Oregon Veterans Preference in Public Employment

Oregon's preference, first enacted in 1977, is among the strongest in this catalog, and three features explain why. It reaches promotions. ORS 408.230 applies to a veteran who applies for a vacant civil service position or who seeks promotion to a civil service position with a higher maximum salary rate. Colorado's constitution, by contrast, explicitly excludes promotional opportunities. An Oregon veteran already working in the public sector keeps the preference on the way up, which makes it worth claiming repeatedly over a career rather than once at hire. It binds all levels of government. Public employers at state, county, and local level must grant the preference, not just state agencies. It is a requirement to appoint, not merely points on a page. A public employer shall appoint an otherwise qualified veteran or disabled veteran when the results of their application examination, combined with the preference, are equal to or higher than another applicant's. The statute does not force the hire of a veteran on veteran status alone, but a tie or better goes to the veteran. The amounts are five percentage points added to a veteran's score and ten percentage points added to a disabled veteran's score, applied during initial application screening and examination scoring. Where an employer uses an unscored evaluation such as an interview, it must devise a method giving special consideration to veterans instead. There is an accountability provision worth using. A veteran who is not appointed may request in writing the reasons for non-selection, and the employer must provide them in writing. Most preference statutes offer no such thing. If a preference appears to have been ignored, that written request creates the record. Oregon widened eligibility recently. SB 808 in the 2025 session, chaptered as 2025 Oregon Laws chapter 137, extends hiring and promotion preferences to current and former members of the Oregon National Guard, described in statute as a state service member or former state service member, meaning a current Oregon National Guard member or one discharged or released under honorable conditions. That takes effect January 1, 2026. A Guard member who never served on federal active duty, and who therefore never met the ORS 408.225 veteran definition, now has a preference they did not have before and may not know about. The veteran path uses the ORS 408.225 service test rather than a rating. The disabled veteran path is met by a discharge for a service-connected injury or illness, a service-connected disability rating from VA, or a Purple Heart, so any compensable rating reaches the ten-point preference. This entry gates at 10 percent for that reason. To claim it, clear the initial application screening, satisfy any exam or civil service test, and meet the minimum and any special qualifications for the job. Rules are in ORS 408.225, 408.230, and 408.235, and in OAR 105-040-0010 and 105-040-0015. The Bureau of Labor and Industries publishes worker-facing guidance.