Education & Employment
Kentucky State Employment Interview Preference
Kentucky gives veterans a guaranteed interview rather than points. If fewer than five preference-eligible applicants are qualified, all of them are interviewed; if five or more, at least five are.
Also called: veterans preference, KRS 18A.150, interview preference, state jobs, classified service, no points, spouse, dependent parent.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, survivor.
Where it applies
Written for the jurisdictions listed here.
- KentuckyState
Most states add points to a veteran's score on a competitive examination. Kentucky does not. KRS 18A.150 gives interview preference, which is a different mechanism with a different failure mode, and reading it as points will set the wrong expectation.
The rule in subsection (3) is arithmetic. Applicants entitled to interview preference must be clearly identified. If the number of identified applicants is fewer than five, the employing agency shall offer an interview to all of them. If the number equals or exceeds five, the agency shall offer an interview to no fewer than five. That is the whole of the guarantee: you get in the room, or at least five of you do. Nothing in the statute advances a veteran in scoring, ranking, or selection after the interview.
The eligible group is unusually wide, and wider than the rating-based preferences in most states.
Under subsection (1)(a): any person who served in the Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard and was discharged or released with an honorable discharge, a discharge under honorable conditions, or a general discharge, and also that person's spouse, unmarried widow, or widower. A general discharge counts, which is notable because many preferences stop at honorable.
Under subsection (1)(b): the unmarried widow or widower of military personnel who died while in the Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard, unless the circumstances of the death would have caused a separation other than honorable or general.
Under subsection (1)(c): any current member of the Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard, or their spouse. A currently serving Guard member's spouse has interview preference for Kentucky state jobs.
Under subsection (2): a parent totally or partially dependent on a person who served and lost their life under honorable conditions on active duty or active duty for training, or who became permanently and totally disabled as a result of a service-connected disability.
No disability rating is required anywhere in the section, and no wartime service is required. The only rating that appears is in the dependent-parent provision, and it describes the servicemember rather than the applicant.
Two limits do real work. The applicant must meet the minimum qualifications established for the job classification; preference never substitutes for qualification. And subsection (4) confines interview preference to candidates seeking initial appointment to the classified service. It does not apply to promotion, to transfer within the classified service, or to the unclassified service. A veteran already working for the Commonwealth and seeking a promotion has no preference.
Thresholds
| Gate | Rule |
|---|---|
| No disability rating and no wartime service required | KRS 18A.150 requires no rating from the applicant and no wartime service. A general discharge qualifies alongside an honorable discharge and a discharge under honorable conditions. The rating filter never hides this entry. |
| It is an interview, not points | Where fewer than five preference-eligible applicants meet the minimum qualifications, the agency must interview all of them. Where five or more do, the agency must interview at least five. Nothing in the statute advances a veteran in scoring, ranking, or selection beyond securing the interview. |
| Initial appointment to the classified service only | KRS 18A.150(4) applies interview preference only to candidates seeking initial appointment to the classified service. It does not reach promotion or transfer within the classified service, so a veteran already employed by the Commonwealth gets nothing from it when seeking to move up. |
| Spouses, surviving spouses, and dependent parents are covered | The spouse of a veteran or of a current member of the Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard has preference, as does an unmarried widow or widower, and a parent totally or partially dependent on a servicemember who died under honorable conditions on active duty or duty for training, or who became permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability. |
| Minimum qualifications must be met first | Preference applies only to a competitive classified position for which the applicant meets the minimum qualifications established for the job classification, and applicants must be clearly identified as preference-eligible in the application. |
Sources
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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.