Inquiry of the Week (8/27/01)

Question:

Is a person eligible for veterans' preference in civil service if they have only been in the military a few months before being honorably discharged for medical reasons?

Answer:

Yes. There is no minimum time that has to be served before a person is eligible to be considered a veteran for preference purposes. RCW 41.05.005 defines "veteran" to include every person "who at the time he or she seeks the benefits" of veterans' preference status "has received an honorable discharge or received a discharge for physical reasons with an honorable record. . . ."

For more on this topic, see our "Veterans' Preference/Scoring Criteria" Web page.