Veteran's Preference Information

Pursuant to Chapter 657 of the Texas Government Code, preference in employment is provided to:

• veterans, including veterans with disabilities;
• veterans’ surviving spouses who have not remarried; and
• orphans of veterans who were killed on active duty.

Individuals who qualify for veteran’s employment preference are entitled to a preference in employment with or appointment to the university over other applicants for the same positions who do not have greater qualifications.

Section 2308.251 of the Texas Government Code defines a veteran as a person who has served in:

• the army, navy, air force, coast guard, or marine corps of the United States, or the United States Public Health Service under 42 U.S.S. Section 201 et seq., as amended;
• the Texas military forces as defined by Section 437.001 of the Texas Government Code; or
• an auxiliary service of one of those branches of the armed forces; and
• has been honorably discharged from the branch of the service in which the person served.

Eligible applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for a position will be shown preference in multiple aspects of the hiring process.

Interviews
If the total number of applicants interviewed for a position is six or fewer, then at least one of those applicants must be a qualified individual eligible for veteran’s preference.

If the total number of applicants interviewed for a position is more than six, then at least 20% of the total number of those applicants must be qualified individuals eligible for veteran’s preference.

If there are no veteran’s preference applicants in the qualified applicant pool, this guideline does not apply.

Employment Decisions
If two applicants are finalists for a position, and both are equally qualified for the position in every way except that one is eligible for veteran’s preference and the other is not, then the applicant eligible for veteran’s preference will be selected for hire.

If veteran’s preference is granted, the veteran, surviving unmarried spouse, or orphan would be required to produce Form DD214 or a similar document at the point of hire to verify eligibility.
 

No, it does not. For an eligible individual to be interviewed, the individual must meet the same minimum qualifications for the position as every other applicant. If the individual does not meet the minimum qualifications, then the individual will not be interviewed.

For an eligible applicant to be hired, the applicant must be the best qualified applicant for the position as determined by the hiring manager. If the applicant is not the best applicant for the position, then they will not be hired.

Eligible applicants should apply for positions through the SFA careers website, careers.sfasu.edu.  Applicants will be asked questions as part of the online application process that will be used to determine their eligibility for the veteran’s employment preference.