2014, requires at least one hundred eighty cumulative days of service in the Armed Forces and a discharge other than dishonorable. Note cumulative, not consecutive, which is more forgiving than the equivalent test in American Samoa, and note that the 180-day floor applies to the five-point category and the statute does not separately exempt the disabled ten-point category from it. Proof, under subsection (c)(1), is the DD Form 214, DD Form 2 military identification card, a Certificate of Service, a VA Veterans Identification Card, or other official verification from the Department of Defense. The ten-point preference is also a derived benefit. Under 4 GCA § 4B101(b) it extends to the spouse, legal guardian or surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran, which is covered by the derived benefits entry here. The Guam Police Combat Patrol category is a Guam-specific piece of Second World War history rather than a general police provision, and it sits alongside the Combat Patrol bonus in 10 GCA Chapter 68.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Guam Government Veterans Preference
Gate	Rule
Ten points needs a service-connected disability, not a percentage	4 GCA § 4104(a)(2) gives ten points to veterans disabled as a result of their service in the Armed Forces or the Combat Patrol. The statute names no percentage, so any service-connected disability reaches it and a rating filter never hides this benefit; the five-point category needs no disability at all.
180 cumulative days and a discharge other than dishonorable	4 GCA § 4104(c)(2) requires at least one hundred eighty cumulative days of service in the Armed Forces of the United States and a discharge other than dishonorable. Cumulative rather than consecutive is a more forgiving test than several neighbouring jurisdictions use.
Equal qualifications go to the preference holder	4 GCA § 4104(a)(3): where two applicants are equally qualified and one holds a preference under the section, that applicant shall be given the first offer of position. This operates on top of the points, not instead of them.
Initial employment only, and you must pass first	Subsection (b) adds the points only upon initial employment and only where the applicant receives a minimum passing score or higher. Nothing in the section reaches promotion.

Documents the source lists

What the official source lists for an application, and where to get each document. It is a reference read from the source, not a full list of what the office may ask for; check with the office or an accredited representative before you apply. Needed means the source asks for it; Helps means the source calls it optional or says it speeds things up.

Needed DD214 or other separation documents
One of the proofs the source accepts.
Where to get it Download it from milConnect if your branch has it there, or request it from the National Archives. A VA application can ask VA to request it for you.
Listed by Guam Code Annotated 4 GCA Chapter 4, Personnel Policy and the Civil Service Commission read 2026-10-10

Sources

Guam Code Annotated 4 GCA Chapter 4, Personnel Policy and the Civil Service CommissionOfficial

Updated

Last updated 2026-09-29.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.