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Veterans Preference — Ten Points, Preference in the Appointment, and It Reaches Spouses

Pennsylvania adds ten points to your examination score and then requires the appointing authority to prefer you regardless of where you finished on the list. Under 51 Pa.C.S. §7108 the same preference extends to the unmarried spouse of a deceased veteran or of a servicemember who died on active duty, and to the spouse of a veteran holding a VA permanent total disability.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Pennsylvania adds ten points to your examination score and then requires the appointing authority to prefer you regardless of where you finished on the list. Under 51 Pa.C.S. §7108 the same preference extends to the unmarried spouse of a deceased veteran or of a servicemember who died on active duty, and to the spouse of a veteran holding a VA permanent total disability.

What it's worth: Ten points on the examination, plus preference in the appointment

  • The value is a materially better chance at a public job, which cannot be stated in dollars.
  • 51 Pa.C.S. §7108 extends the preference to the unmarried spouse of a deceased veteran, to the unmarried spouse of a servicemember who died on active duty, and to the spouse of a disabled veteran with a VA permanent total disability.
  • The definitions are at §7101.2, and the spouse of a living disabled veteran qualifies while married — this is not only a survivor provision.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You were discharged honorably or under honorable conditions.
  • You are applying for a public position in Pennsylvania.
  • Your home is in Pennsylvania.

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 the preference on the application itself — it is not applied to you automatically because a system cannot know you served.
  2. 2If you are passed over despite the preference, ask the appointing authority in writing to explain how §7104 was applied. That section requires preference notwithstanding your standing on the list.
File with
The appointing authority, or the State Civil Service Commission
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThis is stronger than the point systems most states run. §7103 adds ten points to the examination score; §7104 then requires the appointing authority to give preference to the veteran NOTWITHSTANDING their standing on the eligible list. Two separate rights, and the second is the one people do not know about.
Worth knowingThe courts have bounded it. Under Brickhouse v. Spring-Ford Area School District (Pa. 1995), the mandatory appointment preference operates for entry-level appointments and appointments from an all-external applicant pool — it is not a general right to promotion over non-veterans already employed.

Sources

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