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Hiring Preference in Public Departments — Spouses Included

Veterans — and unremarried surviving spouses, and spouses of disabled veterans — receive preference in public departments and public works of the state and its local units, with named statutory preferences at several state institutions besides.

Verified August 20, 2026

What this benefit is

Veterans — and unremarried surviving spouses, and spouses of disabled veterans — receive preference in public departments and public works of the state and its local units, with named statutory preferences at several state institutions besides.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are a veteran — or a qualifying spouse, whom the statute reaches.
  • You are a resident of 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

  1. 1Claim veteran status with the application — the preference covers public departments and public works of the state and its local units (RSA 283:4).
  2. 2Two spouse classes share it: the unremarried surviving spouse of a wartime-service citizen, and the spouse of a disabled veteran (RSA 283:6).
  3. 3Named preferences also attach at specific institutions — the liquor commission, the veterans services division and its director, and the veterans home commandant and staff — each under its own RSA.
Form
Employment application with veteran or spouse status claimed
File with
The hiring public employer
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Known gapThe mechanics — whether the preference is points, a tie-break or an absolute rule, and how it applies where no examination exists — are not stated on the page we read. RSA 283:4 itself remains unread; ask the hiring agency how it operationalizes the preference.

Sources

Why only one source type: The state veterans department's page states the preference, both spouse classes and the institution-specific provisions; the statute server refuses connections.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.