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A Five or a Ten in the Preference Column — and What Each One Buys
Under AS 39.25.159 a veteran, former prisoner of war, or long-serving National Guard member is marked 5 or 10 on the referred list for open-competitive vacancies: a 5 means consideration, and a 10 means an offered interview.
Verified August 22, 2026
What this benefit is
Under AS 39.25.159 a veteran, former prisoner of war, or long-serving National Guard member is marked 5 or 10 on the referred list for open-competitive vacancies: a 5 means consideration, and a 10 means an offered interview.
Who is entitled to it
- You served in the armed forces.
- You are applying in this state.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Claim the preference on the application. Applicants are marked with a 5 or a 10 in the veteran preference column on the referred list the hiring manager works from.
- 2A 10 must be documented: a copy of the DD-214, DD-215, or a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Everyone marked 10 who meets the minimum qualifications is afforded the opportunity to interview; everyone marked 5 who meets them is given consideration.
- 3Check the recruitment scope before counting on it. The preference applies where a vacancy is open to residents generally or to all applicants — it does not extend to recruitments limited to department employees or to state employees.
- 4The statutory basis is a percentage of the points available from the assessment device: 5% for veterans and Guard members, 10% for disabled veterans and former prisoners of war. That version only bites where a validated written entrance exam with a numerical rating is used, which is rare here.
- Form
- State job application, with proof for a ten-point claim
- File with
- The hiring department, through the state recruitment system
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionA veteran reading only the statute would expect a percentage added to an exam score. The recruitment guidance says plainly that except in limited pre-approved circumstances the state does not use validated written entrance exams with numerical ratings — so the operative rule is the non-numerical branch: consideration for a 5, an offered interview for a 10.
Worth knowingA current National Guard member with at least eight years of service is inside the preference under the recruitment guidance, alongside veterans and former prisoners of war. That is a route many serving members do not realise they already hold.
Worth knowingThe definitions matter here. A veteran means 181 days or more of active service with an honorable discharge during a listed period, or service in which a campaign badge, expedition medal, Purple Heart, or an award for heroism or gallantry in action was earned — and, distinctively, 181 days or more in the Territorial Guard. Disability incurred in the line of duty in the Territorial Guard also counts as a disabled veteran.
Known gapThe recruitment guidance carries a 2013 revision date; the Office of Veterans Affairs page, read the same day, states the same 5-consideration / 10-interview split and the same limit on all-employee recruitments. The statute text itself was not readable — the legislature’s site blocked automated requests — so the section is cited as the two agency documents cite it.
Sources
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.