Pinellas County Veterans Preference in County Jobs

Florida's chapter 295 requires preference in public employment; see the Florida entry. Pinellas County's Veterans' Preference Procedure says how the county applies it to all Unified Personnel System positions. Who. The groups section 295.07 lists: a disabled veteran with a compensable service-connected disability; the spouse of a totally and permanently disabled veteran who cannot work because of it, or of a member missing in action, captured or detained; a wartime veteran with one day of active wartime service; the unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a service-connected disability; the parent, guardian or unremarried widow or widower of a member who died in the line of duty under combat-related conditions; any veteran who served on active duty; and a current reserve or Florida National Guard member. Veterans must have an honorable discharge. What the county promises. Every eligible applicant who meets the minimum qualifications is interviewed at least once and gets "special consideration and priority" at each step; a hiring manager's rejection of an eligible applicant stands only if a higher level of management upholds it. The best qualified candidate may still be chosen, but between equally qualified applicants the eligible one must be chosen, and among eligibles disabled veterans and spouses (the first two groups) come first. Applicants get at least five business days to fix missing documents. Departments must document the preference given and report it to Human Resources. A county employee deployed for service gets reinstatement and a one-time preference for promotion on return, and preference applies in layoffs.