New York Civil Service Examination Credits for Veterans
Ten points added to an open-competitive civil service exam score for a veteran rated 10% or more, five points for other veterans. Promotion exams get half that. The credits can be used once in a career, and using them is a decision worth timing.
Also called: civil service, Civil Service Law 85, 10 points, 5 points, examination credits, promotion, one time use, state jobs.
Civil Service Law section 85 adds points to a passing civil service examination score. The amounts are fixed by statute.
A disabled veteran receives 10 additional points on an open-competitive examination for original appointment, and 5 additional points on a promotion examination. A non-disabled veteran receives 5 points on an open-competitive examination and 2.5 points on a promotion examination.
A disabled veteran for this purpose is one certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department as entitled to receive disability payments, with a disability rated at 10 per centum or more. That 10% floor is the line between the two tiers, and it is one of the few places in New York law where a specific rating percentage doubles a benefit.
Section 85 imposes no wartime service requirement. It covers a member of the armed forces honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances, whenever they served.
The one-time use rule is the part that deserves thought before applying. Once a veteran receives a permanent original appointment or a permanent promotion from an eligible list on which the credits were allowed, the credits are spent and cannot be claimed again, either as a veteran or as a disabled veteran. A veteran who takes a low-graded job using 10 points has nothing left for the job they actually wanted. The exception is narrow: where the appointment is terminated during the probationary period, or the veteran resigns before probation ends, eligibility for the credits survives.
A 2013 constitutional amendment, effective January 1, 2014, added a second chance in one specific situation. A veteran who used non-disabled credits for an appointment and was afterwards certified as disabled by VA may claim 10 credits on a later examination, reduced by the number already used. In practice that means 5 more points.
Credits have to be claimed on the examination application. They are not applied automatically from a discharge document the agency has not been given.
Thresholds
Thresholds for New York Civil Service Examination Credits for Veterans
Gate
Rule
A rating of 10% or more doubles the credits
Every qualifying veteran receives credits. A disability rated 10 per centum or more, with entitlement to disability payments, raises the award from 5 points to 10 on an open-competitive examination and from 2.5 to 5 on a promotion examination.
Honorable discharge, with no wartime requirement
Section 85 requires only that the applicant was honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from the armed forces. There is no wartime service period and no rating minimum for the base 5-point credit.
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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.