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Veterans' Preference in State Employment
Three, five or ten points on a state entrance examination — and the three-point tier asks only for six months of service and an honourable discharge.
Verified August 18, 2026
What this benefit is
Three, five or ten points on a state entrance examination — and the three-point tier asks only for six months of service and an honourable discharge.
What it's worth: 10 points disabled or purple heart, 5 for hostilities, 3 for six months and an honourable discharge
- Points are added to the applicable examination score, so the preference moves your position on the list rather than the pass mark.
Who is entitled to it
- You were discharged under honourable conditions.
- You have a service-connected disability — this is the ten-point tier.
- You hold a purple heart — this is the ten-point tier.
- You served during hostilities — this is the five-point tier.
- You served at least six months — this is the three-point tier.
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 highest tier you are entitled to — they are alternatives, not additions.
- 2Attach a certified DD214, or an NGB-22 for National Guard service. CMS verifies veteran status before the preference is granted, and an uncertified copy is a common reason it is refused.
- 3If you are the spouse or civil partner of a deceased or disabled veteran, claim in your own right — the preference runs to you at the level the veteran would have had.
- File with
- Illinois Central Management Services, with your application
- Documents you will need
- dd214 · va benefit summary letter
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionThe ten-point tier sets NO percentage threshold. The rule asks only that the veteran currently hold proof of a service-connected disability from the VA, so a rating of 0% with a letter to show for it reaches the ten points just as a high rating does. Our question asks for a combined rating and cannot tell a 0% service-connected veteran apart from a veteran with no service connection at all, so if you hold a 0% award letter, claim the ten points regardless of what this page returns.
Worth knowingPoints are not the whole preference. Where the hiring process uses category ratings rather than numeric grades, the rule puts veteran eligibles ahead of non-veteran eligibles inside the same category — a preference that no amount of added points would produce.
CorrectionThe lowest tier has no war gate and no disability gate — an honourable discharge and at least six months of service earns three points. A veteran who has read a wartime-only rule in another state will assume they are excluded and claim nothing.
Worth knowingThe tiers are alternatives. Ten points for a disabled veteran or purple heart recipient, five for service during hostilities, three otherwise — you claim the highest, you do not add them.
Worth knowingThe preference extends to the spouse or civil partner of a deceased or disabled veteran at the level the veteran would have had, and to one parent of a deceased or disabled veteran at ten points. Where both parents would qualify, the first appointed takes it.
Known gapThe rule sets out several service-length variations we do not model — a four-year minimum for some Guard and reserve categories, and eligibility regardless of length on a hardship discharge or a discharge for a service-connected disability. If your service was short, read the rule rather than our result.
Sources
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.